Interest Lists: See What You Want To See On Facebook

Facebook has recently changed its algorithms to 'incentivize' companies to use Facebook ads by reducing the number of subscribed followers who see any given post. Companies can increase the number by graphically enriching their posts or by choosing to pay to boost any given post. Fine.

But it kind of leaves the individual out of the equation. What does a real fan do to ensure that she/he/they sees more of what her/his/their favourite company pages have to offer?

The answer is Interest Lists. Interest Lists are a great way of organizing your feed but now the bonus: add your page to an Interest List and Facebook says you will see their 'best' posts. What the word 'best' means I am uncertain, but you will see them. Great.

How do Interests Lists work? A LOT like Twitter lists. You name a list, say IndieRock, and add pages you are interested in to that list. Any time you want to see the feed on that interest, you click on the list. You can create public or private lists or follow other people's lists. For a full description of how to make and use lists, click here, or throw caution to the wind and scroll down to the bottom of your Facebook left side nav bar, click on Interests, and give it a go! Alternatively, you can nav to your favourite pages and add them one by one through the cog menu.

By the way, if you are following me on Facebook, I'd appreciate it if you added me to your Social Media list. I surely would.

The 2 Social Media Platforms Your Business Must Be On

The benefits of social media for business are widely debated -- except that efforts on all platforms definitely help your business' bottom line and every business I know can point to clients they have found online through community building efforts. But social marketing is so new, we are all learning what works and what doesn't and, further, search algorithms change, corporate strategies change. The social media landscape quakes almost every day.

There are, in my mind, two kinds of social media sites: 1) Fuzzy Benefits and 2) Solid Benefits.

Fuzzy benefit social media platforms include Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest. These platforms offer increased reach and possible community building. There is no question that if you can attract a community of folk interested in your product or service on these sites and get them to follow you or sign up for your newsletter, you will increase your sales. None of these sites, however, will increase your SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

Because of recent changes and emerging data Google+ and Linkedin are in the Solid Benefits box. And these are the two site that you need to be on if you want to really capitalize on social media marketing in 2014.

Linkedin is becoming the elite of the social media sites with highest average income per member and hosting the highest percentage of business decision makers of any social media site. Linkedin is also the fastest growing social media site. If you are trying to attract business, this is the site for you, though Linkedin offers no SEO benefit.

Google+, however, is poised to become the king of SEO. Google+ treats all pages and posts on its social platform as if they were a separate websites which means each and every one can be assessed and returned in a pertinent google search for information. And, remember, two thirds of all searches are still done on Google. Most people turn to that engine for answers and that engine is poised to favourite posts on its own social media platform. If you are a business trying to be found, Google+ is a site you need to be on and need to be reasonably active on.

The rules are always changing but these two platforms will, likely, dominate in the coming years. Get your business on them right away.