Facebook is following the global trend of “new year, new me” with their latest algorithm changes for both Facebook and LinkedIn. Should this affect your content marketing strategy?

The days of organic views are very much behind us for Facebook and it appears it’s only going to get harder for marketers to get their content seen. 

Changes to Instagram’s algorithm are not unique. We have seen a vast difference in content views and news feeds simply in the past year. But big changes are headed our way for 2018.

So what has changed in the new year and what can we do to combat death by algorithms? I discuss further.

Let’s begin with Facebook.

Digital marketers have been strategically working to enhance their strategies to work with Facebook’s algorithm instead of against it, but as of January 11 marketers were thrown another obstacle with the announcement that Facebook would be prioritizing personal posts as opposed to sponsored and business related content.

The biggest takeaway from Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement: Highly engaging and meaningful content will be seen. Maybe.

So what can we do to get our content seen?

1. Add a human approach to your social media

Be human! Be conversational, engaging and show a personality behind your content. People are more inclined to interact with content that shows a human touch. In this Digiday article Lucia Moses touches on the value of human interaction and the importance of a strategic mind behind the content.

2. Up the ad budget

I hate to break it to you but more money, less problems is Facebook’s new mantra. If you have the resources to have a top dollar ad budget with the addition of high quality content, your content will be better positioned to be seen.

3. Engaging videos and images

Video is GREAT. Anytime you can optimize your content with a high quality video that is 60 seconds, you are better inclined for engagement and impressions. We could see some changes with this in the future but just remember quality is key. The extra effort in production will show in your analytics.

Now for Instagram…

Will your post be seen on Instagram in 2018? Only if you follow some rules.

1. Commenting with intention

If you want to engage with your audience a short response will no longer help with engagement such as “Good pic!” “Awesome!!” or a simple emoji. Darby Riales from Blasting News shares these type of comments will no longer be included in your post’s engagement activity with restrictions of the new algorithm.

2. Hashtags

Hashtags have always played an important role in content engagement but adding 30 hashtags may actually work against you. Be thoughtful in researching the hashtags that are beneficial to your brand and your audience and include five to 10. One element the Digital Marketing Team at Zilker Media has been taking advantage of is the ability to follow hashtags as you would follow a profile. This allows you to expand your network and further engage with your desired audience.

3. Instagram Stories and Live

The real value in Instagram is Stories and Live so be sure to implement these into your digital marketing strategy for your brand. I share some great tactics on going live and utilizing Instagram Stories in my previous blog post Five Ways to Leverage Instagram Stories for your Brand. 

Always stay up-to-date on the recent algorithm changes from Facebook for both channels and ensure adaptability when it comes to planning your digital strategy.