Facebook’s most recent change is to replace ‘News Feed’ simply with ‘Feed’ which defaults to showing users everything from accounts they follow, and that the algorithm has decided they’ll be interested in. Users can then filter to show only posts from friends, groups or pages. 

How the algorithm works

When determining what users see on their general Feed, Facebook says it prioritises posts that are:

• meaningful and informative
• accurate and authentic
• safe and respectful

The ‘feed’ algorithm is based on the behaviour of each user so everyone’s feed is different. It does this by looking at all the content that could be in a user’s feed, such as posts from friends, ads, and posts from pages they follow. It then assesses each post for the who, what, when, as well as how much the user interacts with the poster, the type of content (photo, video, link etc) and how they’ve engaged with similar posts previously.

It uses those measures to try to predict how likely the user is to engage with each posts and ranks it on the feed accordingly

Because parameters such as “meaningful and informative” are quite subjective and unique to each user, it can seem hard for you, as a business, to work out what you should be posting, particularly when you’re looking to boost your profile and generate new leads.

Here are some things to consider:

• What are the unique interests and behaviours of your audience?
• What do they really want to know from you?
• Will you have different audiences based for brand campaigns and listing campaigns?
  
  

Using your ListingLogic dashboard, and running a few short paid branding campaigns, can help you get a clearer picture of the types of content your audience engages with the most.

Make it work for you

The trick to Facebook success is to work with the algorithm rather than trying to work around it or “beat it”. 

To create authentic, accurate, meaningful and informative content means producing content that users want to share, view, or discuss with their friends and family, and content that is new, unique and interesting.

Some ways to help Facebook rank your content favourably for users are:

• Be yourself. Don’t be what you think your audience wants.
• Be truthful and accurate. Don’t sensationalize or mislead.

The other way to support your organic content is with strategic paid advertising campaigns.

With so much going on on social media, an organic social media strategy alone is insufficient for most businesses these days. It's important to have a hybrid marketing strategy to maximize your marketing investment. Paid content helps you find a wider audience and target specific ideal customers. Organic helps build brand trust and awareness, and build relationships.

Engage with your audience

Because the Facebook algorithm prioritises posts from pages a user has previously interacted with, replying to comments is important. It makes your followers feel heard and builds trust. It also makes those people more likely to engage again on future posts, which impacts how the algorithm ranks your posts.

The algorithm likes it even more if your audience engages with each other by sharing and discussing posts. This is where getting to know your audience is important so you can create posts they’ll want to share. Your posts could be anything from interior design and staging tips with beautiful photos, tips for pets and open homes, community business openings or events, or a quick snapshot of local market activity.