Understanding Algorithms of Top Social Networks and Their Use in Digital Marketing

We can’t say it enough. A content strategy without the main social networks is a BLT with no bacon. You’re lacking the meat, the heartiness. Marketers, influencers, brands, and companies must use them to develop their e-business and e-reputation (the two often go hand in hand). For this, we must understand the algorithms of social networks.

Indeed, to truly optimize your web campaign on social media, you still need to know how they work. A social media marketing strategy must know how to use their algorithms. These play a significant role in the visibility of the publications made there.

What’s the point of being hyperactive on the social web if no one notices you? To avoid this pitfall, you need to understand the algorithmic logic, which underlies every social network’s functioning. That’s good. That’s precisely the purpose of this article.

The word has become fashionable since we know that these sacrosanct algorithms make rain and shine on social networks.

A famous online encyclopedia teaches us, in a very condensed way, that an algorithm “is a finite series of operations or instructions which makes it possible to solve a problem or obtain a result.” We can see it as the mathematical analysis of a lot of data to arrive at a decision. The algorithms of social networks, partly based on artificial intelligence, are infinitely more decadent than this simplistic example.

But you got the big picture: through targeting and producing relevant content, we can, to some extent, predict how algorithms will interpret our content. And therefore, put it forward or, on the contrary, penalize it.

In social media marketing strategy, algorithms hold paramount important and it is easily the foremost priority of digital agencies who capitalize on the potential of social media to generate marketing benefits. Digital Resource, LLC. is a remarkable example of a digital marketing agency that offers a full-suite of services to their customers.

They are pioneers of lead generation, social media marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), data analytics, and web positioning. Digital Resource specifically specializes in digital marketing for dental clinics and institutions, who want to reach a greater market of public, leverage the potential of the web.

The Facebook algorithm

With billions of active users, Mark Zuckerberg’s (world-changing) baby – Facebook – enjoys interaction in the form of reactions, comments, and shares.

With each post, the Facebook algorithm first judges the quality of the content.

• Are the images and videos native?
• Is the publication unpublished?
• Doesn’t it have a click trap or share and like incentives?

The more qualitative the content, the more the robot software will highlight the publication. The post is then shown to only 1% of fans. The algorithm then judges the reaction of each user submitted to the publication:

• Does it collect likes and comments, shares?
• Do the videos have the correct viewing time?
• Or on the contrary, does the publication generate negative feedback, such as reports, hidden page.

The more positive these scores, the more Facebook will distribute your post and vice versa.

Pleasing the Facebook algorithm

So, if you want to use Facebook optimally in your digital strategy, you need to set up posts that encourage sharing and interaction. It should not be done with clickbait, or the algorithm will penalize you. Prioritize live videos and avoid external links, poorly rated by the algorithm.

The Twitter algorithm

Twitter ranks posts based on the most relevant tweets – the ones people interact with the most. To arrive in this ranking, the social network first judges the credibility of the account that posts:

• Is the profile fully completed?
• Are the images and videos native?
• Are there no external links?

Then, like on Facebook, the post is shown first to a small group of followers. Twitter measures subscriber engagement by recording the number of interactions, likes, replies, and retweets. If these signals are green, the algorithm will then highlight your post.

Note a particularity of Twitter: the bluebird network listened to its users. Since 2018, it has made it possible to deactivate algorithmic sorting and return to a chronological display without a filter.

How to create tweets that make Twitter happy?

By posting tweets that generate engagement. To do this, you need to post messages that prompt reaction and have a responsive and involved community. Therefore, exit the purchase of inactive followers: this would hamper the engagement and, thus, the visibility of your tweets. You should also post very regularly, and if possible, during hours when your community is active. The reaction time of your followers to your tweets plays in the Twitter algorithm.

The Instagram algorithm

A little different point here is that it takes into account your engagement with other users. The algorithm submits your post to a small number of subscribers. It checks whether it generates a lot of interactions and shares in private and the time it takes to achieve it. If the post is recent, meets your subscribers’ expectations, and they regularly consult your profile, then the post will be highlighted by Instagram.

Charming Instagram’s algorithm

To be well placed on Instagram, it is vital to be regular while exhibiting quality photos. As always, create content that inspires engagement and reaction. Use hashtags to appear in the Explore Page. Be active yourself with other users. This will increase your promotion.

The YouTube algorithm

The YouTube algorithm is more complicated because it acts a lot like a Google search, SEO-based. The descriptive text is essential, and the choice of keywords, the name of your video, and the file sent. Never overlook these points when posting. Despite everything, the algorithm first assesses the quality of the content offered. It also judges the optimization of variables like thumbnail, title, description, and tags. The video is then shown to a small group of subscribers, whose engagement YouTube judges by the percentage of the audience who watched the video and the time spent on it.

The algorithm favors already large channels, with more than 200,000 subscribers, a very high total viewing time, and a publication rate of at least three videos per week.

How to flatter YouTube?

To be successful on YouTube, you must be popular on YouTube. The algorithm will favor the more subscribers you have, the more your channel. Beyond that, optimize the keywords, titles, and descriptions of your videos, post a lot and at regular intervals, and try to captivate the audience so that they stay if possible on the video. Therefore, very long videos are instead not recommended to “breakthrough” on YouTube.

A tip too: publish videos that “respond” to or complement viral videos from favorite channels. You could – with a little luck – appear in the list of recommended videos, to the right of the video in question!

The final word: users > algorithms

You now know a little more about how social media algorithms work. With this, you can try to make predictions to optimize your digital marketing results and create content that appeals to both users and algorithms.