Facebook continues to dominate social networking sites and is said to be closing in on ONE BILLION users! 50% of users check in daily and, for the moment, there are no other contenders for the number one spot. That doesn’t guarantee Facebook will hold on to the ‘King of Social Media’ crown long term but for now their reign is established and secure.
Most small businesses can grow their network of potential clients, expand their influence in the marketplace and positively impact their bottom line by having a strategic presence on Facebook. The ultimate key to their success on this social network is engagement!
While having a large number of fans looks good, and feels good too, the reality is that these numbers mean very little if we are not engaging our fans.
Engagement translates into people liking, commenting on and sharing the content we post. Nothing more, nothing less!
Simply posting to your Facebook Page will not ensure that people will engage with it, and this is a critical piece of the equation. Because content that does not engage your fans has a lower value in the Facebook algorithm than content that does. And the lower your ranking in the algorithm the less likely your posts are to show up in your fans’ News Feed.
A November 2011 white paper released by Parta Dialogue, a social media agency, states it this way, “On Facebook, engagement is the driver that determines which content users receive, and the reach of every piece of post content.” They go on to say, “The essential take-away is that if you want your posts to show up prominently in the News Feed of other users, you must ensure that people interact (engage) with your content.”
Engagement isn’t as easy as it sounds but by developing a social media plan of action, being consistent and investing time in the process you can get there.
As to whether Google+ will be a serious threat to Facebook’s hold on the number one social media spot or at least keep them watching their back, time alone will tell. In the meantime, it’s worth while to establish a presence on Google+. However, if you’re considering one or the other but not both, for now, Facebook is the place to be.
Updated January 2012.