10 Tips on How to Be an Effective Blogger

Becoming an effective blogger is a journey. Think of more as a marathon than a sprint. It takes time, discipline and some creativity. A great blog doesn’t happen by accident.

1. Be Goal Oriented

You will want to create a road map of sorts for your blog. Make a plan, a written plan usually works best. Answer questions like who is your audience? What do they want to talk about? Read about? Where is your blog headed? How many readers would you like to have after one month? Six months? A year? How often and when will you blog?

2. Be Strategic

Having a blog that has followers does not happen by accident. How will your blog stand out from the crowd? How will you attract readers? This is not an easy task as competition for attention on the internet is increasing every day.

Blog about what you know. You make want to pick a niche or specific topic. For example, a blog on foreclosures in your area would most likely drive you a lot of traffic. Traffic is one thing, converting the lead another. According to the National Association of Realtors a very high percentage of buyers said they wanted to buy a foreclosure in 2010. I don’t need to tell you this. You already know this from being out in the field. Very few of those buyers actually buy a foreclosure after they ether see a few or find out about some of the pitfalls. You know that fact too. Having a blog focusing on foreclosures in your marketplace will bring you readers and leads if you leverage it correctly. Your blog must have an opt-in to a newsletter, property finder, a guide or some way to get the readers contact information. Visits to your blog don’t mean much if you don’t have a way of getting back in touch.

3. Be a Planner

Writer’s block happens. Sit down with a calendar and plan out your blog posts or make a list. Create drafts whenever you think of something or see article that sparks an idea. Drafts even if they have just a few sentences will get you going, sometimes getting started is the hardest part.

4. Be Consistent

The key to an effective blog is consistency. There is nothing worse than a blog that sits dormant. Blogging on a consistent basis will help you as the writer form a blogging habit but also help the reader build expectations on frequent blog posts. Set a schedule and stick to it. Most experts recommend 2-3 times a week.

5. Be a Good Listener

Listen before you write. Often listening will help you determine what you should blog about, many times if you listen your audience will give your blog posts. Keep an eye on the niches or topics that you blog about and try to anticipate where they are headed next. Watch for emerging trends. Be out in front of the changes happening around you, your readers will look for you to be the expert.

6. Be a Good Communicator

Blogs are first and foremost a communication tool. Either know how to write or make a good vlog (video blog). Take the time to do some research on how readers learn, read and interpret information. This will help you communicate more effectively into a well received message.

7. Be Creative

What makes your bog stand out? There are millions of blogs so what is attractive and different to your readers? You will want to think about meeting the needs of your readers. Those needs may be for information, entertainment or even community.

Many bloggers used recycled content. You can get creative with this too. Make sure you have something to add. Give the reader something unique, insightful or information in addition to the recycled content.

8. Be Disciplined

Successful bloggers are in it for the long haul. Blogs take hard work over a period of time, they don’t become successful overnight. Being a successful blogger means being disciplined enough to put in the time not only to write but to read and do the research required. You will also need to be self disciplined enough to put aside a regular time each week to create, research and write posts.

9. Be a Collaborator

Play nice in the sandbox and work with others. It does have not have to be a formal partnership. Simple things likes linking to other blog posts can be a great way to increase your readership and gain credibility in the blogosphere. You may also arrange a more formal partnership as an effective way to get your blog noticed.

10. Be Positive

Don’t Give Up! It won’t always be an easy road. There will be ups and downs. Success often comes when the going gets tough and you are forced to come up with new ideas and strategies.

What are your tips for effective blogging?

Niche Marketing Game Plan

A few days ago I posted Niche Social Media Marketing it’s for YOU! This is a great way to generate leads, build your brand and position yourself as the go-to agent. As promised here is the step by step game plan on how to use social media to create a niche market.

Every agent wants that status, to be the agent that owns that neighborhood, or that niche market. It used to be that the same agent sold homes in the same neighborhood but as the world got smaller our marketplaces became bigger. Remember old-fashioned farming? I am not suggesting anything different except to make the old new again.

