Stay Ahead of the Game: Master the 2023 Facebook Algorithm

As a Marketing Analyst, it is important to stay up to date with all the latest changes in algorithms. Today, I'm going to discuss the latest Facebook algorithm, how it works, and how to work with it. Also, stay tuned at the end to learn Facebook's overall goal!

1. What is the Facebook algorithm?

Simply state it, it is the way in which Facebook decides which posts to show to your followers. According to Sprout Social, "Essentially, it decides which content is most relevant to show to each user based on several factors. Each user's Feed will look very different since it's personalized just for them."

2. How does it work?

Facebook's process of evaluating a post takes into account these 3 things:

1. Where did the post come from? (i.e. Did it come from a reliable source?)
2. When was it posted?
3. How likely will it drive engagement?

After the post has been evaluated, before it is shown on your feed, it is ranked and scored on the following:

1. Who posted it? (You are most likely to see content from sources you have interacted with)
2. Type of content (What type of media do you interact with, is it posts/videos/stories?)
3. Interactions with the post (Facebook feed prioritizes post with a lot of engagement, especially from people you interact with)

3. How can you work with it?

• Create accurate and meaningful content
• Avoid misleading, sensational, and spammy content
• Keep to shorter text descriptions (25-55 characters)
• Engage with your audience (reply to comments, making people feel heard increases the prioritization of your posts)
• Get your audience to engage with others (Facebook says that if a post triggers many conversations, the algorithm applies "action-bumping logic" to show that post to the user again)
• Don't forget about status posts (status posts get the most engagement at 0.13%)
• Add music when possible (This helps with making your post more engaging)
• Use great lighting and camerawork (AVOID blurry and low-resolution photos and videos)
• Stick to vertical videos (Facebook prefers that you do not shoot landscape videos)
• Use the Facebook built-in tools (Filters, text effects, etc...)
• Start a trend

Just so you know, don't try to manipulate the algorithm. Instead, work with it.

Facebook's goal is keeping people on the platform and providing users what they say they "value."