We’ve researched, tested, changed tack and tried it all again. Today we’re sharing our top tips on cracking the Facebook algorithm.
Facebook uses machine learning to determine what a user sees in their news feed. Cracking that code won’t be easy, but with the hints that Mr Zuckerberg and his team have provided, you too can crack the Facebook algorithm despite its frequent updates and without investing heavily in Facebook advertising.
Our guide to cracking Facebook’s algorithm will help your business facebook posts rise to the top and be seen by your customers.
Facebook wants you to be meaningful
The proclaimed focus is on ‘meaningful interactions’, conversations and discussions. That is creating content that stimulates comment upon comment on each post, video or Facebook Live. And then you need to be seen to be responding to those interactions too.
Don’t be fooled into thinking this is some kind of altruistic motive. It will always help to have a big budget when it comes to using Facebook. Paying for advertisements is an expensive yet cost-effective strategy. But we’d highly recommend getting your organic content strategy in shipshape condition before you resort to throwing cash at this behemoth network.
Social media takes longer than you think
Be warned - it does take time. People who think using social media is a quick fix marketing strategy are thankfully a dying breed. It’s becoming ever more apparent that implementing an effective social media strategy across multiple channels - not just Facebook - takes time, effort and more than a little imagination.
As everyone from Pascal to Cicero, to Mark Luther and Mark Twain have said - “I would have written a shorter story if I had more time.”
So once you have your witty, interesting, compelling caption or curious question paired with a magnificent pic, GIF or video, don’t waste your efforts by posting it at random and leaving it to drown in the mass of posts going up every second.
How to write for Facebook
Encourage active, not passive interaction. Your captions should be written in a way that prompts conversations between friends within the comments on your posts.
This is several layers deeper than simply getting a passive thumbs-up like. It demonstrates real value and keeps the conversation within the space of a single post, which Facebook appreciates. Facebook wants to keep people ‘on platform’ and will reward you for supporting that.
Engage with your commentors
Don’t forget to actively engage in the discussion yourself, too. Your post has asked people to leave their opinions, thoughts and feelings. You’ve asked questions, so respond intelligently to the answers. Ask further questions. Get involved.
How to create active interaction on Facebook?
Have a play with open questions, that nudge the user to respond with an ounce or more of detail, or even better entice them to tag a friend into the conversatoin.
Try asking “Who will you bring to xx event”, or “Who will you be asking to buy you xx?”. This avoids the ‘tag-baiting’ (now heavily punishable by facebook) and you’ll be rewarded with a boost up the news feed when a customer talks to a friend through comments on your post.
Facebook is tracking how long people spend on each post. Encourage people to spend time with you by providing them with thought-provoking content you excel at.
Ask for emotional reactions
If you can’t muster written responses, then see what you can do to move users away from a bog standard ‘like’. When it comes to how ‘reactions’ are ranked in the Facebook algorithm, it favours Haha, Love, Wow, Sad and Angry (although you’ll most likely be working hard not to generate the latter two in reaction to your brand!).
How to use Messenger to improve your Facebook presence
Encourage people to share your content over Messenger as well as on their profile page.
When Facebook says it wants ‘meaningful’ interaction, it doesn’t mean a thoughtless thumbs up. It wants people to share posts to a group of friends via Messenger. If they add a personal note, all the better - it means they genuinely care enough about their friends seeing it, that they’ve gone to the additional effort.
NB: it’s not enough to get a post shared by one of your customers to their page. Facebook now only prioritises posts that are shared AND have generated comments on those shares.
Go LIVE
Video content is king but even better is to create regular facebook LIVES.
They don’t take up as much room, they don’t last forever, they do inspire followers to comment, ask questions and engage at the conversational level required by Facebook.
A huge bonus for brands is that they are easy, quick and cheap to produce. According to Zuckerberg, live videos can get 6x more engagement than pre-recorded videos.
How to use Facebook Live?
Encourage your followers to engage by asking questions and asking them to leave replies. If you’re shy of appearing on camera, just remember that being perfectly imperfect will help you break down the barriers between brand and individual. It makes you appear human, trustworthy and likeable. Just go for it!
Create a Facebook Group for your brand
Facebook has been pushing Groups heavily. They’re a genuine place for feedback and conversation, which feels consumer-led and trustworthy. Join the Instant Pot UK Community group if you want to experience the conversation for yourself and you’ll understand how it generates a great warmth towards the brand as well as boosting your ranking.
Groups can be public or private depending on whether you want to create something open or exclusive.
Facebook Page Community is an extension of this, where the platform is encouraging you to leverage your brand’s most enthusiastic and active advocates within the comfort of their preferred social channel.
Again, time and resource come in to play. But factoring these elements of the channel into your brand and content strategies could prove highly efficient for converting fans to customers, or for generating future content collaboratively with your fan base.
Facebook basics
Timing
Don’t post when your customers are asleep. Use Facebook insights or another analytical tool to make sure your customers are using Facebook when your posts go out. We’d recommend only signing up to a post scheduling tool if it offers analytics as part of the package.
Profile
Ensure your page profile is complete so your followers and Facebook understand fully what your business is about and what they can expect from you in this channel. Using a pinned post or ‘announcement’ is an effective tool for this tool.
Fans
Don’t be shy - ask people to ‘follow’ your page when they’re interacting with your brand elsewhere (on your website, in your emails). Once they’re on your profile page, encourage them to use the ‘Following’ drop down and opt to ‘see first’ your page. If you’re confident you are providing quality content, they won’t mind.
Time to crack Facebook’s algorithm
Let us know how you go. And do get in touch if you need more guidance or a practical helping hand from the Coconut social media team.
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