Understanding the new algorithm can give you a competitive edge.
“What matters gets measured” is the old axiom. But what happens when the yardstick you have used to measure changes?
You may have heard chatter that Meta – the parent company to Facebook and Instagram – has been making changes to its algorithm throughout the last few months. But what does that mean? How does it impact you? And what can be done about it?
An algorithm in this context describes the behind-the-scenes decision-making processes that govern how the platform selects posts and advertisements to show its users. This is done to help get the right content in front of the right readers at the right time.
Each post is evaluated and then displayed in the order of expected interest to the user in their feed. Facebook doesn’t share the behind-the-scenes details of how its algorithm makes the evaluations. The impact of the algorithm, though, has profound implications on how digital marketing assesses its effectiveness and how you connect with the right audiences through your social media platforms.
Since premiering in 2009, the Facebook algorithm has been an ever-evolving creature, reflective of its basis in artificial intelligence and machine learning. The latest changes came in early fall 2022, with changes to how Facebook analytics are tracked and measured.
The impact has been twofold.
First, changing how analytics are tracked can make it initially difficult to know how to measure the effectiveness of your efforts. With new “categories” and labels for tracking analytics, it can seem like you have lost traffic to your page or your posts aren’t doing as well. And while these algorithm changes can have an impact on the visibility of your content – we will address how to help that in a moment – it is not usually showing as dramatic a change as it appears. To put it another way, what shows up to measure is governed by new processes, and the measurement yardstick has been changed to the metric system, but generally, it provides the same function.
The important takeaway from this change is that it takes time to establish new baselines. Monitoring over a longer span of time can help reveal a clearer picture of your analytics trends.
The second impact of Facebook’s latest algorithm changes is a change in how digital marketers work with the algorithm to connect messaging with your followers and potential customers.
According to Meta, Facebook’s algorithm goes through four steps for each piece of content, for every user, every time they open the platform.
Those steps include the following:
- Inventory: What content has been posted by friends and publishers?
- Signals: Who posted this story?
- Predictions: How likely are you to engage with this post?
- Score: How interested will people be in this post?
You can dive deeper into these elements in this post from the Meta Business Help Center: https://www.facebook.com/business/help/718033381901819?id=208060977200861.
This is where strategic marketing experts can help bring your social media marketing to the next level. We analyze what sets your company or organization apart from your competitors, dive into your goals, and uncover your audience’s needs. From that, we can help you create informative, authoritative content. This audience-first approach works with the algorithm to help make meaningful audience connections.
Authentic, original, and truthful content is also prioritized in the algorithm’s ranking, making it advantageous to develop content that clearly and compellingly shares your organization or company’s story, news, and offerings. Clickbait headlines and spam practices are counterproductive in building your following and network. Value-added content that brings your thought leadership and unique voice is much more effective.
Meta will likely continue to adjust their practices, bringing more changes to the Facebook algorithm and analytics reporting. We can help you meet the challenge and meaningfully connect with your audience. Contact our marketing strategists to get started today.
Sources:
https://www.facebook.com/business/help/718033381901819?id=208060977200861
https://blog.hootsuite.com/facebook-algorithm/#How_the_Facebook_algorithm_works_in_2022
