Why it is Important to Learn about Social Media Algorithms as a Marketer.

As a college student double majoring in marketing and communication, I have come to realize how much our social media algorithms shape the way we think. Our algorithms decide what we see every day on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. These algorithms decide what shows up in a user's feed based on factors like engagement, relevance, and user behavior in the app. For example, TikTok´s For You Page tailors what will appear next on your page based on factors like watch time and your shared videos and likes to recommend videos that are tailored to each user's preferences. Similarly, Instagram’s algorithm evaluates interactions such as likes and comments, and saves to rank posts. As a Marketer, understanding how these algorithms work is an important tool to have because it is the key to creating strategies that can help you actually reach your target audience, increase visibility, and connect with their audience. 

To succeed with social media algorithms, marketers can adapt their strategies to align with each platform. On TikTok, normally short and engaging videos with trending audio tend to perform better, on the other hand, Instagram rewards carousel posts and captions that encourage users to comment or save that post. Consistency is key when it comes to social media, posting regularly and using features like polls and stories can help boost engagement. As Sprout Social explains, adapting to platform-specific trends is an effective way to reach a broader audience and build stronger connections.  

Since algorithms are constantly changing, what works today might not work tomorrow, this is something that can be challenging for marketers to stay on top of and follow. This is where certain tools like Hootsuite or TikTok’s Creator Portal, which you can read more about here, can help us track what’s working and what needs improvement from a marketing perspective. Understanding social media algorithms is not just a technical skill, it is a way to connect with people more effectively. As someone who is passionate about both marketing and communication, I believe that it is essential to understand your audience's algorithm to build successful marketing strategies.