New Social Media Algorithms.. What's the Impact on Businesses?

In light of the Facebook data breach, social platforms have begun to change their algorithms to limit the reach businesses can have via social media. There have already been significant changes to the Instagram algorithm that will impact the success of business pages. Plus, with Facebook owning Instagram, many in the industry suspect that the Facebook Proprietary algorithm is using very similar metrics to determine who and when people see your posts.

Here is a summary of the changes to the Instagram Algorithm:

• When you post to Instagram, ONLY 10% of your followers will be shown the post. The 10% is somewhat random, but will in most cases be sent to your most engaged followers.
• The first hour is crucial. If you receive 3-5 comments in the first hour from the 10% of your followers to whom its shown, Instagram will then push it to the other 90% of your followers.
• The Comment length is crucial. Comments must be 5+ words in order to to count. If you have 5 comments that all say "This is great!" they will not count toward your first hour 5.
• Never edit an Instagram post. IG will mark it as spam if you edit it and will not push it out further. It is better to delete the post and re-post it a bit later.
• Hashtags: No more than 5 hashtags per post, and do not re-use the same hashtags in back-to-back posts. Any more than 5 or back-to-back repeats will mark your posts as spam.
• Do not use links in IG posts. IG does not generate website traffic, as they do not allow clickable links. It won't hurt to use links in your posts, but doing so will cause Instagram to assume you're re-using content from other platforms.
• Respond to comments and messages often, as this impacts your score and you will be seen as a more engaged IG user.
• Use stories. IG loves them and wants you to as well.

As you can see, these changes are significant. With that in mind, here are our recommendations:

1. While these changes are for Instagram, as noted, it is believed that Facebook is following some similar rules. So we recommend you follow similar practices for both platforms.
2. In addition to following the guidelines with hashtag usage, edits and stories, we HIGHLY recommend you check Instagram and Facebook posts, and comment on a regular basis. This will increase your chances of getting the necessary comments in the first hour of posting, thereby releasing the post to a greater audience and broadening your impact.

By using these criteria, it will be much easier for your business to post effective social media content that will be seen by your followers. For more social media tips and tricks, check out our guide to creating the perfect LinkedIn company page.