Step 1 Pick a Niche Market

This may be a neighborhood, a condo development, lake front homes whatever works in your area. But wait! Don’t just pick any niche market consider the turnover rate. You will want to make sure you can make money here before you waste your time, energy and money.

To check the turnover rate, pull the market stats for that target market in your MLS. The turnover rate is the percentage of total units in the niche market divided by the number of total homes sold in the niche market that year. For example, if you have a neighborhood of 300 homes and on average 25 homes sell each year, the turnover rate is 12%. You can also measure how often homeowners in that neighborhood sell, or how long the average homeownership is by doing the inverse (1/12%). The average length of home ownership is 12 years.

This information will help you determine if this is a market worth targeting.

Step 2 Create a Social Media Campaign.

It may be more beneficial to you to create a social media campaign around a smaller market than to focus on a bigger and more competitive marketplace.

For this example lets call our niche market Farmview Estates.

Set up a Facebook business page, make the theme of the page around the niche market. So, we would name the Facebook business page Farmview Estates or Fabulous Farmview Estates.

Create a landing page with a lead capture form. A landing page can be created to welcome non fans to your Facebook page and encourages them to like the page.

This is an example of a real estate Facebook landing page.

If you would like to get this landing page there is great company RLS2000 that can create one for you for a very reasonable price. Click here to contact RLS2000

Create a blog and name it the same thing as your Facebook business page, so for our example Farmview Estates.

Make sure your blog and Facebook business page have an IDX solution so that visitors can search for property on your site. If you have an IDX solution for your website you may want to call your current provider or RLS200 has a WordPress plug-in and Facebook app that contains a property search. Click here to find out more.

Note:At this time the Facebook app and the WordPress plug-in from RLS2000 only work in New England.

Step 3 Create Content that Matters to your Niche

Homeowners in Farmview Estates are looking for a central place to connect, get information and share information that is where your niche marketing campaign comes in.

You can be the content generator and conduit of that information. You are a valuable resource and the expert.

Content Ideas for Farmview Estates

Market updates
New listings, sales in niche
School information
Local businesses
Local services
Kids sports sign ups
Parade routes and times
Let others contribute content (yard sales, neighborhood block parties, things for sale etc)

Step 4 Go Offline

Now its time to use the old tried and true methods to get the word out. First, email every contact you have in the niche market and get them the link to the Facebook page and the blog. Make sure to tell them to “like” the page. That may seem understood but for many it is not.

Next, set up a snail mail campaign letting all the households know about the page and tell them why they should go there!

You will want to make sure you have a custom url for your Facebook page. A custom Facebook url will give a great way to promote your page. To get one, you must have at least 25 likes (or fans) on your business page. To get your custom url go to www.facebook.com/username.

I would also buy a domain name and point it to your blog. You can do that from a site like Go Daddy. So we should have http://www.FarmviewEsates.com for our blog or http://www.FarmviewEsatesblog.com and http://www.facebook.com/Farmviewestates (These urls are just for demonstration purposes).

The urls make it much easier to promote the page. Send out postcards to all the homeowners with the urls. You can also put the urls on listing flyers and even yard signs.

Step 5 Get Belly to Belly

Here is the one thing that will remain constant in relationship sales, getting belly to belly with people. You will never be able to duplicate the power of that interaction. So get out in your own Farmview Estates and press the flesh, talk to people, go to the yard sales posted on the Facebook page and offer to help out in the neighborhood block party.

Niche Social Media Marketing its for You!

So lately I have been seeing and hearing a lot of agents out there trying to be and do it all. The unfortunate ending to the saying “Jack of all trades” is “master of none”. That is what is happening in real estate marketing today.

I have worked with thousands of agents creating social media campaigns. The first question I ask, What is your market? They look at me confused, bewildered and often answer, “Massachusetts, I have my Rhode Island license too”. Last week, an internet marketing authority who shall rename nameless as he is too big to even mention asked me to look at an agent’s website. She had all kinds of nice links to tips for sellers etc. but when I asked him what her market was he said seasonal, luxury rentals. Huh? Great market for her area but nowhere did I see anything about seasonal rentals on her website. Why isn’t she targeting this market on her web page or through social media. If this is her market then why is featuring links to tips for Sellers? I would guess because that’s what all agents do. She is trying to be that Jack of all trades.

