Facebook Algorithm Update: Five Tips for 2020
Keeping you up to date
Facebook’s October algorithm update will once again change the way the platform operates at an organic level. The 2018 update made significant changes to the Facebook News Feed, affecting the way users view content – with the aim of making posts from your friends and family more prevalent than posts from brands, businesses and media.
The 2018 update hoped to prioritise posts that encouraged ‘meaningful interactions’ from users, meaning increased engagement in the form of comments, shares, responses and comments within shared videos on Facebook Messenger. The algorithm led to a sharp increase in the sharing of controversial content in the hope of increased engagement – leading to another update that aimed to stifle controversial content.
Confusing, right? Don’t worry… you’re not alone!
Here are some of the changes that have been applied in the 2019/2020 update:
- Facebook will consider factors such as loyalty in its video rankings
- Change the way organic impressions for pages are calculated
- Increased focus on a more personalised experience
- Spam, biased and click-bait content will be more easily recognised
Now let’s look at five tips to help marketers counteract and deal with any issues that might arise from the algorithm update.
1. Try to Evoke Strong Emotions
The 2018 update prioritised meaningful interactions in the Facebook News Feed. One of the most effective ways of generating engagement between Facebook users is to focus on types of content that stimulate a strong response. That isn’t to say you should post controversial content, as this type of content is the exact opposite of what Facebook wants, but instead, content that evokes the ‘good kind’ of emotional response.
Your Facebook content strategy should focus on stimulating any of the following emotions:
- Amazement
- Admiration
- Curiosity
- Interest
- Uncertainty
- Incredulity
Human psychology is relatively predictable and if users see something that elicits a strong emotional response will ultimately gain traction.
2. Avoid Engagement Bait
Facebook describes engagement bait as the following:
“spammy posts on Facebook that goad [users] into interacting with likes, shares, comments, and other actions.”
We previously mentioned that Facebook’s algorithm update will recognise posts that contain spam, are biased or contain clickbait content much more efficiently. The new update also wants to encourage engagement on Facebook posts, so the temptation will undoubtedly be there to include clickbait in an attempt to increase engagement. Remember that these short-term gains aren’t going to be worth the long-term ramifications.
Here are the types of engagement bait that Facebook will punish:
Vote baiting – “comment x if you think […] or y if you think […]”
React baiting – “leave a comment describing your reaction to […]”
Share baiting – “share this post if you think that […]
Tag baiting – “tag your friends if they have […]”
Comment baiting – “leave a comment if you are […]”
3. Incorporate Quotes into Your Posts
Quotes are highly interactive and shareable across all social platforms. Studies have shown that quotes receive up to 20% more retweets on average compared to those that don’t contain any. The beauty of quotes is that it applies to any type; whether they’re from historical figures, current famous individuals or a contextual quote taken from whatever article, video or interview that you’re sharing.
The quote-sharing combination is to include a particularly juicy quote in the headline to immediately attract attention and pique the curiosity of the reader. There’s a case for this method being clickbait, but as long as it’s unpunishable by Facebook, it remains a very effective method for generating meaningful interactions.
4. Prioritise Video Content
Facebook accumulates over 8 billion views of video content on its platform every day. Not only are they amassing huge viewing figures, but also the organic reach of video content far surpasses that of photos – 135% more, in fact!
Other engagement statistics including a 5% engagement rate of native Facebook videos compared to just 1.9% that major brands receive from their posts show that video content really is king on Facebook – and an extremely powerful tool that needs to be utilised by any serious digital marketer.
When we think of human psychology and behaviour, it’s natural for a user to stop scrolling when they encounter something that’s moving on the page. The need to identify the dynamic images is why video content is much more engaging to users compared to a static photo.
If you want to take the extra step, Facebook announced that live video content receives just over six times the number of user interactions compared to a regular video. The main takeaway from all this information is that you really can’t go wrong with video content when navigating Facebook’s complex algorithm updates!
5. Just Keep Advertising
Remember that nowadays, intense competition in every niche means it’s almost impossible to build a brand on purely organic traffic and reach. Advertising on Facebook is one of the most cost-effective marketing channels available, with marketers consistently seeing a positive return on investment through strategically placed ads.
Facebook ads are perfect for businesses big and small as you’re given the chance to conduct thorough A/B testing for all of your planned ads – and implement the ones that showed the most positive results. This way you won’t have to spend money on something ambiguous that may or may not work.
Wrap-Up
Facebook algorithm updates are always a cause for concern for a business’s marketing strategy, but the main takeaway from this article should be to not panic. Competent social media marketers will already know to avoid all the usual pitfalls that often trap lazy content creators. If you stick to what you know, Facebook will continue to be a powerful marketing tool.
