Beat the Facebook Algorithm and Improve Social Media Engagement

Over the years we’ve seen many changes to the way we as business owners market and reach our customers. While phone books and mailers were once a valuable tool for local businesses, now social media is a crucial piece to a successful marketing strategy. With more than 50 million small businesses on Facebook, it’s time to step it up and join the ranks. Besides, maintaining an active Facebook presence isn’t lacking benefits. Not only does social media serve as a free form of advertising, but it’s also a way to connect and reconnect with your consumers. However, all of that means nothing if the recent algorithm modifications have left you feeling overwhelmed and lost in the News feed. Don’t let Facebook’s mysterious algorithm halt your social media game!

Here are a few tips to outsmart the algorithm and grab your customer’s attention in the process:

Consistency is Key

Regularly posting to social media is a great way to increase engagement across all of your platforms by letting your audience know when to expect your content. According to Buffer.com, generally, the best time to post to Facebook is between 1pm-3pm during the week, with an 18% engagement increase on Thursdays and Fridays. However, utilizing your Facebook Insights page will help you identify when your specific followers are online and active. Use that information to create a posting schedule tailored to your personalized data.

Keep it Short and Sweet

Because of how quickly we skim through social media, the ideal length of a Facebook post is between 40-80 characters. Sproutsocial says that posts containing less than 40 characters earn 86% more engagement! Keep it short but meaningful and not only will your customers appreciate it, so will the algorithm. If you find you’re running out of quality content, give content curation a try and remember, each post should have a purpose, even if it’s just to entertain.

Use Video Content

Video has the highest engagement rate of all content types. Creating a short video with ‘behind-the-scenes’ footage is a great way to see your engagement climb. Live videos are even better with six times more interaction. Get real with your customers and let them see the personal side of your business.

Because the world of digital marketing is ever-changing, it’s important to stay on top of the new trends and social media behaviors.

Keep your content consistent with your customer data and make sure to post short, meaningful posts. Video posts and live videos will get you the most engagement, and higher engagement is deemed most favorable with Facebook. If you follow those tips, not only will you please your customers, you’ll also please the algorithms.

For more insights on marketing strategy that actually works for small business, connect with Jay Bean, Founder of FreshLime and Small Business Marketing Expert on LinkedIn and Twitter. If any of these tips have helped you or if you have anything to add, please comment below. We’d love to hear from you!