A few weeks ago I was in a meeting with a Broker from Boston, we were 40 miles out of the city in the suburbs. I asked him, “What is your market?”. His reply, “Anywhere”. Really? Anywhere? How could you sell a home on Cape Cod from Boston? Or provide good service to a Buyer looking to buy in an area you are unfamiliar with?

I know, I know I may get a lot of flack from agents for this. Think back to the last time you had a listing and the out of area agent brought the buyer and either disappeared or didn’t know enough to represent that buyer they way they deserved. I don’t need you to answer. I already know how many of those deals go, been there done that.

I digress a little here. I am really talking about effective marketing strategies. You want to have a target market or niche market and focus on delivering good, quality service to this demographic and focus your marketing efforts here.

Let’s say I have a real estate blog, which you should all have. Read The Case for Blogging in your Real Estate Business to find out why. Having a broad topic like Texas Real Estate is too much ground to cover. My marketplace may be near Forth Worth for example and many of my buyers and sellers serve in the military. First, thank them for that. Second, they have special needs. They also need special marketing.

Think of the concerns of a military family. In fact, I googled “real estate help military family”. You know what I found? I found FSBO sites, and military generated sites. Not until I went to the second page of a Google search did I find an agent who had two lines on her website saying she specialized in military families. No where on her site did I see information about relocating, moving with kids, or links to organizations that help military families. Creating and maintaining a blog about the needs, concerns and things that are important to military families would help drive military families to this agent plus she could also position herself as the go-to military agent.

Think of it this way, your niche market may be smaller but it is usually more lucrative. Would you rather be the agent that scrambles to sell 25 homes in your town or the agent that OWNS a neighborhood of 300 with a 8% turnover rate? Think both sides here too, not just the list side. That could be 48 deals! Being that go-to, own the neighborhood agent is a a lot easier these days, you can even dethrone the one that is there now. So instead of focusing all of your social media efforts around your name or a large territory drill down to a smaller but more lucrative goal.

This is no different from the old farming a neighborhood plan, be the expert, provide the information. create a community and they will come!

Check back tomorrow, I will lay a plan on how to target a neighborhood and become THAT agent. If you have any examples of target marketing please share them with us.

Ten Blog Post Ideas for Your Real Estate Blog

So many times agents ask, “What shoud I blog about?” You already know what to blog about. The information is so close to you and ingrained in your head its hard for you to see it. Think of all the knowledge that you have gained as a real estate professional.

Before you begin, you may want to think about who your readers are and what they want to know. Ask yourself what kinds of questions people ask you and answer them in blog posts. You may also want to reshare relevant information provided by your real estate boards or even respected sources.

Here are several ideas depending on your goals.

Blog Posts to Attract New Buyers

You will want to think about what a Buyer needs to know and what is important to know about your marketplace. Think of the things Buyers search for online and then you will have a good idea how to capture them.

-School information
-Crime reports
-Sex offender information
-Mortgage rates
-Commuter information
-Town/Communitity activities
-Childcare options
-Information about local sports
-Recreation
-Tax information
-Steps in buying a home
-Tips on choosing a home
-Lead paint laws
-Why have a home inspection

Blog Posts to Attract Sellers

Take all the pieces of your listing presentation and break them into blog posts. Think of the ways you already prospect for sellers and turn them into blog posts.

-Tips on selling
-Staging information
-Market statistics
-Why list with you
-Marketing plans
-Help for FSBOs
-Help for expired listings
-What to expect
-The sales process

Blog Posts to Be the Expert

You are the expert. You are a professional. Whenever you run into someone they always ask, “How’s the market?’. People want to know. Don’t give broad market stats, drill down the stats in your MLS and find different pieces of information that affect the people in your specific marketplace, even think niche market here.

