Photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash
Social media has become a staple for brands aiming to draw in specific audiences, advertise a product or make others aware of their brand. Most social media platforms have an algorithm that they follow to enable users to see specific posts/pages that are of their best interests. This being said, it is essential that brands understand these algorithms so they may increase their chances of being viewed.
These algorithms differ between platforms but generally provide the user with content they are most likely to engage with. Many platforms used to be based on a chronological order basis, however, the switch to algorithms was intended to give the user a more enjoyable experience since they would be seeing the content they preferred.
Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube all use some sort of algorithm to organize a user’s feed. For example, the algorithms for Facebook and Instagram organize content based on the amount of interactions users have had with others. Those with high interactions will be at the top of one’s feed and the lower the feed goes, the less interactions those users have had. Twitter and YouTube tend to use timing and relevance as priorities for their algorithms. They will organize content in both what was posted most recently but also by those who are most popular to the user.
While these algorithms make sense to consumers, it can put brands aiming to market themselves in a difficult position. In order for their content to be seen by their target audience, they either need to learn more about how each platform’s algorithm functions or take an alternative route, which generally is paying for ad space on social media. Brands paying for ad space is mutually beneficial to the brands and also the social media platforms.
This article by Sprout Social outlines budgeting and how brands should approach social media advertising for each platform. Though prices may add up for advertising on social media, most platforms collect information about who viewed one’s ad and how many people clicked a link or was interested in it. This provides more information to your campaign whereas just posting a photo or video does not give very much information about who engaged with the post. It is necessary that brands looking to expand their reach online develop some sort of ad system on social media since consumers spend a vast majority of their time online. Read more about how specific social media platforms may benefit your brand than others.