19 Aug Social Media: Keeping Up with the Algorithms
Online trends are often fleeting and social media channels are constantly changing how they work in order to keep up with audiences and their competition. So how can your business stay on top of this?
Those who work within the social media industry undoubtedly have a knack for being ‘on it’ when it comes to hopping on the latest social trends; whether it be a viral hashtag, the latest Tik Tok craze or sharing a relatable meme. That said, it is by no means easy to monitor the way social platforms share content…
Social media platforms are constantly changing their layouts, features and algorithms to compete with each other in order to maintain users’ attention. A recent example follows Tik Tok’s monumental rise in popularity over the past three years, which saw the likes of Instagram replicate their social feed by primarily featuring video content such as reels and IGTVs over photos. Likewise, this was seen a few years ago when Snapchat and its ability to share stories was at its height. Instagram shortly followed by introducing their story feature, which was the catalyst for several other platforms to follow suit.
Whilst this is competitor innovation at its finest, this has also led to some very unsatisfied users. As claimed in a recent article by Marketing Week on ‘copy-cat’ features, social channels can’t outperform each other by simply becoming clones*.
As debates around these types of changes continue, for marketers and social media managers alike, it’s simply all about finding the right balance – the perfect formula if you will. Creating posts that adheres to both the platforms preferred algorithms whilst still serving the desired content for your target audience.
Here’s our top tips on managing engagement amongst the forever-changing algorithms:
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Continue to treat each platform differently:
Whether it’s hashtags or tone of voice, make sure to keep things refreshing and different to cater your social posts to each platform.
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Be results driven:
Social media engagement is often trial and error and sometimes you just need to sit back and wait to see results before adjusting accordingly. Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint – great results will come!
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Of-the-moment content:
Planning social plans ahead of time is always the sensible thing to do, but of-the-moment posts are a great way to not only avoid missing the boat on viral trends, but ideal for boosting engagement.
Looking for help managing your businesses social channels and producing relevant and engaging content? We would love to hear from you.
Get in touch: hello@luya.co.uk