Busting the Algorithms

Ready to throw in the towel because nobody is seeing (much less engaging) with your content? Pull up a chair, friend. This post is for you. We’re going to dig right in and tell you something that you might not know about algorithms. The first thing that you need to know (and the biggest thing you need to remember) is that they really do have our best interests at heart! Google, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter simply want to provide the best possible user experience, and that means that when they find something that resonates, it’s going to rank higher.

According to Forbes, more data has been created in the past two years than in the entire history of the human race. There is simply too much content available for us to digest it all – and that’s where the algorithms come in!

Social media algorithms cleverly help curate the content that we are the most interested in, and show that to us first. If you are providing value, that’s going to reflect in the browsing habits of your audience! Not so scary after all, huh? Netflix sees which shows we’ve watched & enjoyed in the past, and that helps them recommend additional shows we might be interested in. Spotify takes into account the tunes that we’ve binged on, and creates weekly playlists for us. (And I love it.) Social platforms are doing the same thing – they have a treasure trove of data about our habits and interests, and they split that into three categories before deciding what to show us first.

INTEREST

Based on your past history and the actions you’ve taken on the platform, what might you be interested in?

Here’s how to make that work for you & your business.

• Peep back and see what content has resonated with your dream clients in the past – and post more of that.
• You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again. Video is queen of the Internet right now! When your audience lingers on your posts (which they have to do if they want to see your video), Facebook and Instagram are making money and that means they’re going to prioritize that content.
• Make it easy to engage with you! This means asking questions, calling your audience to action, and utilizing all of the brilliance that’s contained in Instagram stories for mindless engagement.
• Quick tip for Instagram users – assuming that you’re following your dream clients, hit the “Following” tab and see what content they’re engaging with. Then, adjust your content to parallel their favourites!

TIME

The algorithm assumes that newer content is more relevant to your audience.

To make this work for you –

• Post when your audience is likely to be online! (This info is easily accessible in your insights) Engagement in the first few minutes of your post hitting the feed is going to snowball into even more engagement.
• Hang out WITH your audience while they are online. Spend a few minutes before & after your post is scheduled to socialize.

RELATIONSHIPS

Social media prioritizes friends and family over everything else. This does not mean that you have to post from a personal account. What it does mean is that you need to actually take the time to foster genuine relationships on social.

Your relationship “status” is based on actions that you AND another account have taken in the past. Mutual interaction – likes, comment replies, exchanged DMs, story views, and tags – are all gold. A strong relationship is two-sided, and the algorithms are smart enough to know that. Be real, folks!

To make this work for you –

• Spend 5-10 minutes per day nurturing relationships with your ideal audience and followers. Watch and respond to stories and leave meaningful, thoughtful comments on posts. Likes are great, but you can’t scatter hearts around and call that engagement. Just like in real life, genuine relationships are the golden ticket to success.

In summary –

• Use video when you can! Always be sure to include captions – only 12% of folks are watching with the sound on. Stories are great for fun, easy engagement.
• You get what you give. Be social! It’s called social media for a reason.
• Don’t just show up to show up. If you’re providing value, that’s going to reflect in the browsing habits of your audience. Showcase content that’s going to be helpful & interesting to your audience – the algorithm will recognize content that resonates.

And a quick bonus hack –

• Utilize the latest & greatest features! While social platforms are rolling out new features, they’re going to prioritize your content so they can tell if it’s actually working. Why not take advantage of that? (Plus, it’s just plain fun.)

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Sometimes you’re just too dang busy bringing home the bacon to sink hours upon hours into your social media. Meet our handy dandy marketing toolbox!