The Algorithms of Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn: What is it and how do you master it?
An algorithm is essentially defined as a set or rules or processes used to solve a problem or work towards an end result. In terms of social media, an algorithm is a process with which each user’s posts are filtered and shared with others based upon a number of factors such as their online behavior, interests and profile interactions. Algorithms are important because they determine whether or not your posts reach the top of your follower’s newsfeeds. Social media algorithms can be quite a difficult topic to grasp especially when platforms such as Instagram and Facebook are continuously making changes to how user’s posts are viewed. This can be equally frustrating for business owners and marketers as having your content visible isn’t as simple as it used to be. Previously, posts were shared to users in chronological order so timing your posts was a top priority. Nowadays, the algorithms are based upon a number of factors and will vary depending on each platform. Although they are undeniably inconvenient at times, learning the ins and outs of each social media platform’s algorithmic approach will greatly benefit your organic reach. THE FACEBOOK ALGORITHM Being one of the most popular marketing platforms, Facebook is an ideal space for businesses to reach out to potential customers or clients. However, recently Facebook has made it harder than ever for businesses to reach people organically. This is due to newsfeed changes which mean Facebook users are more prone to seeing content from family and friends as opposed to businesses. Facebook essentially prioritizes posts which are from profiles you frequently interact with, or posts which have a large number of reactions or comments and video content. Some tips for mastering Facebook’s algorithm include sharing your businesses content on your own personal account, frequently interacting with your account followers or friends, encouraging others to share your content and utilise video content as much as possible. Also, ensure your business page is set to public so you are still visible to those who don’t follow your page. Boosting posts and Facebook ads aren’t organic, but are highly beneficial for business and do guarantee audience reach. THE INSTAGRAM ALGORITHM The Instagram algorithm has received much criticism over the past year especially from social media influencers and business owners who rely solely on the platform to operate. Timing of posts was always one of the main features of the Instagram algorithm in the past. It still is important; however Instagram also prioritises other features such as profiles users frequently engage with, the popularity of posts (including likes and shares) and hashtags each user follows. It can be very tricky for posts to be seen by users if they are not frequently interacting with their followers. If you want your posts to reach more of your followers organically, interact with your followers on a regular basis. By commenting, liking and sharing their content, in return Instagram will prioritise your content. Utilise hashtags, and use as many as you can (Instagram allows up to 30) based on a number of categories such as location and hashtags relevant to your content and industry. Post consistently and at times where your followers or target audience are most active. If your account is set to a business profile you are able to see this in your insights tab. Finally, share your content on your story highlights. Although they do last for only 24 hours, this is an additional way to share your content with your followers and can track who has viewed it. THE LINKEDIN ALGORITHM LinkedIn is potentially the most popular social media platform for B2B marketing. Quite similarly to Facebook and Instagram, LinkedIn prioritises a number of factors in their algorithm. When sharing content on LinkedIn, it’s important to keep it professional and ensure it provides value for its audience. LinkedIn will favor content from profiles which you have interacted with previously as well as posts with high levels of engagement (shares, likes, comments etc.) and does not particularly favor content from business pages. In order to obtain good organic reach on LinkedIn, share your content on your business pages as well as your own personal accounts. This will enhance the likelihood of your posts being viewed and provides a more personal approach. Posting various formats of content such as text, image and video will also boost your visibility. And finally, as with all social media platforms, be consistent! Social media algorithms aren’t necessarily the easiest concept to grasp and will take some time to understand entirely. The best step you can take is to stay updated with each social media marketing platform and make note of any changes which occur to their algorithms. The more you familiarise yourself with each platform, the greater you will become at mastering the algorithms!
Facebook ads: What are they and how they can help your business grow
If you’ve never considering investing in Facebook advertising, there’s no better time than now to do your research and potentially invest some of your marketing budget towards them. At a glance, Facebook ads can seem daunting but the truth is, the process is really quite simple and narrowed down, to better enhance your marketing strategy. As over 40% of the global population is on social media, it makes sense for your business to be utilising a well-planned marketing strategy. With Facebook ads you can reach a widespread audience with the potential to reach 1.9 billion people. So, what exactly are Facebook ads and how can they help your business reach its marketing potential. WHAT ARE FACEBOOK ADS? We’ve all seen them, those ads that pop up in your news feed and make you think someone is tracking your movements. You’ve visited a website, almost bought a pair of shoes and decided against it, then all of a sudden when you next check Facebook, an ad with those exact shoes appears. Despite what some conspiracy theorists believe, no one is necessarily tracking you, but some websites do track user activity on their website, this information is shared with Facebook which creates various demographics for marketing. Facebook ads are an absolute game changer in the marketing world. Facebook ads are a way for businesses to easily target their desired audience and really narrow down their marketing strategy. In the digital marketing world, Facebook ads are the best form of advertising a business can invest in. TARGET YOUR EXACT AUDIENCE One of the greatest features of Facebook ads, is the targeting opportunities. Businesses are able to narrow down their audience based on a number of areas such as locations, interests, demographics, connections, languages etc. No other social media platform offers a targeted audience feature quite like Facebook. You can also create lookalike audiences to replicate an audience you have already targeted. You can even re-target those who have interacted with your website before, by installing a Facebook pixel to your website. This tracks user activity on your website and enables Facebook to target those who were close to purchasing or making an inquiry. CREATE ADS BASED ON YOUR MARKETING OBJECTIVE Another impressive feature in the Facebook ads manager is the ability to create ads based around your individual marketing objective, including your budget. Whether you aim to create brand awareness, increase conversions, website clicks or whatever your marketing objective, Facebook can refine your ad to suit your needs. This benefits businesses greatly as they are able to get the results where they need them most, making the most of their time and money. No matter what your marketing budget is, you can spend as little as $5 and still reach up to 1000 people. With the correct strategy, your business can maximise their ROI, without excessive spending. TRACK YOUR RESULTS Facebook provides its users with great analytics reporting tool where you can track areas such as impressions, clicks and conversions. You are able to do this by installing the Facebook pixel into your website, which then tracks your visitors and their activity on your website. This helps you to better target your marketing strategy and determine which areas of your website need improving. You can also test various types of ads, targeting different audience groups to determine which ads work better and provide better ROI for your business. Having these tools accessible is highly beneficial for business owners when planning future social media strategies. FACEBOOK ADS CAN INCREASE YOUR SEO Did you know that by having a strong social media presence you can improve your search engine rankings? Facebook ads can drive traffic to your website and search engines will see your frequent activity on the site, providing you with a higher ranking. You can also create a call to action on your Facebook ad which directs your audience right to your site. This is why it’s important to create useful or catchy content which will persuade your audience to visit your page. In an era highly dominated by social media and social media management, it’s crucial for businesses to utilise advertising on these sites. With 80% of internet users on Facebook, investing in ads on the social platform bring forth a number of benefits for your business. If you’re weary about trying Facebook ads, invest a small amount of money and test it. We guarantee you’ll be impressed with the results and won’t look back!
