Social media expert, Digital Conversation’s Chief of Everything Tanya Williams recently shared the difference between Facebook boosted ads and posts. In this article, Williams explains Facebook’s new algorithm and how to beat it in 2020 and be seen by more candidates.
Facebook released a new algorithm last year and many recruiters are struggling to get their head around how to use it to get seen by more potential candidates. While Facebook’s algorithm changes aren’t apocalyptic, they’ve certainly shaken things up and affected how marketers use the platform.
If you’re on Facebook, here’s what you should know:
- Only posts from relevant connections and content that inspires meaningful interactions will make their way into news feeds – all other branded content will no longer be visible to users.
- Users’ past activity on Facebook will dictate feed content – branded content and marketing will only be visible if customers interact with your page/ad extensively.
- Content that is genuine and verifiable will be available in news feeds – anything that can’t be verified or looks “spammy” will be instantly blocked by Facebook.
- Users can personalise their news feed and choose what they want to see – which means, they can block your blogs, videos and advertising.
So, how does this affect you?
Well, according to Facebook’s algorithm changes, a post will rank high on news feeds only if it:
- Has received a lot of engagement – likes, comments & shares.
- Is shared by a user’s friend circle.
- Is consumed regularly by a user.
- References a trending topic.
- Belongs to a brand/page the user visits regularly.
- Is similar to other posts that the user always peruses.
If your posts don’t meet any of these criteria, then its likely they won’t be making their way to news feeds. The keyword here is “organic”. All engagement must have occurred naturally and not as a result of a paid ad.
Older brands with a larger audience base will already have enough organic engagement to succeed, even with Facebook’s new algorithm. But for new companies who don’t have a large customer/fan base, this translates to a death warrant.
But fear not. There are some things you can do, to turn the tide.
Top strategies to beat Facebook’s algorithm in 2020
- Create content that educates and entertains. If a post is insightful, fun and promotes learning, it will be shared more-frequently aka inspire interactions.
- Post live videos – they have the highest engagement rates, with 45% viewers willing to pay for customised live content.
- Avoid clickbait and engagement bait titles (ex: Your friends can help you win a Mercedes: Here’s How). Such articles appear spammy and Facebook will rank these posts low.
- Create a Facebook group and invite people to join. Start conversations and generate organic interest in your posts/page. Ideal for building talent pools of candidates.
- Publish content at the time your audience is most-active. This increases your chance of engagement.
- Use Facebook’s Audience Optimisation feature to improve your post’s targeting.
To supplement these efforts:
- Post content on other social media channels. This will increase your visibility.
- Make your blogs SEO-friendly, so Google will index them.
The traditional blogs and jobs strategy will become redundant very soon. If you work within the rules and build a relationship online (just like you would offline) then your success on Facebook will increase and you’ll not only be doing your candidates a favour, but you consultants will thank you for helping their earn more on their desk.
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Tanya Williams is the pink-loving, sparkly Chief of Everything at Digital Conversations. She wears many hats; entrepreneur, best-selling author, digital trainer, and she is a Social Amplification Specialist with over 20 years’ marketing experience. She works with recruiters to uncover the hidden gold in their existing assets, find ways to leverage every moment of your digital marketing without increasing your marketing budget and amplify your internal champions to increase your visibility. Her goal is to make the hero in your industry sector. She has a simple, no-tech-talk approach and thrives working with established recruitment companies to tap into the opportunities they might miss, using practical & relevant tactics to drive business outcomes.