Introduction
In today’s digital landscape, social media platforms are key to brand visibility. But with algorithms constantly evolving and organic reach declining, how can brands stay ahead? For marketers in both the commercial and education sectors, understanding how these algorithms work is essential to building meaningful engagement without depending solely on paid advertising.
At Datum, we help clients navigate this complex terrain with strategies rooted in insight, creativity, and consistency. This guide will explain the current social media algorithm landscape and share actionable steps to increase your organic reach across platforms.
Section 1
What Are Social Media Algorithms? Social media algorithms determine what content users see in their feeds. These systems prioritise posts based on relevance, engagement, user behaviour, and content format. While the specifics vary by platform, the core aim is the same: to deliver a tailored experience that keeps users scrolling.
Section 2
Why Is Organic Reach Declining? Organic reach is the number of people who see your content without paid promotion. On Instagram, for example, organic reach has dropped to around 3.5% of your total followers (source: Socialinsider.io). With saturated feeds and platforms prioritising paid content, it’s harder than ever to get eyes on your posts without a strategy.
Section 3
Platform-by-Platform Breakdown
- Prioritises Reels, Stories, and content with strong engagement.
- Carousels and educational content perform well.
- Hashtags are still useful, but less impactful than saves, shares, and comments.
- Favors conversations and relevance over virality.
- Native documents (PDF carousels), personal insights, and thought leadership posts perform best.
- Timing matters: aim for mornings and lunchtime midweek.
- Community-focused content (e.g., Groups) is prioritised.
- Native videos and Live content have high engagement.
- External links (especially to websites) often see reduced reach.
Section 4
Steps to Improve Organic Reach
- Know Your Audience
- Use insights and analytics to understand who engages with your content.
- Create content that addresses their interests, needs, or challenges.
- Optimise for Each Platform
- Tailor your formats: Reels for Instagram, PDFs for LinkedIn, Lives for Facebook.
- Use platform-native features to maximise visibility.
- Encourage Engagement
- Ask questions, run polls, and invite conversation.
- Respond to comments and messages promptly.
- Use Content Variety
- Mix formats: video, carousel, single-image, and text-only posts.
- Use storytelling to create relatable, human-led narratives.
- Post Consistently
- Set a schedule and stick to it.
- Use scheduling tools (like Meta Business Suite) to plan content in advance.
- Leverage Trending Topics (Strategically)
- Tap into current trends if they’re relevant to your audience or brand.
- Avoid jumping on every trend – relevance is key.
- Audit and Refine
- Track performance regularly.
- Use learnings to refine future content.
Section 5
Value of Working with Datum With Datum as your digital partner, you benefit from:
- A full-service approach integrating strategy, content, and reporting.
- Sector-specific insights across commercial and education sectors.
- Creative assets designed for algorithm success.
- Transparent reporting and data-led improvement cycles.
We embed all content into broader digital strategies, ensuring your social media efforts work alongside SEO, PPC, and email marketing for maximum impact.
FAQs
What time should I post on social media?
- Instagram: Mid-morning (9–11am) and evenings (6–8pm).
- LinkedIn: Midweek mornings (8–10am).
- Facebook: Weekday afternoons (1–4pm).
How often should I post?
- Instagram: 3–4 times/week.
- LinkedIn: 2–3 times/week.
- Facebook: 3–5 times/week.
What type of content gets most reach?
- Instagram: Reels and Carousels.
- LinkedIn: Personal stories and thought leadership.
- Facebook: Live video and engaging questions.
Do hashtags still matter? Yes, but focus more on engagement metrics such as saves, shares, and comments. Use 5–7 highly relevant hashtags.
Should I use the same content across platforms? No. Repurpose and reframe content to suit each platform’s format and audience.
