Facebook has rolled out a new feature for users to opt in to receive notifications every time a page makes a post . So for funeral homes you can market your Page as a “obituary notification” system!
This seems to be a solution for fans who don’t want to miss any page posts that might not make it into their News Feed because of Facebook’s algorithms. For example, some users might want to be aware of all posts from a news publication, an artist they really like or a small business that doesn’t post very often. The feature is similar to the “close friends” option, which alerts users each time a new update or photo is shared by someone on the list.
Facebook confirmed to us in a statement, “We are currently rolling out the ability for people to receive notifications from specific pages, friends or public figures that they are connected to. This feature will help people keep up with the people and things that they care about most.”
With users and pages making so many posts and taking so many actions, Facebook uses an algorithm to sort News Feed rather than being a full stream like Twitter. Although the goal is to make the feed more relevant and engaging, this sometimes leads users to miss posts that they might have wanted to see. Some users have tried using Interest Lists to get a more complete feed from pages they care about. With notifications, however, users will be even more likely to see all the content from a page or person. Notifications are off by default and settings can be changed at any time.
The social network has also recently tested a “subscribe” button on pages. This allows users to receive News Feed updates from a page without indicating that they “Like” it, but as far as we know does not generate notifications when the page makes a post.
(Via: InsideFacebook.com and DISRUPT Media)
Feel free to use the below post and picture on your funeral home’s Facebook Page to direct fans to “get notifications” (think of it as a way to use Facebook as a “obituary notification” system):
Don’t miss our updates! Get Facebook notifications when we post to our Page. Please be sure to hover over the “Liked” button then click “Get Notifications” (you can access via desktop News Feed)
Post this picture:
Sorry, this doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. I don’t think people “Friend” funeral homes to get news about obituaries. Rather, a funeral home or other related provider can get “Friend-traction” on Facebook by providing useful interesting material that fits with their typical audience and in general about life issues of older people. If anyone thinks my perspective is incorrect, I’d like to hear your opinion.