FACEBOOK ALGORITHM or HOW TO BE MORE VISIBLE BY OPTIMIZING THE CONTENT
You have probably discovered lately that your Facebook posts are not so visible. You are now starting to wonder why. What could be done to save them, to make them more visible? Facebook has its own algorithm for creating the rules: which content deserves to be more visible and which not. How it works and what to do for optimizing the results? Here are some of the answers:
#1 HOW THE FACEBOOK ALGORITHM ACTUALLY WORKS
Recently, the Instagram CEO and former Facebook executive Adam Mosseri has revealed the four-steps algorithm which Facebook is following in the content evaluation process. To be more specific, Mosseri explains what the algorithm actually means: “That’s a formula created for solving a problem by several consecutive steps.” And to be even more specific, he illustrates how the algorithm works with an everyday situation: what to order for my wife at the restaurant? To find the right answer, he should deal the problem in four different basic steps:
1. He should see the menu for considering the options.
2. He should think over the options considering all the information available: what his wife like to eat, is it lunch or dinner time, what are the restaurant specials etc.
3. He should make predictions: would it be weird if I order chocolate souffle for breakfast, should she be happy with fish for lunch etc.
4.He takes the final decision regarding all the above.
This is actually something we all do subconsciously at a daily basis. Similar to our minds, Facebook also uses a four-steps algorithm to evaluate our content.
1. INVENTORY (What’s in the menu?)
The social media algorithm creates an inventory, considering all content which is posted by your friends, fan pages you like, follow etc.
2. SIGNALS (Time for lunch or time for dinner?)
The social media goes through all data available trying to make the best decision possible based on information about how interesting the particular content should be for you. Facebook calls those data “signals’. Hundreds and thousands of those signals are being considered when Facebook evaluates the content: who posts the content, what type of device the audience uses, what time of the day it is, what is the frequency of your newsfeed updates etc.
3. PREDICTIONS (Would she be happy with fish for lunch?)
Facebook uses all the signals for making predictions and calculate the results: what are the chances for you to read the story, to feel engaged, comment, share or like etc.
4. RESULT (Ordering the food)
Following all predictions and calculations, Facebook is ready with its decision to show or not the particular content. The result Facebook is taking into consideration is “how intrigued you would be with the story”. But as Adam Mosseri underlines, Facebook actually doesn’t really know how intrigued you are with the story. The social media just makes its best prediction based on information.
The process happens every time you open your Facebook profile. Thus, the social media actually define what content to see and what to miss.
#2 THE SIGNALS, WHICH FACEBOOK IS TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION WHILE EVALUATING YOUR CONTENT
One of the main conclusions from Adam Mosseri’s story is that the content of your newsfeed depends from the people you add as your friends and pages you like or follow. That is how the social network is taking the decision if a particular content may be of your interest or not. Some of the signal which Facebook is taking into consideration are:
Who posts the story
- what is the frequency of his/hers posts
- are there any previous negative comments about the author of the post
Engagement
- the average time of your engagement with that particular content
- the total engagement with the post up to the moment
When the story has been published
- friends who are tagged
- recent comments from friends
Type of the story
- profile information
- post from a friend or page you like
- useful content
#THE PREDICTIONS FACEBOOK IS MAKING WHILE EVALUATING THE CONTENT
The social media is taking into account your friends network, the pages you like and all the signals before making predictions:
- how possible it is to click on the post
- how much time you’ll spend with the story
- any chance to like, comment or share the content
- would you find it useful
- are there any banns like nudity for example
Those are the criteria for making any content visible or not. That is how every new feed is unique and customized for every social media user.
#HOW TO OPTIMIZE THE CONTENT
Every marketer wants a visible content. Especially in those times when news and information are everywhere. From all written in the above, you may conclude that the content you are creating should be relevant, useful and interesting for your audience. Here is a list of advice to follow for creating good content:
1. Maintain your page without negative comments. Read carefully and edit your copy, be sure that the links you post are available. Be sure to have as many possitive comments as possible. Engagement weight better than just likes so you need them for going forward in the rank.
2. Post only content which may provoke engagement and time investment from your audience. Video posts are best.
3. Post social and shareable content.
4. Create posts which will make your audience want to click on links, photos, video etc.
5. Create a calendar and stick to it.
6. Gain your audience and know its interests. Create content which implements your business goals.
To stay visible in social media is a hard challenge. That’s wahy it;s so crucial to focus on your content. Give your audience useful, interesting and amusement content and the social media will still add your content to their newsfeed.