Nearly 2.5 billion active users, of which 1.62 billion check Facebook every single day. The average user spends 38 minutes a day on the platform.
Numbers don’t lie: Facebook is still the gorilla of social media. Anyone who tries to tell you the opposite is misinformed.
And as entrepreneurs using social media to grow our business, we need to stay informed. If you crave more views, more likes, more comments, more followers, and more leads—than you should know none of that happens overnight.
They happen when we start doing a better job of analyzing how Facebook really works—a.k.a. dig deeper into its algorithm. The good news is Facebook has gradually released how it ranks and prioritizes content in News Feeds.
So this training is about understanding the new Facebook algorithm along with tips to make it work for you and your business. Are you ready? Let’s dive in!
The NEW Facebook Algorithm – Tips & Tricks for 2020
The Facebook algorithm is how Facebook decides which posts and in what order users see. It ranks all posts based on how likely that user is to have a positive reaction.
According to Hootsuite, “since 2018, the algorithm has been evolving at a rapid clip, as Facebook strives to make the time people spend on it more valuable and meaningful. But in 2020, Facebook’s focus is on making its platform more transparent for users and giving people more direct control over what they see.”
Here are our 8 powerful tips for working with the Facebook algorithm in 2020 and making sure your strategy is aligned with it.
#1. Keep Creating High-Quality Content
Whether you have thousands of followers or just one, you’re still an influencer, so your job is to provide value. Instead of focusing on getting more followers 24/7, make sure you post relevant content for your target audience.
Ask yourself “How can I help someone with the content I put out today?”
PRO Tip: Keep that 80/20 rule in mind where you spend 20% of the time creating your content, and 80% of the time promoting it (and don’t mention your business or product name).
#2. Get People Talking
Facebook’s mission is to “Give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together” and the algorithm reflects that. Posts that spark conversations will show higher in the newsfeed. The same applies to posts with long constructive comments, which are prioritized against those with short comments. So Facebook wants genuine connections and good conversations, but what elements get the most attention?
Questions! Those that start with these words will kick your engagement to the moon:
- Should
- Would
- Which
- Who
PR Tip: Always encourage your followers to share their thoughts—people love giving their opinion.
#3. Don’t Use Links in Descriptions
Facebook prefers native content (that you upload directly). So anytime you share an external link (i.e. YouTube videos or a TikTok link) you’re taking users away from the platform, and Facebook doesn’t like that. Thus, it’s going to show your post to fewer people.
PRO Tip: Let’s say you posted to Instagram something that worked really well. You could change up the modality and natively post it a day after to Facebook.
#4. Don’t Fish for Engagement
If there’s one thing Facebook wants, it’s organic conversations. So you shouldn’t demand your audience things like, “Hey, share this and drop thi
s and do this!” because the algorithm will limit the number of people it shows your post or broadcast to.
Avoid phrases like:
- Comment below
- Share this video
- Tag a friend
Instead, use variations of the same phrases, such as:
- Smash the heart button
- Share the love
PRO Tip: Use Emojis and Graphics. Substitute the “O” in “ “comment below” with a sun emoji, so the algorithm doesn’t pick it up. But don’t overdo it, because it will look too spammy.
People don’t share posts just because you tell them to; they do it because your content is inspiring. We could go on and on about this, but you get the point: your content is what will get people talking and sharing, so make sure it’s relevant and engaging.
#5. Post Often and Consistently
Currently, the recommendation is to post one to two times of quality content per day. Make sure there are six to eight hours between posts since you don’t want the second one to compete with the first one (i.e. post in the morning and late afternoon or evening).
Timing also matters. Meet your audience when they are online. Use your Facebook Insights to figure when your target demographics are most active.
PRO Tip: You can also try something different and post outside of business hours and high traffic time (which is usually 9 to 11 AM, 3 and 7 PM). Try testing and post between 9 and 11 PM and see how that works for you.
#6. Post More Stories
Facebook Stories have 300 million active users daily. 62% of Facebook users say they become more interested in a product/business after seeing it in a story.
Posting three to five clips to your story is a good number and spreading them out throughout the day is a gorgeous idea. That way, your face is always on the front. Whether you share a quick tip, record what you’re doing, post photos or videos with texts, stories are a great way to test out what content engages more with your audience.
PRO Tip: Save your premium content for your feed. And if you have a presence on Instagram, auto-post your Instagram story to Facebook.
#7. Go Live More Often
Live videos should play a central role in your marketing strategy. Facebook users are four times more likely to watch live streams than recorded videos.
The ideal length for a Facebook live video is 10 to 15 minutes. If you don’t have a lot to say, don’t stretch out your videos. And on the flip side, if you do, don’t limit yourself to 15 min. Your videos should be as long as they need to be but as short as possible!
PRO Tip: Dual broadcasts, using 3rd party tools, are powerful. You can interview your top leaders, your upline, your downline, your customers or people who are just inspirational and bring new energy to the table.
Extra PRO Tip: Create a slide for strategic CTCs (call to comment). For example, if you create a couple of bullet points for a training, think about questions to ask between your bullet points. It will make the conversation flow and it’s more engaging.
Bonus Tip: Host watch parties and give your Facebook lives a longer life. Every week we show up Live on our Money Monday show and we do a watch party inside our private Facebook community.
#8. “Warm-up” the Algorithm
Let people know before you go Live (5 – 20 minutes before).
There are two ways you can do it: post about it in your story, and go into comments from previous videos you did and let people know you’re going live again. This way, those who watched the previous video will see the new alert and you’ll get more people joining you.
PRO Tip: Be specific about your topic (i.e. “I’m going live tomorrow at 6 pm to talk about all things algorithms”).
The Facebook algorithm is always changing. Which makes sense, since the only constant in life is change. And we, as entrepreneurs, need to adapt if we want to evolve. By knowing how the algorithm works you can use it to your advantage and make it work for you.
The best advice we can give you is to test and tweak. And remember, it’s awesome to listen and get inspired, but in the end, it’s all about implementation. Make sure you put the ideas into play right away.
Which idea will you implement first? Let us know in the comments below! And if you found value in this training, share it with your team. They might need to hear this!
Additional Resources to Help You Build Your Business:
- 9 Ways to Use Stories to Skillfully Promote Your Products or Your Business
- 5 Best Business Curiosity Posts for Social Media
- How to Create Epic Social Media Content that Engages Your Audience
- 8 Smart Facebook Live Ideas to Get More Leads and Customers
- Top 3 Apps to Stream and Go Live on Social Media: Zoom, BeLive and StreamYard
- LIKE Our Page to Plug into our LIVE Videos Here
Want to Know What Tools we Use to Build Our Business and Our Brand?
- Resources – we often get asked what tools we use and recommend, so we put together one page with all our favorite resources. Enjoy!
Feel free to share this with anyone who might enjoy it and also comment below on your favorite tip or your biggest takeaway. We can’t wait to see your comments!
Email: support@mylifestyleacademy.com
We are home business and lifestyle experts, personal branding and online marketing strategists. We pride ourselves on helping thousands of entrepreneurs and network marketers all over the world build their home business empire leveraging Social Media.
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