The secrets of the Algorithm and some tips on Successful email marketing

Hi All,

I hope this email finds you well. As I write this, I am staring out the window, wondering when it will be summer and how on earth it’s the end of May.  🌧️

This month, I’ve been lucky enough to deliver 2 LinkedIn workshops to help employees feel more confident about using the platform and onboarded a returning client who I worked with before Lockdown. I’ve also been working hard on updating my website (nearly there) and had some fantastic one-to-ones. 

But, enough about me, in this Newsletter we cover:

• The secrets of the Algorithm and how to make it work for you.
• Some tips on successful email marketing from last week’s LinkedIn live with Mel Barfield .

I was also planning on sharing some tips on how to connect your social media with your face-to-face networking, but it was a little bit too long, so I will save that for next month.

What exactly is an Algorithm?

The term can sound quite scary, and it's complex. Put simply, it's what we see in our newsfeeds based on our interests, behaviours, audience, and connections. Essentially, it's a way of keeping you on the platform longer, but it also helps to manage the sheer volume of content out there!!

As a social media user,, you are literally bidding for space every time you post. Each platform has its own unique Algorithm (we'll get on to that in a minute). But broadly speaking, your content will be assessed on the performance of your previous content and:

• The quality of the engagements on it and how much interaction it got.
• The unseen interactions it got. So, what other actions did your audience take as a result of that piece of content? 
• Whether the image/ video matches the copy (it scans all of it).
• The quality of that piece of content. 
• Whether it is deemed to be of interest to your audience. 

It's not designed to trick you, and even if you have a small audience, you can still get seen providing your content is:

• Consistent
• High Quality
• Relevant
• Engaging

So, how does the algorithm work on each platform? (A really brief overview)

🙂Facebook: Facebook states that it prioritises posts from friends and family. However, that is only the case if you are engaging with those people. It will prioritise how relevant your content is to your audience based on their previous interactions with it, what else they could possibly see at that time, and the type of content they like to consume.

For example, if a portion of your audience loves your photos but never engages with your video content, they will see more of them.

Outside of your audience, the Algorithm will show new or suggested content to people based on what they like to consume. So if you get sucked into watching baking videos or videos of cats jumping out the window, you will see more of those!!

So, ensure your content is relevant to your audience, offers value and encourages interaction. 

🤳🏻Instagram: The most visual platform of all, Instagram has long been maligned for prioritising Instagram reels over every other piece of content. There is more to it than that.  When you post content on Instagram, the Algorithm will need to decide who to show it to. This is primarily based on relationships - meaning your posts are much more likely to be shown to someone you are also following and have a relationship with.

If you are always commenting on someone's post, chatting with them in the DMs, and viewing their stories, their content will rank higher in your newsfeed. It will also look at interest—does that viewer like to interact with this type of content? If the answer is yes, it will be more likely to be pushed out to them.

Relevancy is also key; your recent content is considered more relevant. But much like Facebook you and your audience are far more likely to be shown content that is relevant to you based on your activity on the platform and elsewhere online.

📢Twitter (X): Twitter prioritises posts based on how much engagement they get. If you time your post just right, you will be more likely to generate interaction straight away, which means your post will be pushed out to a wider audience. It also ranks them on trending and current topics- hence the need for real-time interaction on the platform. By joining a conversation around a trending topic or hashtag, you have a much higher chance of generating engagement and attracting new followers.

🕴🏻LinkedIn: The LinkedIn algorithm works similarly to the other platforms. It will decide who to show your content to based on whether that person regularly interacts with it. It will also look at people and your interests. If you have recently visited someone's profile, their content will be deemed to be a higher priority in your feed.

It also focuses on engagement. If people respond to your post and you reply to their comments in a timely fashion, this will get pushed out to more people. If you are regularly engaging on LinkedIn, your comments will be seen by the poster's network, helping you generate more views on your profile and content.

What can you do to work with the algorithms? 

This is a tiny snapshot of what the Algorithm does and how it works. And as you can see, there are some similarities and some differences!! Some of the ways you can use the Algorithm to grow your business are as follows:

💡Know your audience: Understanding what type of content they like to engage with and when they are online will help you create relevant and timely content that they will want to engage with.

💡Be consistent: We all need breaks, but a regular presence on your chosen platform will positively impact the Algorithm, so make a plan and see what works for you. 

