The algorithm: what do you need to know?
The algorithm is the invisible hand in the online space that organizes all the content that is fighting for attention on social media. The criteria by which the algorithm works and ranks are not easy to decipher because, on the one hand, they are not made public and, on the other, the way it works is not static but constantly changing. However, one principle remains the same: the aim of any platform is to keep users on the platform, because the more time they spend on the platform, the more advertising they consume.
Users will spend a lot of time on a platform if they are exposed to content that is interesting, relevant and interactive. The algorithm monitors user behaviour and gives priority to content that, based on past behaviour - for example, liking something or spending more time on a post and not scrolling immediately - is still interesting and relevant to the user, so in the language of the algorithm, each content has a relevance score that is roughly right for that individual.
So it's important to be aware that your post will first be seen not by your readers, but by the algorithm, which will give each post a relevance score and then rank them for each user. So the very first post we see in the social media feed will be the one that the algorithm thinks will be the most interesting for us, and this process happens every time a user updates their feed.
The algorithm, as mentioned above, is always changing, but among its ranking criteria, the following seem to have been given a prominent place in the 2024 update:
Who created the post - you'll see more posts from people you interact with in some way, including friends and businesses. It's important to know, however, that Facebook now prioritises private profile posts over organisational pages, pushing organisations towards paid advertising.
Content type - if you watch videos most often, you will see more videos. If you spend more time with photos, you'll see more photos.
Organic or paid content - It is relatively well known that the reach of organic content, i.e. content shared as non-paid advertising, has recently declined dramatically, motivating the use of paid social media.
Interactions with posts - the Feed gives preference to posts that are of high interest, especially from people you interact with a lot. In other words, you're most likely to reach your own follower base, because they're more likely to be the ones who react to your posts - but as we said, organically the space narrows considerably here too, and whether you want to reach your own followers or those 'outside the bubble', you're already ahead of the game through targeted paid advertising.
What can we do to improve the accessibility of our posts? Check these out!
Posting time - preferably, our fresh content should be posted when our users are present. Fresh, new posts will have priority when appearing in the news feed.
Tip: When timing a post in Creator Studio, Meta will recommend the right times based on its own analysis, so it might be worth a try!
Engagement on our posts: e.g. like (reaction), share, save post, and of course comments, active dialogue under the post. There is also a ranking between these, reactions such as a heart or a hug are stronger than a like, so it's good to be able to post emotional posts that get other reactions, not just a like.
Shares on Facebook, and reactions to the shared content in the newsfeed: as it is the posts of our friends that are prioritised for us by the platform, and not the posts of business or organisation pages, we should aim to have shares on our content.
Sharing in Messenger: the algorithm really likes it when someone shares our post in Messenger, as we typically use it with close friends, so communication here is preferable.
Completeness of our Facebook page: is everything filled in on our page? About us, type of organisation, contact details - check these!
Type of content: as interactivity always appeals to the algorithm, the aim should be to create interesting and relevant content for our target audience and followers. Whether it's sharing useful information, tips, advice or new knowledge, we can also increase interactivity with quizzes, games and polls, or by asking a question that can generate a dialogue on the post.
How much time the user spends on the post.
How active the site is, how often there are new posts.
Some tips for the end:
Design your posts differently, use different calls to action. Don't always have an external link in the post.
Watch out for the comments! After you post something on Facebook and you receive a comment, you should reply as soon as possible.
Employees should also share organisational content - colleagues and volunteers can be motivated to post content on their own timelines, since, as mentioned above, content from individuals and friends will spin up the most based on the algorithm.
Publish Facebook Stories - as these are not part of the Facebook news feed, the feed algorithm rules don't really apply to them, which can sometimes be to your advantage.
Use Facebook groups - You can see that Facebook also likes to display posts from groups you are a member of in the news feed. If our activities and communication with our community allow it, it's worth considering this option.
Ask to be marked as a favourite in addition to liking/following - By clicking on the "like" button of the liked page, the follower can set the density of the posts they want to see on that page. The Favorite button will give your page priority status in the user's newsfeed. Let's frame the request in such a way that this feature will be useful for them, as they will see our posts more often without having to click on our page.
Use videos - It has long been known that videos are more powerful, both from a user and algorithm point of view. If you have a short message, try not producing a 2-line post, but recording it on your phone and saying it. See the reactions, it's worth experimenting with that too.
If you want to know more about the role of video in NGO communication, we recommend this article!
Spread the reach of your message as an advertisement - Nowadays, it's almost inevitable to spend money on your social media presence. If we're not doing well financially, or just experimenting with Meta's ad manager, we'll serve up our organically performing posts as ads to get the content to more people.
Always have a mobile-friendly design!
Even though we typically work on a laptop or computer with a larger monitor for work (including social media posting), in our private lives we probably also scroll through our news feeds on our phones, even when travelling. We're not alone in this, 80% of users now use mobile for social media and all online content, so there's no way around making sure that the communication content we create on our computers is visible and readable on our mobile devices, and it's worth checking.
By taking the above advice and experimenting with your own posts and monitoring their performance, you will be better prepared to successfully plan your social media presence.