Utilizing Facebook Algorithm
The Signals Facebook Considers When Ranking Your Content
One massive takeaway from Adam’s keynote was “the most critical input into what you see in your news feed is who you decide to friend and what [pages] you decide to follow in the first place.”
This makes sense, as these critical inputs will largely determine how Facebook interprets the myriad of signals it looks at when ordering a news feed that’s most relevant to your interests.
Some of the specific signals that will affect your ranking on Facebook include:
Who posted a story
- Frequency of posts from that person / publisher
- Previous negative feedback on an author
Engagement
- Average time spent on content
How to Optimize Your Content for the Facebook Algorithm
As marketers, you always want your content to be seen by as many people as possible, especially now that there’s more noise than ever before. Adam’s recent keynote has reinforced just how important it is to create content that’s relevant, valuable, and interesting for your target audience. If you don’t do this, it’s likely you’ll appear in fewer news feeds.
The following list of tips will help you create content that reaches as many news feeds as possible (based on the insights from Adam’s keynote above):
Maintain a Facebook page that minimizes negative feedback from users over its life span. Proofread your copy and double-check your links before posting to your page.
Create content likely to elicit positive feedback from your audience, in the form of positive comments, likes, or reactions, which are now weighted so they affect post ranking slightly more than likes.
Publish content that promotes engagement and an investment of time from your audience; video content is an excellent option here.
Post content that’s social and shareable, like this visual post from The Awkward Yeti.
Create posts that are likely to result in your audience liking, commenting, and sharing with their friends. This post from Silverwood Theme Park was shared over 500 times in just 6 hours.
Create posts that are likely to result in people clicking on your links, photos, copy, videos, and other content. This post from Travel & Leisure prompts anyone who’s looking for a good deal on an island getaway to click and learn more.
Maintain a consistent content schedule.
Build an audience and following that are relevant to your overarching goals as a business, and create content that maps to those goals. You can check the makeup and interests of your Facebook page’s audience using Audience Insights and selecting the People Connected to Your Page option.
Tactics to Stay Away From
- Don’t create content that misleads or misrepresents itself to users (i.e., no click bait).
- Don’t create content that violates Facebook’s Terms & Conditions (e.g., no nudity).
Final Thoughts
Remaining visible in the news feed will continue to become more challenging as the amount of noise on Facebook continues to increase. That’s why it’s now more important than ever to focus on creating relevant content that your audience will welcome in their news feeds. If you can continue to give your audience content they find relevant and enjoyable, it appears Facebook will continue to show your content in their news feeds.
By Paul Ramondo
Rising Star Events - Online Promotions & Advertising https://www.facebook.com/RisingStarsEvents/
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