Last time, we checked out the algorithms of TikTok and Instagram – and what that meant for content marketers. This time, we’re looking at Facebook. When you know how and why content is presented to followers, it becomes a lot easier to adapt your strategy. So let’s delve deeper.
Nailing the Facebook Algorithm
With over 3 billion monthly active users, Facebook remains the largest social media network. Despite the shift of Millennials and Gen-Z to other platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, Facebook retains a large demographic, with Millennial males making up Facebook’s largest audience, accounting for 18.3 percent of global users.
So, if you’ve done the research and know your audience (or at least part of your audience) uses Facebook, then having a presence on the platform is a must. A presence is one thing, however. Nailing the algorithm will help your content to appear for the right people.
So here’s what you need to know:
- The algorithm determines what people see every time they access Facebook. The platform calls this ‘personalised ranking’ of content. As with Instagram and TikTok, Facebook wants to treat people with content they’ll enjoy and consume. Why? Because it keeps them coming back for more and will maintain Facebook’s Number One social platform status. In this modern age, technology has to keep progressing or it’ll quickly become out-of-date, Facebook’s algorithm keeps things moving forward at a phenomenal speed.
- The algorithm is constantly being updated, with AI now taking a more prominent role. AI analyses the user behaviour of consumers in order to deliver the right content. It can spot patterns and trends in an instant, serving up content that entertains, informs and inspires.
- Changes for 2024 include a focus on meaningful interactions. This means the Facebook algorithm now prioritises posts that spark conversations and interactions.
So with this in mind, marketers need to focus on engagement. This might mean asking questions, firing up the content section with contributions, requesting user-generated content, tagging followers to prompt comments – and more.
- The algorithm now uses a relevance score for content. This helps to rank content in a user’s feed. Relevance is based on content type, user interactions with posts of a similar theme and how long a user spends viewing posts in the same category.
So, marketers need to understand the likes and dislikes of their target audience and monitor digital behaviour. Google Analytics and Facebook Analytics can give insights into the sort of content that’s preferred and what search terms were used to find specific content. This can help to shape your content strategy and improve relevancy. Also, watch social media carefully. What are people discussing? What’s trending? What are brands with more social media engagement doing?
- The algorithm is also designed to show people a balanced mix of content types. Here’s where audience segmentation comes into play. If you produce videos and Stories and posts that cater to various brand audiences, your content will have a wider appeal. Also, try to mix your content up so that Facebook doesn’t see it as samey or repetitive. How-to videos are great. But then you might also want to go behind the scenes, join in trends, post funny videos or offer an interview with top creatives. How about a product teaser or an unboxing? These work well too.
- The worthiness of a post is also judged by the algorithm. Posts with plenty of shares and comments are deemed more worthwhile so it’s important to direct your audience with relevant calls-to-action. Ask people to respond. Tell them to share. Encourage opinions. You can also run competitions where people have to tag friends to be in with a chance of winning. This also boosts brand awareness and expands reach.
- Users can create a Favourites list to keep them in control of content. The Show More or Less tool also works in the same way. As marketers, remaining relevant is key so as not to be hidden from potential consumers. Analysing pain points and understanding your demographic’s interests is a crucial starting point. Create consumer personas to help you to see the people you’re marketing to clearly. Once you know factors such as their age, sex, location, spending habits, working hours, disposable income, family setting, living environment and more, you can start to showcase the relevancy of your brand based on these things.
Facebook’s Four Main Ranking Signals
As of 2024, Facebook uses four main ranking signals to work out which content should be shown to a specific user. The ranking factors are:
- Who posted the content. Users are more likely to see content from friends, businesses and accounts they interact with regularly. So from a marketing perspective, it’s again about building up your following and giving people a reason to like your page.
- Type of content. This can include video, photos, infographics and so on. Use data to work out which content types seem to get the most interaction.
- Engagement rates. If the algorithm thinks a user will engage, content will be shown in their feed. Those who engage online are exposed to loads of content daily. Standing out means being unique, telling a story and not following the crowd. You could also target people in your local area with tailored updates, blog posts and go-to information.
- How interested other people will be in the post. If the algorithm thinks a post will generate meaningful interactions between users such as comments, shares and replies, it’ll rank higher. Again, don’t forget those call-to-action prompts.
You should also aim to build up your following and create a positive online community. The more hands-on you are, the more you’ll reap the benefits. This is particularly true considering that Facebook’s new ‘feed’ algorithm typically shows content from people, brands and Groups they’re already connected to. It’s called social media for a reason. So do all you can to be social and create a buzz online to generate followers.
If you get Favourited, there’s even more of a chance your content will be shown to relevant people more often. So basically you’re looking to post content that excites and engages on a regular basis. Be creative to avoid getting snoozed or removed from favourites.
For help with your content marketing strategy, contact Minerva Creative today.
