Learning Social Media Algorithms
Social media is a place which is always changing its algorithms and trying to make itself the best platform possible. Whether this is to keep the audience wanting more or even to just make sure that the audience is getting what they want out of the platform. If you are wanting to gain online attention as a marketer, you must start by learning social media’s algorithms and understanding how they work.
What is Social Media Algorithms?
A social media algorithm is created to drive and deliver content to its users. Due to the massive increase in popularity of social media over the past years, the demand for better algorithms is always on-going. In other words, they are a set of rules or data which is used to deliver a result. Although not all social media platforms use algorithms, the chances are the most common and most used ones do. Have you ever wondered how your phone displays things you want to see or things which you have previously search? That is due to the algorithm.
What are the types of Social Media Algorithms?
All social media algorithms are different. You might think they all work in a similar way, but in reality, they don’t. Below are some of the world’s top platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Linkedin.
1. Facebook
The Facebook algorithm feels like a mystery. Nobody knows if their presence on the platform will grow or decline, it is like a game. Facebook is the largest social media platform in the world, meaning the chances of customer engagement is high. Although, back in 2018, Mark Zuckerberg changed the algorithm to ensure people were engaging with their family and friends posts more than any advertisement or business. But in 2020, Facebook’s main goal is to make its platform more honest and easy for users and give people more control over what they view on their news feed.
2. Instagram
When the algorithm of a large platform like Instagram changes, it affects everyone from big global businesses to celebrities and even to those with small public accounts. Like any other platform, Instagram wants its users to stay on the platform for as long as possible whilst interacting and engaging with other users and their posts. In return, Instagram prioritizes those with the most engagement meaning their posts and account will be open to more interaction.
3. Twitter
It is hard to stand out of the crowd on Twitter. Especially when you are trying to rely on people to retweet your content and your posts. You are never sure what is going to reach its maximum potential or not. With over 350,000 tweets sent every minute how will you be sure if your’s will be seen? The Twitter timeline is separated into 3 sections. As you view your feed you will see tweets ranked by algorithm, ‘in case you missed it’ and reverse chronological order tweets. Each is important for their own purposes, for example, twitter displays its tweets in a rank order of high relevance based on its score system. So, some of the tweets you see on the news feed are from accounts you don’t even follow.
4. TikTok
Tiktok is a growing, upcoming platform which more and more brands and marketers are joining. The starting goal for you is to gain a position on the “For You” Page. This is where your videos can be seen by millions of people if you are lucky. The algorithm tends to highlight creators and encourages people to like their content, nevermind their account size or following range. Recently the algorithm for this platform changed and has not completely been cracked, but here is one of the most common ideas as to what goes in it:
- When a video is uploaded it is viewed by a few users to ensure it is not boring.
- TikTok view how much interaction your video is getting, if the interaction is high they will push it to more users and so on.
5. LinkedIn
At the moment, Linkedin is a fast-paced growing platform which is flourishing in new users and growth. It is bringing features other platforms don’t offer to make it stand out for marketers and businesses. Linkedin has a simple algorithm which chooses which posts you see on your feed. One of the best factors of the platform is that the more connections you make, the more people could potentially see your posts. In other words, the algorithm has two main goals, these are to prioritize relevant content. This is posts which you previously have shown favouritism towards. Secondly, is to promote engagement. This is things which you might like to see.
Can Marketing Agencies Help Increase Engagement?
Not everyone has the time to learn everything necessary as learning social media’s algorithms takes a long time and a lot of effort. A marketing agency like us here at Hive Digital Media will help your business gain more engagement and online recognition through its paid social ads and social media posts. Although some social media platforms have cut back on their ads, others are constantly adding more and more paid posts to their algorithms. Hence why paid social posts tend to bring in a high percentage of traffic to businesses.
If you would like to talk to us on how we can turn your content into leads and revenue, then just hit the ‘Let’s Talk’ button below.