Misconception #1: You have to have a massive number of fans to get any results on Facebook.
Not true… Surprisingly, the more fans you have, the less engagement you get (i.e. people commenting, liking posts, etc). Remember, it’s not about the quantity but the quality of the people interacting on your page. A small, but active group of loyal fans is preferred.
Misconception #2: Assuming that all your fans see your content.
Many Facebook fan page owners don’t understand this one. They mistakenly think that all their fans are seeing all their posts, all the time. Unfortunately, its Facebook’s algorithm (called Edge Rank) that determines what content goes into each user’s newsfeed. Even I struggle with this one, because no one really knows the exact calculations that Facebook uses.
The fact is that there are diminishing returns on the number of fans (Likes) and the number of people that actually see your Page posts.
Here are some rather surprising statistics:
- Fan pages with 10,000 fans reach approximately 35%. Only 3,500 fans are seeing the content in their newsfeed.
- For pages with 100,000 fans it’s only 25%, and pages with 1 million fans are only reaching 10%.
Misconception #3: Only fans can interact with your fan page
Facebook recently revealed that you no longer have to click the Like button in order to interact with a fan page. You can write on the wall, comment and share, tag, etc. all without having to first click the Like button to become a fan. However, you still need to build Likes on your page so that your posts will show up in newsfeeds.
Remember, they’re not fans until they click the Like button. They must first click that Like button before they’ll ever have a chance of seeing your content in the newsfeed, so you still need to build a fan base.
So, how do you make an impact with your Page? I’m sure you’ve heard that content is king online and there is no other time that this is more true. You can’t keep putting out the same old, boring, bland content any more.
Your status updates and posts must contain relevant and timely information for your fans. In order to do this, you must have a rock-solid understanding of your target audience and know what they want. Find out what problems they have and then share information with them that helps them move toward their desired outcomes. We are all in business to solve problems, right?
(adapted from Mari Smith, marismith.com)