7 tips for working with the Facebook algorithm

In 2020 Facebook said they would focus on helping users understand the algorithm and take charge of those ranking signals.

Ranking signals are data points about a user’s past behavior and the act of everyone else on the platform. For example: are people sharing this post with their friends? How often do you like posts? Do you regularly view live videos? What’s your favorite Group? How many posts are available for you to see right now? How new are they?

Facebook introduced three significant categories of ranking signals:

• Who a user typically interacts with

• The type of media in the post (video, link, photo, etc.)

• The popularity of the post

7 tips for working with the Facebook algorithm

What can brands do to make sure their Facebook strategy aligns with the Facebook algorithm’s priorities?

1. Start conversations that get people talking to each other!

One of the algorithm’s vital ranking signals is whether a user has previously engaged with your Page. And while no one is going to interact with your brand Page like they would with their friends’ pages, those likes and shares go a long way towards improving your reach on future posts.

That means you have to put in the hard work before the algorithm can start to recognize and reward your Page’s value.

And by hard work, we do not mean shoddy, obvious engagement-bait. (The algorithm can tell, and it will down-rank your post and maybe also your Page.)

The best way to earn more engagement is to be genuine. Or maybe try curious, witty, entertaining, or inspiring. 

2. Post when your audience is online

Recency is another ranking signal that matters as the algorithm selects which posts to show people. Newer is ideal. Right now is best.

But when is your audience online?

• B2B brand posts produce the best results between 9 am and 2 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

• B2C brand posts produce the best results at noon on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday

3. Never post content that will get you down-ranked

Here are a few categories of content that Facebook has made very clear will get your Page down-ranked immediately:

• Links to sites that use scraped or plagiarized content with no added significance

• Questionable content (a.k.a offensive but not prohibited content)

• Misinformation and fake news

• Misleading health information

• Manipulated videos flagged as manufactured by third-party fact-checkers

4. Post-high-quality videos longer than 3 minutes

The algorithm is expanding the influence of these three ranking factors:

• Loyalty and purpose: videos that people search for and return to

• Video length and view duration: videos that people view past the 1-minute mark, and that are longer than 3 minutes

• Originality: videos that are not repurposed from other origins and that have plenty of added benefit.

5.  Post often and consistently

According to Facebook, Pages that post most often are more apt to be significant to their audience. Therefore, posting frequency is a ranking signal that can influence how high up in the newsfeed your posts are located.

6.  Leverage Facebook Groups that are significant to your audience

Groups continue to be one of the most valuable parts of Facebook, according to user behavior statistics. A Group can be where you promote discussion, training, problem-solving, and, yes, even topics that matter to your audience.

7.  Support your organic gains with paid ads

While your brand’s organic content can increase your connection with your audience, Facebook ads remain the best way to build your brand awareness to potential consumers who use Facebook.

And Facebook’s targeting capabilities may get even more important for advertisers who care about audience data, given Google’s recent news that Chrome is phasing out third-party cookies.

As you track your high-performing content, make sure you capitalize on the ability to turn it into low-CPC (a.k.a cheap) advertising for your brand’s voice.

With Facebook’s constant evolution towards enhanced transparency in how the newsfeed ranks content, your audience has more control than ever over what they see. Hopefully these Facebook algorithm tips offered some insight into the power of using the algorithm to your advantage.

Let the experts at Tembo Collective take your Facebook advertising to the next level

Contact us info@tembocollective.com