-Market statistics
-Trends
-Hyper local statistics (think neighborhood, condo development)

Blog Posts to Maintain Your Current Sphere of Influence

This is where you want to be the community expert. What is it that people in your community want to know. How can you show the your are on top of the pulse of the community?

-Things to do
-Great places to walk
-Restaurant reviews
-School information
-Community happenings
-Town news
-School bus schedule
-Kids sports sign ups
-Recreation depot classes
-Trash/recycle schedule
-Local business news
-Market statistics
-Charity events
-Offer some of your own personal advice, stories, or musings

Remember, blogging doesn’t have to be hard. You are already an expert at what you do. You have the knowledge. Blogging is just a way to share it with others.

The Case for Blogging in your Real Estate Business

Everyone is talking about it but not everyone is doing it. The it: Blogging. If you want to get found online then you should be blogging. Hands down, blogging is one of the best ways to build a following, get found and build your brand online. In fact, only 10% of real estate agents have a blog, so chances are starting one now puts you far ahead of your competition.

Blogs are a unique and limitless marketing tool. Maybe in the past you have sent out newsletters or maybe you still do. If that works for you don’t stop but think of your blog as your online newsletter; a way to get out your message. The great thing about your blog it can be added to, updated at any time and from virtually anywhere. Plus, it is a no cost, no stamp, no folding,no filing or envelope stuffing way of sending a message to many people at one time.

Blogs don’t end up in the landfill like newsletters. They have a long shelf life. The content exists and is searchable on the internet for as long as the blog is posted. This means if you write a blog post about how to buy a foreclosure in Boston, Massachusetts years from now that content can be searched and found online. The reader looking to buy a foreclosure may just contact you.

Writing and maintaining a blog builds credibility. Readers come to blogs expecting to find frank and personal perspectives on topics they are interested in. Be passionate about the content of your blog, your readers and your credibility will go up.

Blogs are easy to syndicate, they are viral. Viral here is a good word. It means blogs can spread like wildfire. For example, let’s say every Thursday you maintain a community based blog. Most people from your community would be interested in reading about the goings on in their own community. People who read that blog may either comment on or even share your blog with their friends in the same community. Now your readers and your following thus your sphere of influence is growing. Back to the newsletter example, your newsletter went in the landfill, your blog stayed alive for people to search and now even share with their friends by simply clicking a button to share it on Facebook or forward as an email. More and more readers come to your blog each time you post because they are interested in what you have to say. They value your information and are giving you credibility as a community expert.

Blogs are the perfect solution for online business marketing. Nothing facilitates conversation, communication, community and credibility the way that blogging does. Blogs are not looked at a blatant advertisement nor are they viewed as spam. They are viewed as valued, respected and honest information sharing.

Think of what you are passionate about and start a blog today.

We would love for you to comment or share the link to your blog or blogs you love.

Facebook: Why your posts aren’t getting seen

A few weeks ago I would have told you that Networked Blogs was amazing. I write a blog and wallah it automatically posts to my Facebook page. Magic, I love it! Today, I change my tune. Feed aggregators like Networked Blogs and the linking Twitter application are keeping your Facebook Posts from being seen!

How are my Posts not being seen?

Facebook is collapsing these Posts and keeping your Posts from being seen. These Posts also have no chance of making into the coveted Top News Feed. They are hidden under a link, grouping all aggregated feeds together.

Below you will see two examples of the collapsed feed; one from Networked Blogs and the other from Twitter.

What does this mean?

It means you need to manually post your Blog to your Facebook page and if you want to be seen on Facebook you can no longer feed you Twitter to your Facebook.

Should I stop using Networked Blogs?

Networked Blogs is still good for SEO but you should disable the Syndication part of the application. To do this, log into Networked Blogs and go to Syndication.

Once you have chosen your Blog go to the Expand All option and choose Remove

Your Blog is still registered with Networked Blogs but will no longer auto-publish to Facebook. You will have to do the good old-fashioned copy and paste a link strategy.

