Attract your audience with social media algorithms

Social media algorithms

With the rise of mobile phones and social media, it is now the most common activity of the day. As a result, many companies have come to well-known platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Relatively new platforms such as TikTok and Twitch are also becoming increasingly interesting for companies where they meet new target groups. According to SimilarWeb, in 2021, YouTube and Facebook were the most visited websites in the world, after Google. With these networks getting more users every day, it is necessary to create relevance and order and an algorithm helps with this.

Changing algorithms

Algorithms never stand still and are constantly changing, making it difficult to stay on top. The algorithm determines the placement of the content or whether it is displayed in a user’s feed.

What are algorithms?

An algorithm is a set of rules that specify how data behaves. Algorithms in social media help to rank search results, content, and ads but also to maintain the order of the total number of posts filtering out irrelevant or low-quality content. At Facebook, for example, there is an algorithm that helps display content sequences.

In 2021, there were approximately 4.5 billion internet users of which about 57% of the world’s population uses social media. Social media algorithms have been devised for this. In recent years, the algorithm has been determined by user-friendliness. Content had to be relevant and of high quality to be seen in users with similar interests. Make sure that content is high-quality, relevant, and engaging. In addition, keep a close eye on trends so that they can be included in your social media strategy.

What types of social media algorithms are there?

Algorithms differ per social media platform. For this, it is best to look at the algorithms per platform. The main social media platforms are Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.

Facebook's algorithm

Facebook’s algorithm is about engagement. The ranking consists of four different signals:

There have been many changes to Facebook’s algorithm, which has made it harder to promote posts organically without a schedule and strategy. According to Hootsuite, the average reach for an organic post has dropped by 5%. Paid Facebook posts are ranked outside of organic posts, looking at engagement, customer response and relevance.

Twitter's algorithm

At the beginning of Twitter, the posts were ranked according to the time of day rather than by content. Twitter’s algorithm has been tweaked these days and ranks posts by relevance and content. To use Twitter’s platform, it’s important to post relevant content, consistency, posting on optimal days and times, and drive engagement. Here’s how Twitter’s algorithm pays attention:

LinkedIn's algorithm

LinkedIn is a platform that focuses on networking, rather than gaining new followers. LinkedIn is the most common platform used in business-to-business. LinkedIn has developed an algorithm for connection and engagement. Relevant and strong content is prioritized in the algorithm of posts. LinkedIn virality has increased by 50% since 2018, making it easier to reach people outside the network if the post has readable content.

Instagram's algorithm

Instagram’s posts will be based the same as Twitter’ posts. The messages are based on chronology. Posts with videos and carousels get more engagement than other post types. However, it is also important for the algorithm to use the new features of Instagram.

It is therefore important to keep an eye on the algorithms of social media platforms. However, the most important thing is still to post a relevant and valuable message. Video posts help create awareness and increase engagement. SpotOn is a simple tool that helps create valuable content with highlights from your live streams in real-time. Capture, clip, edit and share content on social media. Click here to create a free account