The Almighty Facebook Group Algorithm
•Posted on January 27 2021
If you don’t have a FB group and aren’t posting in it AT LEAST TWO TIMES A DAY, then you are missing out BIG time!
What’s the difference between a FB page & a FB group?
A FB page is a public profile. Think of it as your storefront window. You want people to be able to peek in and tell what you’re selling. You want to spark their interest so they will want to come in the store.
A FB group is a community. Think of it as the inside of your store. This is where your customers can go to talk to you, to ask questions about your product, and to purchase your order.
Your FB Group is where the majority of your interaction should take place, because group members are 67% more likely to see your post in your group than the people who have “liked” a page.
To increase the number of people in your group who see your posts on their timeline, you need to understand the Facebook algorithm.
The algorithm currently ranks the posts each group member sees in the order that they’re likely to enjoy them, based on a variety of factors (ranking signals).
The 3 major ranking signals categories are:
• Who a user typically interacts with
• The type of media in the post (eg., video, link, photo, etc.)
• The popularity of the post
Hopefully you realize that every single one of those is achieved by CONSISTENCY. It’s about building RELATIONSHIPS with your members. And this is why you have to realize that Facebook groups is about QUALITY NOT QUANTITY.
So how do you increase engagement to make sure ALL of your members see your posts....
Start conversations that get people talking to each otherAccording to Facebook, one of the algorithm’s key ranking signals is whether a user has previously engaged with your group. You WANT people to talk to each other in your group.
Post when your audience is onlineRecency is another ranking signal that matters as the algorithm selects which posts to show people. Newer is better. Now is best.
Never post content that will get you down-rankedHere are a few categories of content that Facebook has explicitly stated will get your group down-ranked immediately:
• Links to sites that use scraped or stolen content with no added value
• Borderline content (a.k.a offensive but not prohibited content)
• Misinformation and fake news
• Misleading health information or dangerous “cures”
• “Deepfake videos” or manipulated videos flagged as false by third-party fact-checkers
If you’re posting videos, make sure they are high quality. Facebook live videos average SIX TIMES the engagement from posting a regular embedded video. But don’t post a video just to post it. If people don’t engage with the live video and watch at least ONE FULL MINUTE, then it will actually hurt your content ranking.
Post often and consistentlyAccording to Facebook, groups that post often are more likely to be meaningful to their audience. Therefore, posting frequency is a ranking signal that can affect how high up in the newsfeed your posts are placed.
Empower your people to advocate for youGood ol’ word of mouth is ALWAYS best! Ask your current customer base to share their purchases in your group. Offer a brand ambassador program so your customers will promote your brand FOR you.
So, now what?
1. Every day write out two posts. One that highlights something you sell & one that will start a conversation in your group.
• Example 1 (post pic of a fall sweatshirt):
I cannot WAIT to start sharing our new fall line with you!! New designs you won’t find in any big box store (woot woot for supporting small shops!) AND the material is to freaking die for! Seriously my fave to wear with jeans OR leggings!
•Example 2 (post a pic of a burning marshmallow)
Fall, campfires, & s’mores give me life.... but only if my marshmallow is just right 
I’m a “barely melted” kinda girl. Who else is ready for s’more season & how do you like your marshmallow??
I’m a “barely melted” kinda girl. Who else is ready for s’more season & how do you like your marshmallow??2. Identify the times of the day your customers are most active on FB, and post around those times. My retail group customers seem to be most active around 12:30pm & 8:30pm. So those are my most active posting times.
3. You will “like” & reply to EVERY.SINGLE.COMMENT made in your posts. Your goal is to keep conversation going back & forth a couple of times AND engaging others to join in on the conversation.
Doing just those things consistently will increase the number of current group members who will see your posts in their newsfeeds.