Facebooks Algorithm Explained

Facebook Algorithm: you need to understand it in order to use it.

With every new release of a Facebook algorithm update, brands are instilled with fear, they are concerned about their brand presence online. This should not be the case, algorithm changes do not mean trouble for brands. Facebook is still one of the most widely used social media platforms – if your customers are there, you need to be there too.

Facebook algorithm updates, means making changes to your Facebook content strategy based upon your target audience in order to boost your organic reach – you see it’s not all that scary. ??

Since 2009 Facebook has added, removed and adjusted their algorithms in a way to benefit the user experience – it all depends on what Facebook thinks users want to see.

Here is a glimpse into the key algorithm changes throughout the years.

2009: Facebook welcomed its first algorithm – A post with the most likes is boosted straight to the top of the news feed.

2015: Hello downranking!!!! Facebook started to downgrade pages that they considered to be posting too much. The platform also introduced the ‘See First’ feature which allowed users to specify if they would like a particular pages posts to be prioritized in their news feed.

2016: Facebook introduced a ‘time spent’ ranking signal that measured a posts value based upon the amount of time users spent on it even if they did not like or share the post – not the most clever one!

2017: ?The beginning of reactions over the classic Facebook like. User could now react with love hearts or an angry face or indeed a simple like. This year also welcomed the rise of video – ranking was also ranked based upon completion rate – the more times a video was watched in full, the higher reach it gained.

2018: Facebook now prioritizes conversation and meaningful interactions. These include posts from friends, family and groups which users are members of. These posts are prioritized over?organic content from pages – Major content strategy update from brands!!

2019: Video is still on the up-rise! However, Facebook started prioritizing high quality & original videos that keep the users attention for more that 60 seconds, this is where brands needed to really put a focus on their creativity. Users also got more insight as we welcomed the ‘why am I seeing this tool’.

2020: Facebook started to show its users how it works in order to allow the users to take control of their data in order to give the algorithm better feedback. This year also seen the algorithm giving focus to credibility of news which gave rise to substantiated articles rather than misinformation.

2021: Transparency: Facebook gives users even more access to their data!!

2022: What have we seen and what is in store for us?

NewsFeed. You are no longer scrolling through the Newsfeed, it’s just the ‘Feed’ now. The new ‘Feed’ was launched earlier this year as a page that shows meaningful and informative stories. ?How do they identify ‘meaningful’ an ‘informative’ stories? Well they have a three step ranking system for that!

1)?????Who. Who posted it? Users are more likely to see posts and content from sources they regularly interact with including friends and businesses.

2)?????Type. What type of content are users interacting with the most. If it’s video then users will be presented with more videos rather than static posts and likewise for photos.

3)?????Interact. Feed will now give way to posts with a lot of engagement, prioritizing those who you follow.

Users can also now train the algorithm to work with what works best for them specifically.

Users can now pick up to 30 pages and people to add to their favourites – sounds familiar? It is, this was formerly know as ‘See First’. These pages will appear higher in the Feed. Users can also hide ads and indicate why they want to hide that specific ad, giving users a more tailored experience (Brands – get tailoring your ads, do not be spammy and make them meaningful/informative!!!!)

And we now welcome to the party – in-feed options. Users can click on any post in their feed and click ‘I don’t want to see this’. The hidden post will tell Facebooks algorithm that you aren’t interested and they will show you less posts of this type and from that page. The same goes for paid ads, we can no longer force people to see our ads on Facebook.

And last but not least, Community Standards, Facebook does update the standards so it is important to keep them in mind as a business page as its content can be removed if it goes against the community standards.

Is it as daunting as everyone thought? Absolutely NOT!

How can brands work with the algorithm? EASY!

1)?????Listen.

Listen to your target audience and followers. You need to understand what it is exactly that your followers want to see.

Keep in mind the two new key words from the algorithm ‘meaningful’ and ‘informative’. Content should be conversation provoking ( Did you see the sale that ABC was having??). raising awareness? Make the content based upon your audiences behaviour, do they prefer reading? Video? Make it interesting & informative.

I am an advocate for evergreen content BUT only if it is used in conjunction with constant new, interesting and informative content! And the algorithm favours this too, they love to see new content that gets peoples attention, they stop scrolling, they click, they tag a friend to show them, they engage in a conversation with the community, they like and share.. Hitting all the key touch points!

Manipulation is not the answer!

If you take anything away from this post it should be this – DO NOT manipulate the algorithm, UNDERSTAND it. Remember, the algorithm is always watching ?? Paying for engagement and comments? just no no no! work with Facebook not against it, we all just need to work together a bit.

You can talk too!

A user has commented on your post…. Ok, cool … NO, do not waste this opportunity! Make your followers feel heard and engage back with a reply! BING, an engagement signal has been sent to Facebooks Algorithm and you’re reach will improve – ignore them? And Facebook will ignore you too.

Stories and Reels

Facebook didn’t launch them for their own entertainment, they studied users on Facebook – use them! Designed to encourage discovery of everything new. The feed shows content from friends and pages that people are already connected to. ?If brands want to grow their followers and community, this is where you get discovered! And remember, first impressions are everything!

Timing is key

Don’t forget, study your audience – when are they most active? They won’t engage with your page if they're not active!

Encourage your employees, brand advocates and don’t forget affiliate marketing!

Employee advocacy says a lot about a brand. Encouraging your team to share your content to their own networks increases your reach and engagement – BING, there’s the algorithm again ??

Key Takeaway – Three NoNoNo’s

No #1 Do not use click bait or engagement bait. Exaggerated or over sensualised content is spam and Facebook knows this! Engagement bait e.g. ‘ Like this if your like XBRAND or share this post if you prefer YBRAND’ – it’s old and boring – you can do much better!

No #2 Do not share fake news – it goes against every part of the algorithm, it actually goes against the community standards as it can sometimes foster fear and urgency.

No #3 Do not violate Facebooks Community Standards – Just No!

Thanks for reading :) Keep an eye out for more 2022 algorithms explained (Instagram, LinkedIn & TikTok coming soon!).