Four Proven Ways to Make Social-Media Algorithms Work for You

By now, most social marketers know that all activity on branded social channels should be driven by strategy. Ensuring your message is heard and that you remain competitive among countless other brands means understanding the secret promotional code that the major platforms use to deliver content across user feeds. Enter social-media algorithms.

While algorithms aren’t pushing brands to create specific types of content, they are instrumental in deciding which content has the most visibility. With constant changes, playing to the algorithms can be tricky, and you’re not alone if you’re scrambling to make sense of the twists and turns in an already uncertain digital playbook.

Four Tips for Making Social-Media Algorithms Work for You
Staying one step ahead of social-media algorithms can be time-consuming, and even the most dedicated marketers can get caught up — forgetting the purpose of social in the first place — in creating great content that’s easy to share across communities. So, how do you market effectively in the world of social-media algorithms? Here are four proven ways to make them work for you in ways that are meaningful for your brand.

1. Focus on Engagement Over Promotion.
Forget about using social media as a marketing channel for now and use each platform as an opportunity to engage your audience with content they’ll actually enjoy. Remember, the goal of algorithms is to help deliver the best content to users — and, that makes sense, because a search for “x” should result in the best content available about “x.” Pivot from trying to promote products on branded channels to creating content that’s useful to your audience, and you’ll please both the algorithms and your customers. Post-level engagement is the key to brand exposure. And, despite kicking and screaming, algorithms force us to be a little more creative.

2. Build Social Credibility Through Influencers.
Influencers are already mastering algorithms; why not let those who are in the lead pave the way? While solid, established brands may not always feel the burn from changing algorithms, small companies do. Having an influencer talk up your products and services is an easy way to gain instant social credibility. Increased credibility results in increased perceived expertise, which ultimately, results in increased social ranking.

3. Measure, Measure, and Measure Some More!
Algorithms are in the business of seeking out and promoting content that receives the most engagement. The more you watch the numbers, the better you’ll be at picking content that delivers the best result. Take the time to carefully set up your metrics to easily identify what’s working and what isn’t. Shift tactics accordingly and remember that each platform has its own metrics with its own measure of success. Know how a “like” compares to a “share” and what it means to gather “impressions” or “pins.” Also, be sure to understand what the platforms prioritize and be prepared to optimize accordingly. For instance, Facebook prefers videos over images. The ultimate goal is to create a bridge from the social platforms to your website. While measuring is key, at the end of the day, you still want to drive users to your site to convert.

4. Pay to Gain More Visibility.
There’s no way around it: social is a pay-to-play environment, and posts with high engagement are prioritized by the algorithms. The good news is that means opportunities for promoted ads. Test non-promoted posts to discover those with the highest engagement and then promote the winners. Whether you decide to pay or not, the key is to be able to quantify and move forward in a way that’s meaningful for your brand.

Remember, successful social-media marketing doesn’t come from good luck but is the result of having a clear strategy and a definite plan. For the platforms, giving people content they care about is the name of the game and planning your strategy around algorithms is smart. However, be careful not to neglect your number one goal in the process — providing the best content available to your community. Do that, and — no matter what the algorithms decide to do — your content will stand the test of time!

The post Four Proven Ways to Make Social-Media Algorithms Work for You appeared first on Digital Marketing Blog by Adobe.

from Digital Marketing Blog by Adobe https://blogs.adobe.com/digitalmarketing/social-media/four-proven-ways-make-social-media-algorithms-work/

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