Respect the digital algorithm

When I speak on this topic, I must admit that almost always, I get a stuttered response from a baby boomer: “W-Wait, what’s what?”

To put it simply, digital algorithms prioritise content in a curated and tailored fashion for a user’s social media feed.

For a marketer or business owner, it is an advertising, archiving, and targeting tool that will display and store your content on whichever social media network you use.

Stop. I sense you’re getting flustered already!

Take a breath, think social media, and put your game face on.

Now back to digital algorithms.

These are disguised as familiar jargon you use and come across on a daily basis: ‘hashtags’ and ‘keywords’. Sounds familiar, right?

Now, let’s pay some respect to the components of the digital algorithm: archiving, advertising and targeting, and communication.

1. ARCHIVING

The archiving component refers to accumulating a track record of information such as content, videos, pictures, infomercials ,and documents chronologically.

Storing information in a safe manner is usually a living nightmare for any business, but utilising these digital tools can be used to your advantage. For example: The content you post on a product or service can be stored on the digital platforms’ database for their billions of users for years to come.

2. ADVERTISING AND TARGETING

The advertising and targeting components of the digital algorithm are used to reach people in a concentrated manner. It filters the billions of users on the social media networks or users online, only leaving the people that will have interest in your product or service. When using the advertising tools on these social media networks and other online platforms, using the right ‘keywords’ or ‘hashtags’ is VERY crucial to targeting the right eyes to what you are trying to advertise.

3. COMMUNICATION

The communication component is like a message in a bottle – it will be on the digital streams until it floats into the right consumer’s feed. A key thought to communicating through the digital algorithm is to have the content focused on pointing out the unique selling propositions (USPs) – the elements that make your product or service standout.

Here’s the thing: you never know who your next customer may be at times, but effectively using this tool will leave that message in a bottle on the online streams, and it will eventually wash up to that customer searching for the products or services you offer.

Now that we have made that complex term you have heard so much simplified and understandable, go put some respect on its name!

Digital and social media marketing companies such as It’s JUS Marketing @itsjusmarketing offer many of the services and training companies will need to be highly efficient in the virtual world.

Demola Cunningham is a digital marketer and communications consultant, It’s JUS Marketing. Email feedback to editorial@gleanerjm.com and itsjusmarketing@gmail.com; @itsjusmarketing.