Facebook Algorithm 2020: How to Optimize Your Business and Brand

Published On January 14, 2020

With almost 2.5 billion monthly active users, Facebook is a powerhouse platform to implement in your 2020 content marketing strategy. With more than 2.5 billion monthly active users, it’s easy to get lost in the crowd. The Facebook algorithm in 2020 prioritizes meaningful and engaging content. So long as you follow these 5 strategies to optimize your page, you’ll be ahead of the game. However you use Facebook, whether it be to promote an online shopping experience or drive audiences to your brick-and-mortar location, Facebook is an essential factor to consider in your social strategy.

So, what is the latest Facebook algorithm you ask?

The Facebook algorithm in 2020 prioritizes meaningful and engaging content.

What does this mean for business pages and public content?

According to Facebook’s newsroom, “As we make these updates, Pages may see their reach, video watch time and referral traffic decrease. The impact will vary from Page to Page, driven by factors including the type of content they produce and how people interact with it. Pages making posts that people generally don’t react to or comment on could see the biggest decreases in distribution. Pages whose posts prompt conversations between friends will see less of an effect.”

We’re highlighting 5 strategies to implement on your Facebook page and “beat” the algorithm:

1. Mixed Digital Media

In order to increase engagement, use a mix of animated media, infographics and video to grab users’ attention. The more diverse and creative your content is, the more likely Facebook will rank it versus others. Finding the right content that works for you specifically is never easy, that’s why we encourage using a mix of digital media to find your sweet spot.

Facebook video has been consistently ranked high above other content. Facebook’s video content includes both videos uploaded to the network and Live-streaming videos. Its viewership is up to 8 billion views a day. Although we can’t guarantee that your videos will receive 8 billion views, we can guarantee that by having a mix of live-streaming video and uploaded video you’ll increase your viewership and reach.

As of recently, Facebook has been placing an increased emphasis on video rankings when it comes to these 4 criteria:

Loyalty
Intent
Originality
Viewing Duration

Essentially, Facebook’s algorithm in 2020 ranks videos with original content that keeps viewers coming back. The more loyal viewers on videos, the more shares/likes, and interactions, and the more value your videos bring to your followers, the higher ranking your content will receive.

2. Posting at the Best Time

Easier said than done, right? We know. Figuring out the right time to post can be a little tricky, but we cannot stress enough the importance of posting at the best time. Facebook’s algorithm prioritizes posts that receive engagement, therefore getting the right timing down is important for increasing reach and getting noticed.

According to Sprout Social, the best times to post on Facebook are:

Best times to post to Facebook: Wednesday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Best day: Wednesday is the best day to post on Facebook.
Most consistent engagement: Weekdays from 9 a.m.–3 p.m.
Worst day: Sunday has the least amount of engagement for Facebook during the week.
Lowest engagement: Early mornings and evenings, before 7 a.m. and after 5 p.m. have the least amount of engagement per day.

Depending on the specific industry you’re in, engagement levels and timing will vary. The key here is to analyze what works best for you and your niche. Understanding when your followers are most active will give you the ability to create a content schedule that optimizes your best posting times.

3. Spark up a conversation

In order to optimize your Facebook profile in 2020, be a conversation starter. Curate content that will drive users to like, comment, share, and post their thoughts and feelings about your brand and story.

Avoid clickbait or “engagement bait”.

Be mindful of the wording used to spark a conversation, avoid phrases such as:

“Please comment, like, and share”
“Like if…”
“Share if you…”

The Facebook algorithm in 2020 will continue to demote posts with engagement bait, seen as content with little value and meaning.

Spark up a conversation with a compelling call to action. Whether it be a question or poll, your content should inspire users to engage with your page. The more you’re able to get people talking, the more likely the Facebook algorithm is to feature your content organically.

Remember, your posts should be thought-provoking, insightful and meaningful.

4. Track Your Performance

Facebook Insights gives business pages the ability to track real-time page performance. We highly encourage using Facebook Insights to grasp a better understanding of who your followers are, what content they prefer whether it be a video or long story conversational posts, and the best times to post.

Facebook Insights breaks down your reach, likes, video impressions, page views/ likes, and more.

The most important aspect of Facebook insights is the “People” section. It breaks down the demographics of your followers, what time of day they’re most active and what type of content they respond well to. Understanding the people within your community will be beneficial in building your content strategy.

Tracking your performance over time will help you understand how different content pieces are performing engagement-wise, and give you the tools to optimize from there.

5. Boost Posts and Invest in Paid Promotion

Okay, so you’ve got your secret sauce-You’ve got the right mix of content and momentum that drives organic engagement, but what now?

Invest in paid ad promotions on Facebook to boost previous posts that have performed well organically. Put a few dollars behind content with strong organic traction, this will push performance even further and increase your reach and engagement.

Just a few dollars will make a major difference! We highly encourage you to give it a try. Coupling your organic efforts with Facebook ads gives you the best of both worlds.

Facebook’s ever-changing algorithm requires brands to rethink their content strategies. Specifically, the Facebook algorithm in 2020 puts an emphasis on meaningful content and organic conversations.

To see more engaging and meaningful content, check out our Facebook page and we can continue the conversation there.

Need help with your social media management? Let’s Chat!