The #1 Mistake Brand Pages Commit on Facebook (And a Quick Fix, for Once!)

EdgeRank: a concept worth knowing about. 

For every rule, there’s are many exceptions. 

But. 

You can’t break rules unless you first identify them. Michael Port just reminded me of this rule (ironic) in a recent podcast episode about public speaking. If you know the rules, then you can decide whether they apply in your case. If you don’t know the rules, you are just spitballin’. 

Here's a rule I'd like you to think about: 

Don’t post links to other people’s websites on your Facebook brand page. 

I understand the impulse: Facebook is for sharing cool stuff! Right? On my personal Facebook profile, I share articles and videos from all over the web. Why wouldn’t I share links to other sites on your brand page? 

Here’s why: Facebook is the ideal platform to drive traffic from social media to a website. In fact, as of the end of 2014, Facebook drives 25 percent of all internet traffic. 

But Facebook is not the ideal platform for being seen every one of your Facebook page fans. That’s because Facebook uses its own algorithm to determine what to show in the newsfeed. It’s a curation formula called “EdgeRank,” and it means that many times, even though you post something publicly, most of your fans won’t see it. In fact, brand pages can reach as little as 2 or 3 percent of their number of fans each time they post. 

So, if your post is lucky enough to reach one of your fans or one of their connections, make the most of this moment! Direct users to your site, not to someone else’s. 

Even if your website is not (yet) tricked out with a lead magnet or another way to capture e-mail addresses, you should still drive your users to the place where people can learn more about you if they click around. 

What do you do if you still really, really, REALLY want to share that interesting link, because it’s inspiring and super-relevant to your business? 

Quick Fix

I promised a quick fix. Another rule I'm breaking! I don't often offer quick fixes. But here's my exception. Collect three or four of these URLs in a Word doc (or in Notes or Evernote or an e-mail draft). When you’ve got at least three, write a blog post.

Do you see three interesting articles having to do with your industry every single week? You’ve got a weekly industry news roundup feature. 

Each week, write a two- or three-sentence summary of the article, with a link to the full article. Include a photo from one of the articles, a headline and boom: you have a weekly piece of original, branded content to share to your Facebook page that drives fans and potential customers to your site.