Algorithm-proof Social Media Marketing Strategy

Algorithm-proof Social Media Marketing Strategy

What is the algorithm?

In simpler terms, the algorithm classifies your content and shows it to people who might be interested in it. It determines the popularity of your post based on the initial engagement that it gets from your followers.

The algorithm shows your post to your followers first. If your followers like, comment, save or share your post, then it will be promoted to more people.

How do we outsmart the algorithm?

In the past, we used hashtags to reach more people. Since then, the algorithm has more data and has grown smarter. Aside from hashtags, the current algorithm looks at images and keywords to categorize your content. This is why when you like a video of cute kittens, it shows you more cat videos.

To outsmart this, we employ the usual prospects: relevant hashtags, keyword research, and curation of accounts we follow and interact with.

For example, if you’re a cat account and you want to reach other cat accounts,

1. you search for cat-related keywords on Google Trends, like “cat cafe,” “kitten” and “black cat” (Noah Schnapp is also trending along with cat searches for some reason). You use these keywords on your captions, bio, hashtags, and Reels or TikTok texts.
2. use relevant hashtags like #catmom, #furparents, and #catlover (see my previous blog entitled The Ultimate Guide to Hashtags)
3. curate the accounts that you follow and the posts that you interact with. Don’t follow your crush if they’re not a cat. Exclusively watch videos of cats. This signals to the algorithm that you’re solely interested in cats and will also suggest your content to other cat accounts.
4. engage with other cat accounts — like, comment, share, and follow. Social media is a 24/7 networking conference (if a bit twisted). Act accordingly.

All of the above are tactics to reach more relevant people but how do we evade the algorithm to get more sales?

3 Algorithm-proof Social Media Marketing Strategy

I have a food business with 281 followers on Instagram and 399 followers on Facebook. I get 80% of my sales on Facebook and 20% on Instagram, where most are repeat customers.

As a Social Media Manager, people are wondering why I’m not growing my business account.

It’s because I don’t care about followers for my own business. I care about posting good content and getting sales.

Here are 3 Social Media Marketing Strategies that get me more sales without getting affected by algorithm changes.

Creating Content based on the Buyer’s Journey

The simplest buyer journey includes the Awareness, Consideration, Decision, and Loyalty stages. This is based on McKinsey’s Consumer Decision Journey.

Examples of content per stage:

Awareness Stage — How-to tutorials, sharing articles about your industry, checklists

Consideration Stage — case studies, expert guides, free webinars/samples

Decision Stage — company culture, product videos, customer reviews

Loyalty Loop — I feature clients if they allow it, I have a referral program too

People tend to reciprocate your actions so the more account you engage with, the more account will engage back.

A Sustainable Engagement Strategy

Engagement is the most underrated social media growth tactic but is the most effective even if you have mediocre content. Look for relevant accounts in hashtags and engage with the most recent posts.

Sales talk can start with a simple post. Don’t be afraid to make the first move.

An ideal strategy is to engage with relevant accounts as much as it is allowed by the platform but find a schedule and a daily target that fits your lifestyle. I have a post on Instagram “How to Hack your Engagement through Hashtags.” Link below.

Cold DMs

People frown upon cold DMs. I think they have a bad experience with them. A cold DM doesn’t have to be traumatizing to the receiver. The key is to keep it short and simple.

I follow this structure:

Hi [first name] + complement them + state your offer + invite to chat. I usually send no more than 5 sentences.

A follow-up DM is also helpful.

If you’re tired of Cold DMs, make a highly engaging Story or Reels with engagement stickers. Pitch to those who reply.

Summary:

1. Create content based on the Buyer’s Journey
2. Have a sustainable engagement strategy
3. Cold DMs

You can make the algorithm your enemy or your friend. The key is to complement it with outbound actions and not rely on it to make more sales.

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