As impressive advertising results draw more and more businesses into the world of online and social media marketing, Facebook is seriously cracking down on poor quality content. It is no longer enough to simply be present on social media, churn out any old content and expect to boost your bottom line. Facebook’s newly implemented quality-oriented algorithms are aimed at improving the user experience by filtering out poor quality or irrelevant content that is clogging up users’ newsfeeds. This means that brands who don’t prioritise the creation of engaging, useful content will effectively be yelling into the void when it comes to their marketing efforts.
So what makes good quality social media content? Well, that’s the tricky part.
The words used by Facebook to describe quality content are “informative” and “compelling”. In short, this means that it has to be something that is worth reading and sharing simply by virtue of its intrinsic value to the reader. One of the main types of content Facebook is looking to filter out is click-bait type articles that entice readers with a deliciously misleading headline that leads them to an article that is frustrating, annoying or unsatisfying. It is also looking to eliminate blatant sales-oriented brand status updates from organic news feeds (but you can certainly pay Facebook for the honour of delivering this kind of content through sponsored posts and ads.) Here are a few content types that should perform well organically under the new algorithm.
Visually Engaging Content
The explosion in popularity of apps like Instagram and Snapchat are testament to users’ increased interest in visual mediums. Short, engaging videos or images such as high quality photos or original graphics prove time and time again to be highly engaging to users.
Informative Articles
Articles which give users information they are genuinely interested in such as news, advice, guidance or instructions are inherently useful and likely to be well received both by Facebook’s algorithms and your audience. Be careful to avoid headlines that withhold or distort information, you know, the type that say things like “You won’t BELIEVE what this man just ate…”. Facebook’s vice president Adam Mosseri explained that “We want publishers to post content that people care about, and we think people care about headlines that are much more straightforward.” So stick to clear headlines that give users a good idea of what they will get if they click on your link.
Funny, Personable Content
As simple as it sounds, content which is genuinely funny, unique or quirky will always engage users. The problem is there is a pretty fine line between funny and cringey and striking that balance is even harder when you are a business rather than an individual. Take notice of brands who are doing this well and learn from the content they are creating to help guide your own.
The take away message from these new algorithms is that aiming to please your audience will always deliver results both in your online efforts and in your overall business strategy.