💡Encourage conversation: The algorithms do take into account the high percentage of lurkers online, by looking at how long people spend looking and reading each post. Encouraging action and conversation will help your post to go further. Make sure it's meaningful though. 

💡Engage: Comment on people's posts, join conversations, and reply to comments on your own posts. This will help the algorithm understand what and who you are interested in. Try to engage with other people's content just before or after you have posted. A meaningful comment will give your content a boost.

💡Consider the format of your post: Graphics and videos need to be high-quality and in the right formats for each platform. The copy must be easy to read and broken into short paragraphs.

These tips will also help you curate a feed of things you want to see, which is a huge time saver and one that will grow your business and make social media more fun. 🎉?

Tips for Successful Email Marketing

Unlike social media accounts, your email is not subject to algorithms. People have opted to be there, so they want to hear from you. Email also sees the highest Return on Investment of all digital marketing channels. 

On Friday, May 24th, I was joined live here by creative copywriter Mel Barfield. Mel and I shared our top tips for successful email marketing and how we consistently achieve a 70% plus open rate for our clients. You can watch the replay here or read some of our tips below.

1. Connect your social media and email: Repurpose longer-form content for social and use it to draw people in.
2. Tell your story: We get the best engagement for our clients when we tell their back story rather than focus on products. But the back story adds to the product and the only difference on the surface between you and your competitor is the people within your organisation. 
3. Don't worry about the numbers: A small engaged list is better than a large, unengaged one. Have a regular clean-out and ask people who haven’t opened it recently, if they still want to be there.
4. Use an email marketing system: You can see who is engaged and reach out to those who are engaged.
5. Personalisation: This is recommended, but test what works for you. Personally, we’re not a fan of using it in the subject line or throughout the email.
6. Segment your list: So you know who has bought what and you can approach the right people with different offers and thank people for their loyalty.
7. Show your knowledge: Use your email to establish you as a thought leader in your industry, but keep it jargon-free. So your audience can understand the email and know you know how to explain things.
8. Understand your objectives for email: Think about how often you can send out an email, why you are sending it and why people need to be there.
9. Set up a welcome sequence: This is a short series of emails that goes out to people who sign up. It helps them get to know, like, and trust you. It’ll also prevent them from being surprised to see you if you only send out a monthly update and take the pressure off you if you haven’t got the bandwidth to email very often.
10. Be genuine: Don’t suggest urgency if it’s not urgent! And don’t always discount - it won’t do you any favours in the long term.
11. Check your format: Don’t use too many images, words that might be considered profanities or to many video links - you’ll end up in junk.
12. Give people an incentive to sign up: This should be something they really need and be related to the things you get asked about most.
13. Remember to sell: You need to let people know you are available. But also add value.
14. Map out your user journey: And tailor your email strategy accordingly.

I hope you found these tips useful—all of them will help you create meaningful conversations, build relationships, and move your business forward. But if you need some help, I have availability from mid-June to help with your email strategy, and I might even be able to rope Mel Barfield into writing some copy.

Whose helped me this, month?

I am lucky enough to be surrounded by awesome people with whom I chat on a regular basis, and make me feel so much better about my business.

Special mentions this month to:

Helen Tuddenham : Helen is an Executive Coach and Leadership Development Consultant. I first met Helen when she came on a Social Media Strategy Course I was running back in 2020. We’ve got to know each other a lot better since then, and she’s always been a massive support to me and my business.

Clare Griffiths FRSA Griffiths: Award-winning Entrepreneurship Educator and Founder of Thrive, A social enterprise that exists to help women develop the skills they need to build a resilient business. I worked with Clare on her marketing during lockdown, and as well as being a huge support to Brighton based female founders, she has always been a massive support to me both personally and professionally. 

About me…

I’m Mel, a social media and email marketing strategist, trainer and consultant. I help businesses and individuals develop and implement practical strategies that help them to stand out without tearing their hair out. Build relationships that lead to sales and fit with the time, money and resources they have available. 

I do this through a combination of training, consulting, and project-based work that focuses on helping you develop the strategy, plan, and skills you need to move forward.

I have some availability from Mid-June onwards, so do send me an email: melanie@thesussexsocial.co.uk, or give me a call on 07811 324032 if you would like to find out more about working together.