What about Twitter?

Sign in your Twitter account. Go to Settings, and then Connections. Look for Facebook in your list of connections. Click on Revoke access. And you are done.

Leverage Your LinkedIn

Even though LinkedIn is one of the first social networks, starting way back in 2003, it seems in many cases to be the forgotten one.

LinkedIn doesn’t have star power like Twitter nor do its users post about what they ate for dinner but it might just be one of the most powerful ways to market yourself and your business.

LinkedIn holds the title of the being the largest professional social network online boasting 80 million users. The users on LinkedIn are not just any user, their profile affluent, ambitious, and influential professionals. These professionals average household income over six figures and over 50% represent some level of senior management.

Just being on LinkedIn is not enough. You need a powerful, professional and LinkedIn presence that stands out from the crowd.

Here are five ways to beef up your LinkedIn profile.

1. Have a complete personal profile

Not having a complete LinkedIn profile is like handing in a half complete resume.

First and foremost have a picture. Make a great first impression by uploading a professional image. Notice I used the word professional, remember LinkedIn is a business networking site.

Take the time to get creative with your headline. LinkedIn gives you 120 characters at the top of your profile. This is a forum to describe what you do and who you are instead of putting a boring job title that often means nothing to most people.

Give your job history and include at least the last two past positions. Make sure to use descriptive keywords and describe your role for each position.

Don’t dread the Summary section; embrace it. Here is your chance to really describe who you are and how you help people. Writing this section in the third person is often helpful. It will help you avoid the dreaded I at the beginning of every sentence.

Utilize the Specialties section to get found. Use customer-focused keywords, as these are the terms that will help you show up in search results within LinkedIn. Think of what words or phrases people would use in an internet search.

The Interests and Groups and Associations sections of your profile will help you connect with other users who share the same interests.

Once your profile is complete the indicator on the Edit Profile tab will say 100% complete.

2. Get a custom LinkedIn URL

Just like other social networks LinkedIn allows you to claim a personalized URL. For example is my LinkedIn URL is http://www.linkedin.com/in/jillcourville. Customizing your URL will optimize your LinkedIn profile to show up in search engine results. You can find this option is the Edit Profile tab, click Edit in the Public Profile section.

3. Add connections

First connect with the people you are already connected to. Upload your contacts from Outlook, or web mail like Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, and other popular email address books. To do this go the Contacts tab and choose Add Connections tab then click Import Contacts.

Connect with current and past colleagues on LinkedIn. Again go to the Add Connections tab and choose Colleagues. Here, you will see all the companies that you have listed on your profile, you can find people who work for or have worked for those companies.

Use the “advanced search” option to search for people. If you find someone with whom you’d like to connect, see if you share any mutual connections. Ask that connection if he or she can make an introduction to the new person.

4. Add applications

Showcase your work and stand out from the crowd using LinkedIn Applications. To search applications go under the More tab and choose applications.

Some of my favorite applications include WordPress. If you have a WordPress blog this application will allow you to showcase your blog on your profile. Another great application is Google presentations. Upload any type of presentation, video, power point, document making it available to your LinkedIn connections. Take advantage of the Polls application. Using Polls you can ask questions and gauge your connections. Think about using this for getting ideas and asking opinions for your industry. This is a great way to engage with your connections.

5. Create a company page

A little known feature is the ability to create a Company Page on LinkedIn. A Company Pages allows users to research companies, follow companies to stay updated, see what kind of people work there, search for jobs and even review your products and services.
To add a Company Page, go to the Companies tab and choose Add a Company.

If you would like LinkedIn help for you or your company please contact us.

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Let Social Media Help You Recruit, Retain and Revamp!

Are you social media shy? Social media is quickly becoming the new frontier of agent recruiting so it is time to come out of your shell.

