Have you ever participated in any competition? It could be for dance, music, science, or something else. If you think about it, generally, a common process goes around.
The competition organizes selection rounds following the audition to pick the best bunch to advance. This filtration could go on till the event finds a winner.
Social media doesn’t select a winner. However, it follows the filtering process to cater to its viewers. Social media algorithms are responsible for this procedure.
The platforms use algorithms to carefully sort and present the most relevant content in the user’s feed. They may vary across platforms. Algorithms evaluate various factors, including user engagement, recent searches, trends, and freshness. What do you think a cat lover’s feed looks like?
Pet care posts, funny or cute cat videos? Possibly. It shows how a social media platform displays posts based on the user’s prior interactions.
The interests of a user’s network also influence their feed. For example, the LinkedIn algorithm displays the posts of your connections or those with whom you interacted. You can promote your business and its services with appropriate knowledge of distinct social media algorithms.
1. LinkedIn Algorithm
LinkedIn has a strong reputation as a professional social media platform. It is effective for networking and marketing for your business. You can observe this when you view their page. Along with the content, the source account also gains recognition. If your post caters to viewers’ interest, they will likely follow you or connect, thus increasing your professional network.
The LinkedIn Algorithm focuses on three points-
Quality of content
LinkedIn conducts a quality check to sort a content piece. It covers factors like relevance, expertise, and engagement.
- Relevance: The site prioritises displaying content relevant to the user’s network based on their interests and previous engagement.
- Expertise: The post gains bonus points if the source is professional, credible, and knowledgeable.
- Engagement: The quality of likes and comments the content receives displays the audience’s reactions and boosts promotion.
Initial engagement
LinkedIn curates a user’s feed based on their preferences and profession. Your post must create enough early buzz to receive priority on their personalised home pages. Engagement on LinkedIn can be in the form of likes, comments, reposts, and shares. These are some of the readily available options for users.
User network
While your content appears on your connections’ pages, their engagement grants the post higher visibility on their network and beyond. Consider reposting, as mentioned in the previous point. When a user reposts, the visibility of the content extends beyond your followers and connections.
2. X Algorithm
One major division of the constantly-evolving X (previously known as Twitter) is Top Tweets vs. Latest Tweets. While top tweets are determined using the X / Twitter Algorithm, the recent ones are orderly presented in the latest tweets category.
Twitter prioritises posts with rising engagement and relevance like other social media algorithms. You can see changes in trends as a response. How your followers react to your tweet also impacts the hike- retweets are a primary way of boosting visibility.
With suitable content, you can attract viewers to your business. According to a 2023 statistics report from the Content Marketing Institute, 70% of B2B businesses leverage Twitter as a marketing platform.
However, you must stay aware of the social media platform’s experimentation and changing algorithms. This is evident from what Deepak Rao, product manager at Twitter Timeline, has mentioned.
According to Alfred Lua, Product Marketing at Buffer, “Our algorithm changes on an almost daily to weekly basis.”
Some of the best ways you can beat the Twitter algorithm is by
- Staying consistent
- Keeping content interesting
- Sticking to your niche
3. Instagram Algorithm
According to a tweet by Instagram, the social media platform has algorithms for each part of the app. These parts include-
- Feed
- Stories
- Explore
- Reels
- Search
To establish your social media presence, familiarise yourself with the Instagram algorithm most applicable to your firm’s promotion. The likes, comments, shares, or saves your content gains determine how the app will rank your posts.
To get a better understanding, let’s discuss the Explore algorithm.
Unlike a user’s home feed, which contains posts from accounts they follow, the explore page gives you the advantage of growing your reach and gaining engagement. The user’s interests, prior interaction, and recent search results dominate this space.
Consider it from the user’s side. Remember the 2022 FIFA World Cup? As of today, the post by Lionel Messi of him and his teammates after winning is the most liked on Instagram, with 75.7 million likes. Post FIFA, the victory was spread all over social media. Even if you did not follow the team or the players, it appeared in your explore feed due to user engagement and connection to followers.
4. Facebook Algorithm
Since its launch in 2004, Facebook Algorithm has highly evolved. From displaying newsfeeds, the platform gained a business edge 3 years later with the introduction of Facebook Ads.
A few changes later, impactful posts that sparked viewers’ interest began receiving higher rankings on home pages.
Facebook witnessed a 13.1% rise in ad revenue in 2023 compared to last year.
Facebook is one of the most used platforms. You can leverage its large user base to market your firm and its services. Here is a quick rundown of what the present Facebook Algorithm displays.
- Posts from accounts users follow
- Type of content they interact with (e.g., videos, photos, written)
- Highly liked, shared, or commented on posts
How Can You Leverage Social Media Algorithms?
Once you understand how algorithms work on a broader level, you can use them to your advantage. Now, how can you do that? Here are some ways.
- Ensure your content is accurate and relevant: Your post will impact the audience better and allow them to trust your word if the information relayed is credible and to the point.
- Keep your posts interesting and up-to-date: Viewers are more likely to engage if they find it unique and relatable. Wouldn’t you, as an audience, expect that too?
- The tone of the content should match the platform: Can you imagine posting a hip-hop dance reel on LinkedIn to promote an insurance policy? Exactly. Set the tone according to the platform you will post on.
What’s Next?
The best way to market efficiently is to stay up-to-date with these constantly evolving social media algorithms. This knowledge equips you to curate the perfect marketing plan and leverage these algorithms to your firm’s advantage. If done correctly, social media marketing can establish your brand successfully.
Social media algorithms are guidelines that shape the ranking patterns of posts largely based on their quality and user engagement. They appear on a user’s feed following their interests and connections. Some platforms a social media marketing agency uses to promote services are LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
The Wise Idiot can be a perfect stepping stone on your path to success. Our team actively keeps up with the rising trends and changes to provide the best marketing solutions to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. How often do social media algorithms change?
Ans: Social media algorithms are perpetually advancing. To keep up with the newest updates and modifications, it’s best to follow the official sources of the platforms you use.
Q2. What type of algorithm does Instagram use?
Ans: Instagram’s algorithm analyzes your engagement with a certain account’s stories, including actions like sending likes or direct messages. It also considers your viewing history and how often you watch an account’s stories to ensure you don’t miss out on those from accounts that the algorithm thinks are important to you.
Q3. What is the golden hour rule on LinkedIn?
Ans: The hour following your post on Linkedin is known as the Golden Hour. The performance of your post is determined by the Linkedin algorithm based on the number of views, likes, shares, and comments it receives during this period.
Q4. How does Facebook decide which posts to show?
Ans: The Facebook algorithm determines the order in which posts appear on your News Feed. It uses various factors to predict your interests and preferences, including the pages and people you have followed, liked, or interacted with in the recent past.
