Unless you are a self-proclaimed Facebook geek, you may not have noticed one of the subtle changes the platform made recently. This change directly affects how proactive page managers need to be; as well as, how the average user interacts with the pages they follow.
Page Tagging: We all know the drill when it comes to tagging. If we tag a friend in a post or image, that it will appear on their timeline. Even if their security settings don't allow it or if they deny the appearance on their timeline, it will still show up in your mutual friends' news feeds. They will have to go through several steps to actually remove the tag permanently. The tagging of pages, however, has changed. While you can still tag the page, your post no longer will appear on the page's timeline. Your rant or rave about a business, product, or celebrity will no longer be seen by other page followers or even the administrator of the page, for that matter. Your Facebook friends will still see the tag and be able to click on it to be directed to the page in question. But, isn't the primary purpose of the tag to let the page know of your satisfaction or dissatisfaction? The only way to do this now is to post directly to the page's timeline or by sending them a private message.
How does this subtle change affect how you interact with a page? More importantly, how will it affect how the page interacts with its followers? To page administrators, my recommendation would be to start using a hashtag in all your posts. Eventually, your followers will pick up on it and begin using it themselves. The use of a hashtag will make it easier to find mentions of your page in search. While you may not be able to comment on the post as the page, you will still be able to get a sense of how well your brand is faring on Facebook. The same holds true for the average Facebook user. As the use of hashtags becomes more prevalent you should be able to do a search if there is any question in your mind about a page or brand. Keep in mind that search results will be of those posts which have the "public" privacy setting from the original poster. You might never see all the mentions - good or bad - for a particular page.
Finally, on a more personal pet peeve note; it is my belief that this very subtle change is Facebook's way of putting a stop to the "like, share & tag" promotions still running rampant on the site. These promotions are in direct violation of Facebook rules on promotions and contests. There are so many of them out there, that this may be one way to deter the pages from continuing them since they cannot see who is tagging the page. Again, that is only a personal opinion, not based on fact and, clearly, a topic for a future post.
Wow! Just realized it has been awhile since I wrote something on here. While it would be nice to say it was because I have been vacationing in paradise somewhere in the South Pacific; alas, it has simply been because I have been extremely busy working at both my regular day job and on various freelance social media projects this past month.
I have not forgotten everyone who has taken the time to visit and read my posts. I am humbled to have learned that the blog has surpassed 3300 visitors. Even more humbling is to find my name mentioned in article tweet and re-tweets on Twitter. For all of this, I thank you.
Moving forward, I am currently gathering my thoughts for a new post. As I do this, is there any topic, old or new, in the area of social media that you would like me to touch on in future posts? I write these posts for you. It is your input and support that provide the driving force to keep this blog going. I look forward to hearing from you and, again, thank you!
Much has been written about business branding on social media; in particular on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus. However, the so-called community pages seem to have been left on their own to evolve.
Before I continue with this post, I should offer some full disclosure. I, myself, currently manage 1 business page, 1 public figure page and 3 separate community pages on Facebook; along with the page associated with this blog. Now that I have gotten that out of the way, I can continue on my rant.
All too often, you will find duplicate pages and accounts promoting either a cause, place, belief or public figure. My pet peeve for the purpose of this article is the multitude of pages you find promoting a place; more specifically a city or town.
Facebook pages created to promote an area's businesses and events are usually done so with all good intentions. Unfortunately, as they grow in followers and as other pages are created a sense of competition for those followers starts to emerge. Page administrators tend to forget the reason they created the page in the first place. Original posts start to take on a more altruistic feel. A more "we are better than them" look. Some even resort to promotions which violate Facebook's own rules and regulations for pages (for more on that, click here).
Now, many may try to argue that the more community pages there are promoting a region and its events, the better. That may be true in some respect; but are those managing the pages truly in tune with the true reason their followers "liked" them in the first place? Has this duplicity simply become a competition of which page has more likes over everything else?
I have also been of the belief that it is not the number of followers a page has but the overall reach of the posts made to the page. I am probably not in the majority on this one. However, I have seen firsthand how pages with a 1,000+ followers have not been as effective in reaching the target audience as those with much less. I have also seen how flooding your followers' news feeds with multitude of posts and shares can backfire on a page's effectiveness. The optimal one, two or maybe three targeted posts a day are far more effective than the 100's of posts, all day, every day.
To be a true Facebook page "manager", "administrator" or "owner", you really need to familiarize yourself with all that the job entails. It takes much more than simply hitting the "share" button. You really need to know what is expected of you from not only your followers but from Facebook itself. Following the rules set out for pages is a start. Educating yourself on how to read the Facebook insight reports is just as important; if not more so. They are provided as a tool to help you do your job better and more effectively. You have a snapshot of what posts are working and what aren't in real time. Use these numbers to your advantage. Ignoring them is a recipe for disaster.
Finally, to all those duplicate pages out there promoting the same thing; keep in mind that it is not a competition. I welcome any and all thoughts on this subject; positive or negative. If I am off-base on this, please let me know.
