Your Comprehensive Guide to Social Media Algorithms

Social media algorithms are always evolving, which is why it’s so important to be on top of them as a marketing professional or business owner. All social media algorithms work a little bit differently but there are a few things that they all have in common. Let’s start with the most basic. 

What Are Social Media Algorithms?

“Algorithm” it’s a word that gets thrown around all the time, but what is it anyway? A social media algorithm is a way of categorizing posts and showing them to the users depending on the most relevant. In basic definition, it is how and when social media networks decide what to display to users and in what order.

Before the shift to algorithms, most social media networks showed the newest posts first. Today, before social feeds display content to users, they’ll first consider if users really want to see it.

How Do Social Media Algorithms Work?

Gone are the days when everyone would see every single post from the people in their network in chronological order. Algorithms work to feature posts that are popular, relevant, and promise a  high engagement rate. 

These algorithms involve machine learning and data science, which is how social platforms are able to review so many posts before presenting them to their users. Each platform is a bit different when it comes to its algorithms, but they all have the same intention. Algorithms track your activity on your account and then pull together all of your content based on your behavior. 

For instance, YouTube may recommend videos to you based on the kind of content that you normally watch. This helps social media companies get data and understand what type of content their users are interested in.

Taking Advantage of Social Media Algorithms

To make your posts stand a chance on every social media platform, you need to outsmart the algorithms. So, how do you do that? Although no two algorithms are the same, here are some tips to help you keep ahead of the game:

• Encourage engagement from your audience. Note that social platforms no longer support “engagement baiting” posts, so you need to create posts that inspire real conversations.
• Tag the right accounts in your posts. This might prompt other account users to like, comment, and share your content. Remember, the more engagements your post has, the more algorithms are likely to reward you.
• Know when is the best time to post on social media. You can use scheduling tools to help you share your content on time. There is no universal “best time to post”. It all depends on your industry niche and when your specific followers are online.
• Improve your publishing frequency. This is one of the most effective social media marketing strategies. If your business only post now and then, algorithms may not favor your content.
• Create and share more video content. Video content has a higher engagement than any other type of social content.
• Create and share different kinds of content to keep your audience on their toes. This will also help you get insights on what type of content your audience prefers.
• Use analytics to measure social media performance. 
• Take advantage of video content. It is easily the most favored content on social media and can easily be incorporated into content repurposing.

Rise Above Social Media Algorithms with Pink Dog Digital

Pink Dog Digital specializes in effective digital solutions for businesses, allowing you to outsmart social media algorithms and get the visibility and engagement you need. For more information, email us at pinkdogdigital@gmail.com, call us at 410-696-3305, or visit our website at pinkdogdigital.com.