An Insight Into Social Media Algorithms And How It Affects Your Strategy By The Best Digital Marketing Agency Sydney

By on October 12th, 2020

5min Read

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Just like search engines, social media networks have algorithms. To the average social media user, they might seem like a great thing, helping them see only what’s relevant and useful to them. But if you are a marketer, then you know that these algorithms are a challenge to your strategy. 

At some point, you will have to work with the best digital marketing company in Sydney if you want to beat social media algorithms. Are they mysterious and difficult to figure out? Definitely no.

Our social media management experts at Digital Hub Australia delved into social media algorithms to help us have a better understanding of how they work and affect your strategy. We share all the information below. 

What Are Social Media Algorithms

Initially, most social media networks organised a user’s feed primarily based on publish time. But that has since changed. In their defence for introducing social media algorithms, most social media networks admit that were driven by the need to deliver the content you care about, which is a valid point given that this platforms now have billions of users, the majority of who are active. 

The simplest explanation of social media algorithms is a process that organises one’s social media feed based on relevancy, resonancy and sometimes recency. The algorithms enable the delivery of organic and paid content based on user behaviour, interests, history, demographic information and other related aspects. 

Even though some social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter still allow you to determine your content preferences, this has been a subject of debate, with some social media users claiming that the settings aren’t a hundred per cent effective. 

We cannot deny that these algorithms determine what social media users get to see nowadays. That is why it is important to figure them out when coming up with a strategy. With help from an experienced digital marketing agency in Sydney, you will do this with ease. 

How Do They Work?

A social media algorithm isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach that applies to every social media network. They vary from one platform to the other. That means that the criteria YouTube uses to rank videos is not exactly the same as the rank factors Facebook uses. 

For YouTube, the common ranking signals include channel authority, uniqueness, audience retention and relevant search terms. Facebook, on the other hand, majorly uses engagement, the power of community and quality of content as rank factors. 

Please note that is not an exhaustive list but just an observation of what seems to be happening in both platforms. Behind these algorithms, there’s a lot of machine learning going on, coupled with data science. Plus, they change over time and require a lot of expertise to figure them out. You can always hire digital marketing experts in Sydney to help you do it.

Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok and other major social media networks all use unique rank signals to display content. 

How Social Media Algorithms Affect Your Strategy

Knowing how algorithms for different social media platforms work is essential in understanding how they affect your strategy. You will have to adapt your content and campaigns to each platform’s algorithm if you are to leverage their potential.

In all platforms, it’s clear that organic content has a limited immediate reach compared to paid content. Should you decide to go for the former, expect stiff competition because you have limited control on who the post reaches. But you can still come up with organic posts that deliver great results if you master the best practices for creating such content. 

Paid content, on the other hand, gives you more control on audience targeting and reach. But to make the most of this option, you may have to hire SEO experts in Sydney Australia who have specialised in social media marketing. 

Overall, you will have to incorporate specific techniques in your strategy to beat social media algorithms, no matter the platform. Our social media experts at Digital Hub Australia suggest that you do the following: 

  • Ask questions, respond to your audience and encourage comments to enhance engagement, which is a key ranking signal for many platforms. Consider live interviews, polls and quizzes, promotions, user-generated content and contests as they all boost engagement as well. 
  • Make use of hashtags to increase your visibility. Combine this with correct keywords in your titles, descriptions and content. 
  • Optimise post timing to reach more users and receive more engagement
  • Post consistently and be versatile while at it, depending on the platform. Do not rely on specific content type as this locks out users who prefer other forms of content. 
  • Make use of video content as more users now prefer it. Social media algorithms also reward native videos. 

Bearing in mind that this has to be done for every platform you have a presence on, you will have to spare plenty of time and effort to accomplish this if you are doing everything on your own. Not to mention that you will need special skills to do some of the aspects right, like social media marketing. A better option would be to work with the best SEO agency in Sydney, particularly one with experience in social media marketing and management

We are lucky to have some of the best talents in this space at Digital Hub Australia. You are welcome to speak to us if you would like to learn more about social media algorithms and how to maximise the impact of your strategy. 

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