Facebook EdgeRank – How to Get More Views and More Engagement

Facebook EdgeRank – What is it, How does it work, and Why should you care?

So you’ve just created your company profile on Facebook and may have also requested people to like the page. You’ve shared some random information, posted a few pictures and got some, “manual” likes. That done, what next? Do you simply leave your page as it is or do you actually want it to play a role in bringing you good leads (in many cases, even direct sale!)? If the latter is your target, then you need to understand something called, “Facebook Edge Rank”. Knowing about the EdgeRank will help you prioritize and streamline your social media plans. When and what posts to share, how to connect and build relationships are some of the main strategies that you can determine by understanding the Edge Rank.

Ready? Here we go.

The What – A Little About Facebook’s Algorithm

An algorithm developed by Facebook, the EdgeRank is used to measure and govern posts displayed on the NewsFeed. The word, “edge” itself defines all activities in Facebook; such as status updates, comments, shares, likes and tags. Based on these factors, a post is given an edge rank in the News Feed and posts with the highest rank gets to be the top post in the News Feed.

Now going into the mathematical part of it – here’s what the algo is all about.

 

A quick definition of these factors:

Affinity: It’s the relationship between a user and the Edge or between a brand and the fan. The more people interact and connect with your post via shares, likes and comments, the better you build affinity.

Weight: Activities on Facebook are given a certain weight. Comments are given more weight than likes and shares stand above it all; therefore, the posts that take the most time to gather comments and shares weigh more.

Time Decay: This determines the popularity and the longevity of the post. The older the post is, the less valuable it is and generally, posts on Facebook only lasts for a day or so.

The How – Understanding How You Can Optimize Your Company Profile for EdgeRank

If you’re a brand that’s trying to establish an active company page, then it’s important to optimize your post according to EdgeRank requirements. The page should have media rich content, interesting graphics, attention-grabbing information and anything that can get people talking about it. You can also use an EdgeRank Checker to measure the worth of your page over a daily basis. The scores are based on per object, per day connectivity with the average fan.

The Why – Knowing Why You Should Take EdgeRank Seriously

The Edge Rank helps you track the progress of your marketing efforts. It helps you decide on the type of posts that attracts the audience, based on which, you can create an effective social media plan. If your brand has low EdgeRank substance, it will not be visible on the News Feed, and hence, not seen by your target audience. On the other hand, if your posts have high EdgeRank, you can actually gain a positive ROI value.

In the end, it’s all about the exposure. The more exposed, popular and viral your posts, the greater your EdgeRank buildup. So, the next time you create posts for Facebook, do keep in mind EdgeRank factors.

If you want more information on this topic, check out Dennis Jender’s article on EdgeRank. He is also the one who provided our featured image.