All social media sites now use algorithms. An algorithm is a pattern or set of rules used by computers and other problem-solving tools to do calculations. A social media algorithm is a math formula that social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and TikTok use to track how people use their sites and make the social experience more personal. Algorithms work in the background without the user knowing, making the experience better for the user.
If someone likes something about Manchester United football, posts about MUFC will be at the top of their page. There are a lot of different algorithms, and if you want to do well at social media marketing, you have to use them.
There will always be algorithms for social media. As a social media marketer, you may need to make many changes to keep reaching your target audience. Luckily, it is not hard to get used to how social media works. You can understand this new trend in Social Media Marketing if you know how algorithms work, how they affect social media, and how to use them.
As a user, social media algorithms are helpful equations that make social interactions more personalised, practical, and fun. But as a marketer, they could stop you from reaching your goal in a big way. If you do not follow the algorithm’s rules, getting your content in front of the people you want to see it may be tricky or impossible. If the algorithm thinks your content does not matter to the viewer, it will be eliminated. Mastering social media algorithms is the only way to ensure that social media marketing will be around in the future.
How does Social Media Algorithms Work?
Social media algorithms work by customising each user’s feed based on how they have used the network in the past. For example, most social media feeds do not show friends’ updates and posts in reverse chronological order. Instead, they organise news feeds based on what the user has said they want to see in the past. Algorithms collect and analyse metrics based on the user’s browsing, liking, commenting, and sharing history to show news that the user is likely to be interested in.
Users still see the most recent information on social networking sites in order of when it was posted. Still, they use an algorithm to show the user the most important content to them. For many years, there were no algorithms for social media. Instead, platforms would offer the most recent updates and posts from profiles that people liked and followed. With the development of social media algorithms, social networking sites pressure businesses to pay for prominent placement.
Digital Business Lab says that most people in Malaysia now use social media. Facebook and YouTube are the most popular competitors, operated by 94% and 89% of Malaysian adults. Due to the exponential growth of social media over the past ten years, users’ newsfeeds have become more and more full of content and information. Getting your message to stand out from all the other noise on social media may be hard or even impossible until you learn how to use algorithms.
All social media sites seem to put user-engagement features like comments, reactions, responses, shares, and messaging at the top of their list of priorities. The algorithm will also consider how long a user spends looking at a piece of content, what kind of content it is, and how valuable the posts are. Brands need to focus on making practical, high-quality, and exciting content if they want to stay relevant in the wake of the recent changes.
Use Algorithms to Your Advantage on Social Media
Undoubtedly, a business’s organic social media reach has gone down. This is especially clear on Facebook and other extensive social networks. The drop is because people don’t want to see ads and because social media sites changed their algorithms to account for this change in attitude. If brands want to keep showing up on the social media sites of the people they want to reach, they need to understand and control algorithms. Here are some ways to play with the algorithms of social media:
1. Continue to post videos. Videos are still prevalent on social media platforms. Users like videos, especially live videos, so algorithms give this type of content more weight.
2. Get rid of any spammy or “clickbait” words. Users hate “spammy” language that tries to get them to do something. “COMMENT and SHARE if you agree!” is an example of bait language that will not work with today’s social media algorithms. If your content is accurate and fun, you will not need to use sales language to get people to read it.
If you think about what your customers want when you upload branded content to social sites, you will be more likely to stay within the limits of the algorithms that run those sites. The best way to stay relevant is to keep focusing on your clients and how you connect with them. Social media still has a lot to offer in terms of marketing. Use the algorithms of social media to help you, not hurt you.