Organic Social Media Algorithms

As part of International Social Media day, we have decided to throw in this extra blog post about organic social media algorithms. These algorithms are the deciding factor in whether your posts are visible or hidden in the background, so you must dance to their tune. Yet these algorithms are hidden from sight, changing up the game every so often, and causing confusion for marketers across the globe.

Are you one of those struggling to solve the social media algorithm puzzle? Then this quick guide is for you. Below we will take a brief look at how the algorithms work in 2022 for major hitters Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

What are social media algorithms?

Before observing individual social media platforms, let’s just take a step back. With the mystery of the social media algorithms, you might just be wondering what the heck they are anyway.

Well, in simple terms, social media algorithms are utilised by platforms to organise and promote posts based on their relevancy. Rather than focusing on their publish time, social networks push content based on what they feel their users want to see. Back in the day, content was displayed on a user’s feed in reverse chronological order. Now the algorithms decide what content is delivered.

Social media algorithms use various metrics to create relevant, valuable feeds that will keep users scrolling down the page. These metrics include past online behaviour and how users interact with other social media accounts. They also receive guidance from keywords, categories, hashtags, and other content-related elements.

Now that’s out of the way, let’s look at the algorithms for the biggest social media platforms – and how you can adjust your content strategy to work in line with them.

Facebook algorithm

Facebook underwent significant changes in 2021 – and it wasn’t just a “Meta” name change. They have also been continually adjusting the Facebook algorithm. After all, this algorithm isn’t static, and the Meta team uses machine learningMachine Learning is the branch of artificial intelligence (AI) that gives computers the ability to learn without being explicitly programmed. and AI to better refine how content is delivered to their users.

Going back a few years to 2018, Facebook decided to take a stand against branded content. Mark Zuckerburg had this to say:

“As we roll this [algorithm change] out, you’ll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media. And the public content you see more will be held to the same standard – it should encourage meaningful interactions between people.”

This meant businesses had to adjust their content strategy for Facebook. They had to place an emphasis on targeting their audience and encouraging interaction from followers. This still stands today. More personal, relevant content continues to be a primary focus for the Facebook algorithm.

Instagram algorithm

As Instagram is under the Meta umbrella, you might feel the algorithm functions in the same way as Facebook’s. However, that isn’t the case. There are differences you have to account for when trying to get your posts the visibility they deserve on Instagram.

Fortunately, the algorithm isn’t a mysterious beast. Instagram themselves have explained the ranking factors used when pushing content on their platform. These key factors are:

• Post information: This information includes everything from location settings to engagement.
• User interaction: How a user interacts with other Instagram accounts. Views, likes, and comments are user signals someone enjoys the specific content posted by a person/business.
• User activity: The number of posts a user likes and how they generally interact with content.
• Interaction history: Extending on from the other points, interaction history also plays a part. If a user continues to comment and like an account’s content, this shows their interest level remains high in continuing to receive their content.

Twitter algorithm

That bird isn’t as innocent as it looks. Twitter’s algorithm also utilises a variety of metrics to decide which content shows up on user feeds. This algorithm is continually evolving, where it shares a mix of real-time content with algorithmic content.

To give your content the best chance of currying favour with the Twitter algorithm, it’s important to know the main points that are considered:

• Recency: The publish date for a Tweet.
• Activity: This relates to the activity of a user. It accounts for the last time they used Twitter, the number of followers they have, and how often they share content on Twitter.
• Rich media: Rather than going with just text posts, rich media such as images, GIFs, and videos can boost content performance.
• Engagement: The number of impressions, retweets, and likes a Tweet receives.

Users can switch off the Twitter algorithm. Incoming Twitter owner Elon Musk recently posted a quick guide on how to “fix your Twitter feed.” As he put it, “You are being manipulated by the algorithm in ways you don’t realise.” The ‘fix’ sees Twitter going back to its original reverse chronological order for content.

LinkedIn algorithm

LinkedIn is no different from the aforementioned social media platforms in that it also utilises algorithms. You’ll see this for yourself if you go onto your LinkedIn feed and see how content is organised via “Top Updates.”

These “Top Updates” are judged based on your LinkedIn activity. This includes accounts you have interacted with, whether by ‘liking’ a post, leaving a comment, or sharing their content. With that said, LinkedIn is another platform that allows you to revert to a chronological order for posts.

To work with – and not against – the algorithm, here are some best practices to remember that were spotlighted by LinkedIn:

• Forget about self-promotion and confusing jargon. The intention should be to make posts that encourage valuable, genuine conversations between users.
• Don’t feel you have to go with rich media for your posts. It is said the LinkedIn algorithm doesn’t favour certain post formats, which means a text post should be judged the same as a video post.
• Instead of dropping linksHyperlinks, also known as links, are the connection points on a webpage that take you to other webpages. in a post and expecting engagement, it’s important to take the initiative and post content that encourages responses.

Conclusion

As you can see, there are differences between each social media platform and the algorithm they use. However, what is common between them all is that for success in 2022, you have to produce valuable content and share this regularly.