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Why You Should Temper Your Tabs and Focus on Your Feed

Posted by Michelle (Haschka) Wright on July 11, 2011 at July 11, 2011 9:12 AM

Facebook analytics provider PageLeveler recently released some telling stats on how users are interacting with brands on Facebook. Peruse the pages of major brands like Oreo, Skittles and Red Bull - they're all pimping their pages with flashy custom tabs and supercharged page apps. That must be what fans are looking for, right?

Lucky for those of us with marketing budgets that may be a bit more modest, that's not necessarily the case. The larger a page grows, the fewer unique page views per fan it tends to receive. The same goes for news feed impressions per fan; however, the rate of decrease is much faster for unique page views.

In general, people are more likely to interact with a brand's Facebook newsfeed than custom tabs and page applications.

That doesn't mean there's not a place for custom tabs and applications - they can be a great way to attract new followers to your page. But if you have limited resources to spend on managing your Facebook presence, your best bet seems to be focusing on your newsfeed strategy.

Newsfeed strategy is certainly a bit more art than science (though don't forget to study your Facebook Insights and figure out when your audience is most active). But there are a few tactics that we've found particularly effective - both from our experience managing Facebook pages on behalf of various Padilla clients and from observing the behavior of other successful, non-client, brands:

1. Spice up your content mix
   A newsfeed strategy that revolves around posting your brands' news release headlines is a good way to get your brand hidden in a hurry. Think about what other content is floating around your organization. Are your employees presenting at industry events that could be captured on video? Are you attending any trade shows where you could snap some pictures or record an in-booth interview? Have you read any interesting articles about your industry that would interest fans?
2. Appeal to a variety of fans
   Fans respond to content in various ways. A simple "fun fact" might receive dozens of likes and few or no comments, an open ended question about a favorite brand experience may receive a handful of meaningful comments, a video might be shared by a few devoted fans, while a multiple choice question could receive a variety of one-word responses. When developing your news feed strategy, consider that your fans have different preferences when it comes to engagement, and give them a variety of ways to interact with your brand.
3. Go behind-the-scenes
   People following a brand on Facebook are generally looking for some kind of personal benefit. While in some cases that might be coupons or giveaways, many times simply doling out information that makes them feel like an "insider" is tops. Think about what type of exclusive or behind-the-scenes content you can offer fans - a tour of a facility, a how-to demo, an interview with your R&D mad scientist to talk about future trends, or perhaps advanced notice of a product release or new feature that allows them to be in-the-know before their friends.

Whether your organization is just starting to dip its toes into the murky Facebook waters or has already developed a more advanced strategy, keep feeding your feed with a variety of relevant, timely content and your fans will surely follow.

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