What Facebook's Sorting Algorithm Means For Your Business

If you've done any research at all about Facebook, especially for business, you've probably heard the word "algorithm". When we talk about Facebook's algorithm, we're talking about the way Facebook chooses which updates will show up on a particular user's newsfeed. That's right, the average user isn't seeing every single post from every single page they follow. The algorithm picks and chooses which posts are getting the most engagement - that is, lots of comments, likes and shares - and allows more people to see those posts than the ones that don't get a lot of action. This is mildly frustrating to the average user who is missing out on some updates from friends, but it can be especially aggravating to businesses. What do you do when your customers might not be seeing everything you're posting?

Facebook's main solution to this is promoted posts - you can pay Facebook to make a specific post more visible, and the more you pay, the more visible it will be. This obviously isn't an ideal situation, but if you're willing to add to your social media marketing budget, it's an easy way to get around the algorithm. If you're not interested in paying for a boost or an ad, your main focus must be, as always, on user engagement. Be sure to interact with your followers and build up a relationship; this will organically lead to higher user engagement. And even something as simple as asking for likes and shares can increase your reach - but don't do this constantly. Over time, you'll figure out what your followers respond to; once you know your audience well enough, your presence will grow organically.