Getting Started With Social Media Analytics

​Would you want a salad without dressing? What about watching a basketball game without a referee? How about social media marketing without analytics?  The answer is No.  Without analytics, you would not understand if a strategy is working.  There are numerous resources out there, and it can be confusing.  Keep it simple to start and build as you learn. Be sure to start by defining your social media goals.  Examples include brand awareness, brand loyalty, generating leads, or customer service. Below is a summary of some of the most popular goals for social media and what key indicators you could use.

---

The great news is that each platform makes this data easy to find and track at no cost. Finding analytics on each platform is a little different.  Here are some of the most common platforms and where the platform keep analytics.
Twitter – Find analytics on the Twitter analytics dashboard
Facebook – Find analytics on the Insights tab.  These are only available on a Facebook Page (not profile) after receiving 30 likes.
Instagram – To see Instagram analytics, you need a business account and 100 followers. Each of your posts will show “view insights” to click on and you can see how each post performs. You can also look at all analytics by clicking in the upper right corner icon, then insights.

SEM Rush is my favorite analytical tool that I do pay for because I find the resource beneficial.  You can analyze data in more detail and bring in your website data and SEO. Also you can view audience behaviors, track competitors, keep up on keywords, keep up on trends and do social media listening.  ​

I suggest downloading some of your key analytics and keeping the data in one excel file or workbook.  This allows you to prioritize key performance indicators and not get overwhelmed with the amount of data each platform gives you.

Likes on social media is a measurement that many of the the platforms talk about removing.  Instagram has been removing likes for public view in other countries and is starting to do the same in the US.  The reasoning is to reduce social anxiety.  Click on the social prof facebook page below and look for the recent post on this topic.  Vote for if you agree or disagree and in the comments state why you voted the way you did.

Follow The Social Prof on Facebook