The Algorithm is your friend. đź‘Żđź‘🏻👩🏾‍🤝‍👨🏻
#ForRealzzz
Most people get a yucky taste in their mouth when they hear the word algorithm, but really it’s a good thing!
And could be your best friend if you understood how it worked – and that it’s really working hard for your benefit.
And really, these aren’t big secrets that I’m going to share. They are things you already know that maybe you just needed a reminder of and a little kick in the tush to implement.
Because we all know how important it is to schedule time to implement, right??
What is the algorithm & why is it important?
People get so nervous about the algorithm changing. I often see posts about “how to beat the algorithm right now” or “the algorithm just changed again” or my favorite one “you have to run ads to make it work for you”.
Well let me tell you friend, the algorithm’s in the various social media channels are changing 3,000x a year, so it’s impossible to stay up to date on changes. And why would you want to anyway? That means that you are changing your marketing strategy a bajillion times – and we all know that isn’t effective.
Let me share something directly from Intagram’s blog: “Because it’s powered by machine learning, instagram’s feed ranking is constantly adapting and improving based on new data.”
So it really is your friend. It’s paying attention to what you are sharing and what your audience is engaging with, and showing them more of that stuff – YOUR stuff. The more reasons you are giving the data to share your content or save it or engage with it, the better off you are.
And to put it politely – your audience doesn’t care about YOUR numbers. They don’t care if your posts aren’t being shown as often or that your numbers aren’t great right now.
They care what THEY see often. So the more you focus on serving THEM and creating great content for THEM, the better. When people post and say something like “comment on this post so that you can see more of my posts in your feed.” (We’ve all seen that and it’s super annoying right?) But it’s also self serving. If your audience likes your post, then they’ll engage. If not, then change it up. It really is that simple.
There is actually a feature in Facebook called “Why am I seeing this post?” It helps people understand why the algorithm has chosen to show them that post.
It also lets people tell the algorithm what’s important (or not important) to them. Your ideal client can actually tell Facebook that they want to see fewer posts from a particular person or see more posts from someone or a certain page.
The algorithm really does want to work for your good and it can, if you let it.
So, how do you do that?
Know your ideal client
Who are you talking to? Do you really know who your ideal client is? Have you taken the time to figure out who you best serve?
Take some time to consider a few of these things:
- Who is going to be reading your social media posts?
- Who do you want to join your group?
- Who do you want to work with?
- Do you have any current favorite clients? What qualities do they have that you want more of?
- Their motivations, problems, challenges, pain points
When you are begging people to engage, that shows that you are more concerned about yourself and your numbers – than you are your ideal client.
So really, really. Take the time to figure out what THEY need? If they aren’t responding, try changing up your messaging or the images you are using.
Consistency is Key
I am going to let you in on a little secret – if you aren’t posting, then there isn’t anything for the algorithm to rate anyway!
I often get asked about changes to the algorithm and what I recommend doing.
My response is always “well how often are you posting?”
If the answer isn’t at least daily, then my response is “then you should focus on that first.”
And I don’t say that to be rude or discount their great question. But really, if you aren’t posting daily, then you aren’t producing enough content to be worrying about the algorithms. You should focus on that very first. It will save you a lot of time and headache in the long run!
So why consistency?
Do you like to hear from your best friend every few days? Every few weeks? Or do you want them to check in with you daily? Maybe let you know what’s on their mind? Teach you a skill or two they have acquired. Possibly share a funny joke or a product you love.
It’s the same with social media. Your tribe, your people, your audience – they want to hear from you daily too. They see you as their best friend, so you should reciprocate that relationship too.
Start a conversation
Remember how your ideal client is your best friend? In addition to checking in with them every day, how are you starting a conversation? Or do you just sit in awkward silence all the time?Â
Either way, the purpose of social media is to have a conversation. It’s to talk to each other. It’s to build a rapport and relationship that eventually leads to more – like joining your group, exchanging emails, or buying a product.
When you are talking to your best friend, is it all about you? Probably not. Hopefully not. Ask them questions. Listen to their answers. And for heaven sakes – be kind, respectful, and thoughtful in your responses.
I promise, when you look at social media as a conversation and truly get to know the people that are engaging with your page, it’s not only a helluva lot more fun, but your business will naturally grow too because you are doing something you love.
TL;DR
- The algorithm is your friend. Treat it like one!
- Know your ideal client. You have to know who you are talking to to have any sort of positive effect online.
- Consistency is key. Do you only show up for your bestie once a week? I hope not!
- Use social media to start a conversation. Get to know the people who are following you.
And one final thing
Do you love learning strategies like this that will improve your overall performance on social media?
Check out the Content Simplified Monthly Membership. You’ll discover the surprisingly SIMPLE secrets, PROVEN tactics, and REAL truth behind growing your business online. Â
We talk about strategies and things – like the algorithm – in more depth.
Now, more than ever, people are seeking connection and community through content – social media, blogs, and everywhere else. I’ll teach you just that. We zero in on 2-3 strategies every single month to help grow your following, increase your reach, and improve your conversions.
We have an amazing community lab that meets 1x/month for a get in done implementation session. This is the time to implement, put your ideas into action, connect with our community lab, and create results.
The next one is coming up on Thursday, September 24th. If you are interested, send me a DM and let’s chat!