Many of us have heard the term ‘social media algorithms’, and depending on how much time you spend on these platforms, you’ve probably noticed changes in your news feed.
You may have even seen the news concerning Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri and his announcement of changes to the algorithm used on his platform and with that said, what does that mean for consumers and businesses?
For better or worse, social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram regularly change their algorithms to reinvent how consumers experience content.
Do you remember when Facebook just ‘showed you everything’, with the most recent posts at the top? Those days are long gone, with social media platforms having more control of the content users can see.
With that said, what’s the ‘truth’ about social media algorithms, and how do they affect your business and marketing?
What are social media algorithms?
Social media algorithms are simply a way to sort which posts you see and when.
For example, your typical news feed used to be in reverse chronological order, so the most recent posts were at the top. Now, the methods are more complex and based on artificial intelligence and machine learning. In some cases, you can still choose to view your most recent posts first; however, the default setting is to show posts according to the platform’s algorithm.
The intent is to create a better user experience – or so these platforms claim. Social networks want you to have a better experience so they can sell more advertising at a higher price, and that’s genuinely why algorithms exist.
Every social media network is different; however, these algorithms aim to give social media users faster access to relevant content.
The algorithm will often consider relevancy, shares, likes, retweets, user feeds, types of content, and quality content. For example, a high-quality piece of on-trend content will have more chances of appearing on a user’s feed.
However, most of this is based on your behaviour on the platform. For example, you may see posts from people you interact with the most. You'll see more music-related posts if you search for a lot of music-related content. Using these metrics, the algorithm has a higher chance of showing users the content they will likely interact with by sharing, commenting on, or becoming a subscriber; these will, in turn, keep them on the platform.
The issue for businesses and marketers is that the algorithm changes frequently, and the networks aren’t transparent.
However, they often give out snippets of advice so marketers can keep up with what works best for their customers.
Facebook’s algorithm, for example, seems to be moving away from content that is too explicitly sales-based, focusing more on relevant ‘conversations’. And why wouldn’t they? They want businesses to pay to advertise, not do it for free using the right hashtags.
Algorithms for advertising
The same principles apply to all social media advertising. For example, the whole basis of Facebook’s advertising program is that you should, in theory, be able to reach the right people at the right time.
So, it delivers sponsored content and social media adverts according to your browsing history and other online interactions.
The problem is that social media algorithms are never perfect. So, if you try to manage Facebook advertising yourself, you get nice, easy options to let Facebook choose your target audience and market accordingly.
This is great; however, you don’t get the insight to your audience that a marketing professional could deliver.
The ‘fresh content’ illusion
Social media algorithms also work to keep users interested and engaged. Psychologically, if you keep seeing identical posts because you don’t follow many accounts, you think there’s nothing new, and you’ll check less frequently.
A dynamic social media marketing strategy will help you ‘switch it up’ so it feels fresh and new whenever your users open the app. This altered news feed experience also allows social media companies to rotate more ads (impressions) through the user’s feed, which is appealing when selling advertising to businesses.
Understanding the basic principles behind social media algorithms is crucial when determining your marketing strategy. With the above in mind, you should be able to optimise your approach to these platforms and deliver better results for your business.
Keep this in mind: The secret to customer-centricity is based on designing your world around an understanding of your customer’s needs and then focusing on meeting those requirements.
This core idea relates to everything on this list — and should relate to everything in yours.
More reading
Shaping your business around customer experience
The missing piece of the puzzle for your website
Promotional mistakes your business should avoid
Turn your negative reviews into positive experiences
The six keys to creating a website that improves your sales
READ EMAG