Ah the ever-changing algorithm, the bane of the social media life. Just the thought of trying to work with it evokes all sorts of questions, how does my post get seen? How do I get engagement? How do I not get lost in the big ocean that is social media?
The truth is, the answer to these questions is always changing, and will continue to change. So, if the one constant is change how can we ensure our content is seen by our audience? In a perfect world keeping up with the changes to social media algorithms would be part of your strategy but we all know that can be difficult to do, so how do we play this, how do we work with the algorithm and ensure our posts are engaging?
At the moment the focus of social media algorithms is on engagement, the algorithm now rewards posts with high engagement. Social platforms want users to create content which is engaging and meaningful, and any content they deem to be so will be seen by and have more engagement by more and more users.
Give your audience a reason to respond
The first step in working with the algorithm is to give your audience a reason to respond. Write an engaging caption or ask a question that will provoke a response. Your audience has to have a have a reason to interact with your post. This seems so obvious but it is one of the first things people forget when writing content.
It’s all about the looks
How do you stop your audience in their tracks? Make visually appealing content. Whether it’s image, graphics or videos, you need to create visual content that makes your audience stop scrolling and engage with it. The algorithms take note of the way users interact with content and visually appealing content generally has better engagement.
Interact with comments
Social media platforms are not designed to be a one-way street, if you’re receiving comments on your posts make sure you interact with them in a timely manner. No matter the type of comment it is make sure you engage with it in some way as this not only means you’re working with the algorithm and in turn getting your post in front of more people, but it builds your relationship with your audience and builds the brand you are working so hard for.
In the past the focus of the algorithm has been on others things like the number of followers but that has all changed now. For now, at least, the focus is now on producing quality over quantity – take your time to put out comment worthy content and engage with your audience.
About the Author
Jessica Colusso is a digital marketer specialising in social media marketing and helping businesses navigate the social media landscape to achieve their marketing and communication objectives. She spent seven years in marketing before deciding to specialise in digital and social mediamarketing and then starting her own company Catalyst Marketing Solutions in 2015. Catalyst Marketing Solutions’ purpose is to help businesses achieve their marketing and communication objectives through the use of social media platforms. Jessica is excited to now be working with Max My Profit as their Digital Excelerator to provide tailored social media marketing services to their clients.
