Facebook has decided to follow Twitter by offering users the choice between an algorithm-based feed vs a chronological one. If you adopt the chronological option you will see posts being displayed in time order. No longer will you have to scroll through posts from the previous week to find the events of the last day – but will this move benefit social media marketing?
Organic social media relies on algorithms, engagement and user interest. Part of the skill of creating an engaging social media calendar is working out the best times to post to capture your relevant target audience. But with an algorithm-based feed you always have the hope your post will be picked up and be able to ride on the back of the news feed to find relevant audiences who weren’t online when the post went live. With the introduction of a chronological based feed, will we see a drop in post engagement?
Posting at the right time will become more important than ever; if you post too late or early you could miss your key audience and the post will flop. This could also mean post life expectancy will decrease as posts are only relevant until they’re knocked off the newsfeed by other users. We already see this with Twitter, where unless a post gains popularity within its first 30-60 minutes, its engagement will remain low.
Source: Tech Digest, https://www.techdigest.tv/2021/04/tech-digest-daily-round-up-facebook-to-allow-you-to-turn-off-algorithm.htmlYes - this is for two people too
What could this mean for the future of social media feeds?
Facebook also own Instagram, a platform with an algorithm users are often unhappy with. We wonder if we’ll see this new feature transfer over to Instagram in time or if they will steer away from a chronological based news feed? From both a personal and professional perspective, I don’t want to see the end of the Instagram algorithm, I think it would dramatically change the engagements we see on posts, surely affecting influencer marketing the most.
Whilst algorithms are often credited for being impossible to truly understand, social media marketers have always been able to devise tips and tricks that get the best results from content. If you play into the algorithm, you will see the results in your posts. It will be interesting to see how we have to adapt our tactics to suit a chronologically based newsfeed. At the moment it looks as though there will be a choice for users between algorithm or no algorithm, we’re intrigued to see which option will be most popular.
What do you think about this change from Facebook? Will it seep into Instagram too? Would you rather Facebook left things as they are? Join in the conversation with us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
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| Author | Beth Bartholomew |
| Channel | Media |