Social Media Algorithms
Now it has been sometime since I posted a blog within this community. As regular readsers will know, I only post when there is something worthwhile posting, especially given that these community posts, are, as long as they are well written, indexed with Google
But it is the first post for a long while. I decided back in December last year to focus on building my already 'nice' list up further again, and in doing so, stepped back from the community a bit. I also wanted to build up my YouTube channel ( which is listed here on my profile)
Its lovely being part of this awesome community, but equally so, being in here too much can impact your income, as unless you have that balance, then other aspects of your business can fall away
So, in taking a step back, to evaluate and work further on my list, I have also been taking notice of the various changes that are occuring on the many social networks, that a lot of us have and in some cases, many are too dependent on them, especially in relation to affiliate marketing
It is far better to work on & build up your own blog. After all, you have control of and own it
In recent months,
Google+ has closed down
Facebook, has changed its algorithm (again) in relation to its pages. It wants you to pay for advertising for your business
Instagram, is also changing, but that is owned by facebook and so what facebook does, Instagram will do
Pinterest, is also changing slightly, it is adding video pins now, or at least it was and by now may well have included video pins, which in my opinion are a great way to go
These changes, in terms of how you can promote your business, will have a knock on effect in terms of list building and so it is better to look for alternate methods of blog promotion and list building, instead of trying to 'beat' the alogorithms and in doing so giving yourself a headache at the same time, so that you are not impacted.
So, when I decided to step away and focus on list building, I also monitored the promotion methods I was doing and have now chosen to do
Those will be the subject of a different blog post and not covered here
Over the last few weeks though, I have seen a huge increase, in my list building stats. in the methods, I chose to move forward with, certainly enough to justify and vindicate my decision to do this
Social Media, while it is a part of the way we do business, should not be viewed as the be all and end all, of how we do business. Indeed I have always viewed it as the 'bonus/ add on' promotion, as opposed to the 'must do'
So, if you are a newbie to this platform, or just starting to build your social media presence and are getting knocked back, for what you see as 'silly' reasons, don't lose heart, there are other equally viable and just as profitable avenues out there, which you can pursue
I have and am loving every minute of it
Applied education is the difference
Recent Comments
31
I too will. Look with interest at other options. You Tube big scary world, but needs to be addressed.. x
Thanks, Dave
I believe Social media will do a 180-degree shift within 12 months.
It will become more a sales channel that a chat booth. Instagram are trialling buy now buttons as are Youtube so most of the market is covered by that group.
We have seen Instagram rise more quickly than most others, against logic, in my thoughts anyway.
It is going to be an interesting ride. Check your seat belts.
peter h
Hello, Mr. Hayes so happy to see you, thanks so much for this post that is encouraging because it can get discouraging when you join these social sites and then something happens.
This was my unpleasant experience on many occasions, one minute everything is good because your followers are increasing and then out of the blue you start losing followers or like a few months ago Pinterest suspended my account when I had more than ten thousand followers.
With that suspension, I had no access to my Pinterest account and lost several thousand of them. Pinterest lifted the suspension after several days apologizing because my account was suspected of violating one of their rules. In other words, it was a mistake on their part but the damage had already been done leaving me to pick up the pieces now I am trying to build my followers again.
I have lost followers with Twitter also, and after Google close down its G+ section I had almost five thousand followers when I started to have some issue with them and then they closed down and I lost all of those followers so it is so good to know that we are in control of our website and join other programs which can help us.
Again thanks so much for your help.
I need to gain better understanding of the SM algorithims and how they may affect me, thanks for sharing, Dave, Alan.
Thanks for commenting Alan, one of the reasons for posting was to highlight that there are many different alternatives available instead of trying to get an understanding of the algorithm, which once you work out what it is, will change.
Interesting perspective considering that as despite having beyond the so-called 'magical influence' mark of 5k followers, it's got to the point where I just ignore likes and make sure there is content. The few likes do have is a perk because you can engage with them far better. I generally have realised there is little to get other than instant gratification. Just like everything else, any presence online takes time to build. Makes a lot sense, thanks for the perspective. Relying on social media kinda of takes away a part of your control. Good post :)
Thanks for commenting Chris, a fellow brit from South England. Which part?
As you rightly point out posting on SM is more about Instant gratification, but doesn't benefit a business owner, outside of getting a few likes instead of cash in the bank
The one exception I have found is YouTube which provides me with a constant source of opt ins and new customers
The. Methods I am using now are time tested and proven over a good 20 plus year time period
They are also growing targeted to your specific market too, at a fraction of the cost and far better ROI
Currently living in Canterbury, Kent (originally from Folkestone)
SM from a business perspective seems hit and miss but some do seem to be able to beat algorithms. But the business side means more focused content rather than landscape photos though. Through the beginnings of my journey into the world of making money online I've learned that biggest part of it is focused content.
Looking at other alternatives of blog promotion is probably very wise. In particular with Facebook's ethics being questionable these days.
This comment of yours is insightful:
"Relying on social media kinda of takes away a part of your control. "
Thanks for commenting Jon and yes I am around, but just not as much on the platform, as explained in the post above.
Other sources are very definitely the way to go and been helping others to do what I do, which has been very enjoyable, especially when they earn money the same way.
The methods I use, have been around from loooong before social media was even a thought and they continue to productive
Referral traffic, Referral Credits, Referral Commissions, which equates to time saving and income in the bank
None of this is gained by social media.
Looking at my traffic generation methods the other day ( Friday to be precise) I noticed that in just 3 of my alternate traffic generating methods, I have over 60 referrals, from those I have been paid traffic advertising, got lots of opt ins and been paid to the bank
Ah, there you are!! Was only thinking this morning I had not seen sight or sound of you recently! Sounds like all is going well.
I agree with you regarding social networks. We do tend to hold too much store by them and expect them to be a big source of traffic. Personally I don't find that to be the case.
So, other sources are the way to go.
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Thanks for the great info and how to avoid headaches. :) Social media is a different sort of animal for sure. It changes like the wind it seems.
That it does and thanks for commenting