Social networks are opening doors never available before and allowing access to agents in an unprecedented way. In many cases, a top agent will accept a friend request on Facebook or connect via LinkedIn much easier than they would answer a phone call or open snail mail from a recruiting manager. This is no different than how we are teaching our agents to prospect via social media; make a connection, engage the consumer and create value. Allowing access via social networking to top agents allows managers a window in to those agents lives. This window creates an opportunity for the manager and agent to build rapport outside of the real estate realm and for the manager to watch for signs the agent may be looking to make a move. Being top of mind and an established relationship will go a long way when that agent is thinking of making a change.

Social media also allows for an opportunity for the manager to create value and show the agent why being part of XYZ Company may be a better choice without creating a sales pitch. I call it the Make ‘Em Jealous approach.

Here is a list of a just a few things managers can do to Make ‘Em Jealous.

-Congratulate your current agents on big and small achievements. Most agents feel unappreciated or barely interact with their manager at all. Showing your agents you care is a win/win. It will go a long way with your agents plus it will have other agents wishing their manager took notice.

-Send agents from other companies an email to tell them job well done. They will often post about a closing or an Open House they are holding. You could even stop by that Open House.

-Brag about trainings that you hold. Take pictures and post them.

-Don’t forget to brag about your brand too. If you are affiliated with a major brand they will have social media sites that you can use to re-post information. For example” XYZ agents are now taking advantage of…..”

-Create a company Facebook page, Twitter account and Blog. Get your current agents and potential recruits to follow your media. Ask your current agents to contribute to show that all of the agents are invested in your company. Think about posting an agent profile once a month on your blog. The agent may also want to include why they work for XYZ Company. Have guest bloggers that are industry experts. Get help from your mortgage broker, home inspector, attorneys and title companies.

-Show agents from your office participating in community events and at social gatherings by posting photos and videos. Show your agents having fun. Everyone wants to work somewhere that is fun and people get along.

-Create a promotional video about your company and post it to your pages, start a company You Tube channel.

-Create value. Why would an agent want to be your friend? They want to be your friend because you are valuable to them. Repost articles of interest to real estate professional. Position yourself as the expert.

-Show you are tech savvy. Even if you aren’t spend a few minutes each week learning something new and report about your progress on your page.

-Be personable! Agents like to know the type of person you are. You may just find out that you and other agents both like to bowl on Wednesdays or take tap dancing lessons. Social Media is just that social! Be the great person that everyone loves to work for.
Social Media also allows you to get to know the other agent in way you may not normally know. This may help you decide this isn’t the agent for your company after one too many postings and pictures regarding alcohol or partying. This can save you time and money recruiting only the agents whose personality and work ethic suit your office

Don’t be fooled to thinking Social Media is only for the young. What we know is that the average real estate agent is a 54 year old woman; the current trend on Facebook is growing amongst the 45 and up group quicker than ever.

Social Media sites like Craigslist, Facebook and Twitter can be a great way to advertise for new agents. Many professionals search job postings on Craigslist. Use Craigslist to advertise an agent information night where prospective agents can come and chat about a career in real estate. With unemployment at an all time high there has never been such an opportunity to hire people with high skill sets.

LinkedIn will also let you post jobs and search for candidates. The cost is relatively small, $195 for a 30 day job posting or you can purchase credits and pay less per post. If that isn’t in your budget that is okay too, search sales professional or related fields to see if there are people you may be interested in recruiting. Join the discussion groups on LinkedIn to see what people are talking about. There are many different groups for sales professionals in and outside of real estate.

Tweets can be neat! It’s time to get your Twitter on and find new agents. Tweet things like “Sales position available in (your city). Flexible schedule with unlimited income potential”. Don’t forget to include a link to your website using a URL shortner like bit.ly. You can make your job postings searchable on Twitter by using #hash tags. Place hash tags by key words like #sales and #job.

Now that you have new agents you need to keep them! Half of the battle is retaining. For all of the reasons that an agent may want to come and work for you they will want to stay. Engage with your agents on social media. Friend, fan, follow and connect with them. Comment on the pictures of their kids, promote their blog posts on your site too and get to them know them as people who have lives other than real estate. You are preaching relationship building; be an example.

