What do you do when you change the algorithm?

In the world of digital marketing, the algorithm and its change on social media is always breaking news.

The algorithm is an unknown and a great challenge

Due to the great dependence of brands on social networks as a marketing channel, the algorithm and its slightest change ties the hands of marketers.

Here are some tips on what to do when a social network decides to change the way content is distributed.

Study all factors

The algorithm can affect your success both positively and negatively, but it can also affect many other factors – the type and quality of content, quality, or key events. The most important thing is to understand what the results of your social media performance are and what factors affect its performance.

Be smart

Major changes in the algorithm are the ideal time to test different assumptions. Try some experiments whose failure won’t be too bad for the business, and figure out what works and what doesn’t. It’s best to run a separate experiment for each social network. This would give you a much deeper understanding of how your content should be customized.

Take advantage of change for growth

Adapt. For example, if you’re running out of organic reach, try a larger number of actions. That will definitely help a little. To begin with. Focus on collaborating with influencers and creating content. This will give you more mentions and shares, and will give you even better results than the first step. If social media is starting to push video content to the top of the search engine, start producing more video content. It’s a lot of work, but the results will be much better.

Collect, think and change if possible

Work together to decide what needs to be changed. Change can certainly be painful, but it is inevitable. The thing that is critical in a world of constant change is that you have different methods and channels through which you reach your customers – SEO, social media, SEM, paid advertising, email, etc. In this way, your KPIs will not be immediately compromised by changes made by any platform.

Constantly analyze

It is necessary to constantly monitor the analytics, even when there are no changes in the algorithm. As we have already emphasized, the most important thing is not to panic. You don’t have to rush into changes because it takes time to understand the algorithm change. Analytics will certainly be of great help in this.

Practice A/B Testing

Take care of the main indicators of your performance and how algorithm changes affect the desired actions. From time to time, you need to conduct an A/B test to see which strategy gives better results.

Find out what you’re missing

Once you understand what all the changes have been made and why, identify the gaps that now exist in your strategy. Once you’ve identified what’s missing, adjust your content and strategy accordingly.

Explore

Reacting to changes the moment they happen will surely drive you crazy. Continue to meet the needs of your audience with discipline and steadfastness. Don’t chase after every new idea. Better devote yourself to thorough research on how to improve the strategies you are currently using.

Differentiate changes

When a social network changes its algorithm, it’s inevitable that you’ll find it harder to see where the organic reach is going, but the gist remains the same. An algorithm that changes the favored form of content will certainly require a change in strategy, but an update that changes what engagement will consist of is simply accepted as the new normal.

Track and respond to the reactions of your audience, not the algorithm. You won’t believe how little an algorithm change can affect your business if you stay focused on what works for your audience all the time. Use qualitative feedback, not just quantitative feedback.

Ask yourself why

There is a specific reason behind every algorithm change. Is the reason for the migration of the audience from the platform and an attempt to get it back? Or maybe it’s the overload of marketing content that’s stifling the system. Whatever the reason, you should make sure that you are not the reason for such a change and decide what is the right course to continue attracting your audience.

Go the way you go

Think about what will set you apart from others. Whenever there is a change, everyone starts to implement the same new strategy. In reality, the most successful people on social media are those who think about what they can do differently from others.

Stick to the plan

This is not easy. On the other hand, it’s not that hard. Let’s get back to the plan: What is the reason why we were hit in the first place? What does it take (how much money) to maintain the level of activity needed to achieve our goals? What is the best solution? Then compare these two aspects. Sometimes it only takes subtle changes, and sometimes it takes a change in the whole strategy.

Become immune to the algorithm

After all, all changes in the algorithm are made to improve the end user experience. Your strategy should be based on the Continuous production of high-quality and useful content. In the game of chasing with an algorithm, you can’t win, but in the game of creating great content, you can.

Take care of the end goal

Creating a strategy that takes into account the bigger picture of what you want to achieve at all times is the key to success. Maintain constant communication with your audience about what their need is, and thus avoid juggling social media.

Don’t play

If you think you’re going to play the algorithm, you’re playing the wrong game.

Cancel

No, of course we don’t think you should give up on your online appearance. Give up whining with the constant changes of the algorithm on social networks and dedicate yourself to what we have already emphasized. Produce quality content, invest in the optimization of both your site and the content itself, and the results in the long run will definitely come.

If all of this seems too complicated and difficult for you. The experienced team of Digitizer is here to help you design a quality performance and strategy. Call us!