March 2014 is 3/14. Get it?
A movement started by Spencer Taggart at LDS Business College in Salt Lake City has been spreading. Let’s take a look at the Facebook stats to understand how it’s grown.
Their latest post got 351,000 organic reach and also 351,000 viral reach.
The 916 shares are the main reason for the viral impressions, which are views caused from the actions that other users have taken on the post.
The screenshot above shows 352,000 total reach, which is likely a bug. Reach is a measure of unique impressions, so it would mean that nearly everyone who had a viral impression also had an organic impression. Typically, when a post gets hot, the viral is a multiple of the organic, which is the initial reach.
The cause has been gaining momentum.
Here is daily impressions since the page started just 10 days ago.
The page has only 717 fans and 1,068 “talking about this”.
Some would say that fan count is, therefore, unnecessary– an obsolete metric.
But the “secret” about Facebook page growth is that you need some type of fuel to get it going. It’s almost never going to be organic engagement on the page itself.
Here are the likely suspects– paid Facebook reach, marketing promotion outside of Facebook (TV, print, Google AdWords, website, email, etc..), or another page promoting you.
In this case, World Pie Month got the help of a network of pages to help it launch. And that’s why it shows up as organic.
The web follows the same dynamic. I’ve been privy to the data behind the largest of sites and can confirm that “if you build it, they will come” just isn’t true. Most sites grew because a network of other already large sites gave them a boost.
How can you leverage this strategy for your business?
About the Author
You can find him quoted in major publications and on television such as CNN, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, NPR, and LA Times. Clients have included Nike, Red Bull, the Golden State Warriors, Ashley Furniture, Quiznos-- down to local service businesses like real estate agents and dentists. He's spoken at over 750 conferences in 20 countries, having flown over 6 million miles in the last 30 years to train up young adults and business owners. He speaks for free as long as the organization believes in the job-creation mission and covers business class travel.
You can find him hiking tall mountains, eating chicken wings, and taking Kaqun oxygen baths-- likely in a city near you.