FACEBOOK ALGORITHM UPDATES | JUNE AND JULY 2019

Facebook loves to change things up, which means their algorithm is in a constant state of flux, that's why you always need to be ready to shift your strategy when it happens. Here are a few things you ought to know about the News Feed updates for June and July 2019.

1. Prioritising groups that a user follows.
2. Increasing the prevalence of posts from friends Facebook thinks a user might want to hear from most.
3. Prioritising the links a user might consider most worthwhile.

These updates came about as a result of a bunch of surveys that Facebook did earlier this year which asked users to voluntarily list the friends that they are closest to. As a result of these surveys, Facebook began to look at the patterns that emerged, some of which include being tagged in the same photos, continuously reacting and commenting on the same posts and checking in at the same places. They use these patterns to inform the algorithm, basically what this means is that Facebook is using more data points to shift their algorithm and show more from your closest friends and family. Apparently, this does not mean that your news feed will be limited to posts from only certain people and it doesn't necessarily mean you will see more friend content, rather the content from people close to you will be higher up in your news feed.

So what are some ways you can take advantage of these algorithm changes?

1. Use more video: Video, in general, tends to receive more engagement, regardless of the social channel you are on. But, more importantly, the recent changes Facebook made to their video algorithm mean the format is more important than ever. Experiment with a mix of live video and pre-recorded video.
   
   
2. Deliver content that is highly relevant to your buyer persona: If the algorithm is designed to serve up content to a user that they will care most about, it means you need to know your buyer persona better than ever before.
   
   
3. Create content designed to promote engagement: Ask questions, use polls, request feedback from your audience. Just steer clear of requests such as “like if you agree” or “share if” sorts of posts, which Facebook considers lower in value. As a result, they may de-prioritise that content.
   
   
4. Boost posts that are getting good organic reach: Since the algorithm favours engagement and relevancy, having that in place before you boost the content will help you maximise your ad spend and reach.

Specifically for July 2019, Facebook will begin down-ranking posts that contain misleading health information or dangerous, sensational 'cures'. This update will also affect posts that promote or sell a product with health-related claims, such as a weight-loss pill. There have been recent DIY 'cures' that have been known to be fatal (think drinking bleach) that have been banned on sites like Amazon and YouTube, yet Facebook only plans to minimise the spread of such information. Though it claims to down-rank personal posts in addition to posts from Pages, it’s unclear how effective and widespread this update will be.

Up to date with Facebook's algorithm changes? Good to hear it! Remember, we are not just here to give you all the updates and good advice for your social media needs, we also offer to make your life easier with a social media scheduling tool where you can create and schedule your Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram content ahead of time. Keep up to date with your content schedule and be on top of your social media strategy with Loopascoop!