If you are a small business without a dedicated marketing team, coping with social media algorithm updates can be a nightmare. What worked for you yesterday suddenly isn’t getting the same engagement or ‘likes’. But what does that really mean and how can you thrive despite these constant changes – here are our tips!
Don’t panic
If you suddenly see your engagements tank or views drop through the floor, it’s easy to panic and question your whole strategy. But it’s important not to panic and change your behaviour at this point. The reason is that if you panic post, you not only impact your baseline data, but you also impact your customers.
Before you take any action, it’s important to research the algorithm change, do some testing, and think about how you might approach this issue strategically.
Think about WHY the platform made the change
This is the first piece of research you must consider before making a change to your social media strategy. Sometimes platforms will make a change to filter out some of the noise that is saturating the system. Or they could make a drastic change to prioritise video over static images in order to capture that part of the market.
If the reason for the change is because the market is dictating it, it may mean that you need to pivot. If your market isn’t changing, and they will eventually come away from this social media channel as a result, then you may choose to leave also.
The important thing is to keep focussed on your own customer behaviours and weave these into any social media strategy. You also don’t have to jump on every bandwagon or be on every social media platform.
Do some testing
A/B testing is a far more reliable source of information than rumours, one-off engagement drops or panic changes. Let the algorithm changes bed in, as they may still tweak after the roll-out. Then create some test posts which play into the changes you have researched. Make sure you do weeks of testing, not just days, as you need a diverse range of data to inform your strategic choices.
Testing doesn’t mean you then have to change your whole strategy, it just means that you can make informed choices. If video is being prioritised, and this is confirmed by testing, you may choose to add some video content, but not necessarily abandon static images entirely.
Reflect
While agility and the ability to pivot a business rapidly is a sought after skill, it isn’t always needed when it comes to social media. These third party companies can and will change their algorithms based on their own company goals, and not on what your customers may want – so it is important to not rely too heavily on social media platforms as your sole revenue stream.
Take this time to reflect on your own business model, because if one algorithm change can derail your business, then it’s probably time to diversify.
Pivot if necessary, but always ask yourself “is this change best for my customers?”
It’s good practice in business to always ask yourself if the change will benefit your customers. Perhaps the change will be a good thing, and it is your job to convince them – but always keep this question in mind when designing your approach to social media.
Social media algorithm changes are often the result of a noticeable shift in a certain direction, based on the usage – which means it is market driven. If this channel is your most engaged, then it may mean your market is wanting the change. Find the balance between market-driven changes and algorithm whims!