Your Questions Answered: Tagging Friends on Facebook

You ask, I answer! Tagging friends on Facebook is a great way include and engage your Friends into your Facebook posts.

What is Tagging?

Tagging on Facebook is making a reference to a Friend, group or business in a Facebook post. Tagging is similar to the @ function used by Twitter except the @ symbol does not show up in a Facebook tag. When the tag refers to a Facebook user a clickable link will show up directing the reader to the tagged Facebook user.

How do I tag a picture or video?

First view the picture or video you would like to tag. Below the picture on the right hand side you will see Tag this Photo.

Next, place the cursor over the person or image you would like to tag. You will see a box come up. Type the name in the box that you would like to tag. Once the name appears, click the box next to the name and choose the Tag button.

You can tag someone whom you are not currently friends with on Facebook. You will need to enter his or her email address. This will automatically send that person an email with a link to the tagged photo and a friend request.

Tagged photos show up in a Facebook users “View Photos of” link beneath their profile picture.

You can also tag friends that are not on Facebook. You will again need to enter their email address. They will receive an email that provides a link to the image where they can view the photos. They will not have a clickable link until they register for a Facebook profile.

How do I tag text?

Tagging text in either a status update or note is just as easy. When you would like to tag a Facebook Friend type the @ symbol before their name i.e. @Jill Courville or @Master Success Seminars. A drop down menu with the name will appear below the name. Click on the name and the text will change to a tag.

Can a tag be removed?

Yes! In fact, when you tag a Friend they will receive a notification and a Wall post linking them to your post. The Friend will also have the option to remove the tag if they wish.

To remove the tag from a photo that someone else has uploaded and tagged you in, simply view the photo, and then choose “remove tag” at the bottom next to your name. The photo will no longer be linked to your profile.

You can also set your notifications so that when you are tagged you will be notified. This option is found on the Account Settings page on the Notifications tab.

Improving your Facebook EdgeRank

You probably never even knew there was such a thing as EdgeRank. If you are a Facebook user you will want to find out why it is so important and what you can to to improve it.

What is EdgeRank?

EdgeRank is like SEO for Facebook. Did you ever notice when you log on to Facebook you have two choices to view your newsfeed? Maybe not, but it is important. Look in the top right corner, you will notice the choices are Top News or Most Recent. Your Facebook page will automatically default to Top News. Having your postings show up on Top News is like being at the top of a search engine ranking. This is of course valuable, but with Facebook you can’t pay for it like you can on the Internet you have to earn it.

Why is important?

Why would you want your postings to show up on the Top News Feed? Just like you want your website to be at the top of Google search, it is about being in front of people. A Facebook page defaults to Top News so having your post there is a way to get your posts read over those that fall lower on the EdgeRank. If your news feed displayed everything, there’s a good chance you’d be overwhelmed. So thus the Top News function.

How does EdgeRank work?

Now I could go into a really complicated algorithm that has lots of math, which is not my strong suit, and how it factors into what stories make it to the Top News feed. You don’t need know algorithms but what you do need to know is to post content that your friends and fans will comment, share and like. Facebook ranks your content in three ways.

1. The more you interact with a friend the higher you place in their Top News feed.
2. The more your content in shared, commented on, and like the higher is ranks.
3. The older the content the lower it ranks and vice versa.

How can I improve my Edge Rank?

First, interact with your friends and fans on Facebook. Like, share, like and comment on their posts. This will increase your chances of showing up in their Top News feed. Another bonus you will build your relationship with them by caring. Yes, I am saying comment on all those baby pictures and comments about kids and pets. Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care. Remember that little saying?

Next, think about what you post. Post engaging content. Content that offers your fans and friends value. Give them a reason to friend or follow you.

Lastly, post often but not too often. Don’t post every time you do something but post enough that you offer value and a window into who you are as a person. Often posts that ask a question or offer a funny observation (without being offensive) get a lot of attention.

So experiment and note what posts get lots of interaction. Ask questions and experiment with polling applications. Track how often your posts make the Top News feed and see what results you can garner from that.