Does staring at your social media analytics make your head spin? You’re not alone! First, we were told the number of "likes" is important then we were told that’s just a vanity metric (something that looks pretty on the surface but doesn’t offer real usable data). So what are we supposed to be tracking?
STEP 1
Like with any type of marketing, you should have a goal for your social media platforms and the content you share on them.
Example A: Which of my social platforms drives the most traffic to my website so I can focus my time sharing linked content on the correct one(s)?
Example B: I want to improve my brand awareness utilizing my social platforms.
STEP 2
Once you have your goals, you can now create actionable metrics for each one. These help you see the direct actions taken so you can use the information to make informed decisions to bring you closer to your goals.
Example A: I’m going to create custom links (ex via bit.ly) for each platform so I can track how many clicks to my website each one provides.
Facebook
bit.ly/ArticleName-FB
bit.ly/Campaign-FB
bit.ly/AprilSpecials-FB
Twitter
bit.ly/ArticleName-TW
bit.ly/Campaign-TW
bit.ly/AprilSpecials-TW
LinkedIn
bit.ly/ArticleName-LI
bit.ly/Campaign-LI
bit.ly/AprilSpecials-LI
Example B: I will perform A/B testing of brand-related content so I can see which type resonates more with my audience.
Behind the Scenes - TikTok style videos vs regular phone videos
Specials/Offers - vary the graphic’s look (colorful and poppy vs more formal)
STEP 3
Don’t get lost in the sea of numbers, only measure the data that is relevant to your goals so you can chip away at achieving them. Everything else is just background noise.
ClicData provides some good questions to ask yourself when looking at your analytics:
- What does this metric help me measure and why is it important?
- What does it tell me about my marketing strategies?
- How does it align with my marketing objectives?
- Are there any changes I can make to optimize results based on this metric?
Example A: When viewing the stats, I can see articles on Facebook and LinkedIn received far more clicks than on Twitter, clicks for specials were nearly triple via Twitter, and the campaign drove the most amount of visitors via LinkedIn.
Example B: After a month of A/B testing brand-related posts on my social platforms, my audience commented more on the TikTok style videos and shared the colorful/poppy offers causing an increase in followers.
Remember, be intentional with your social media and let the metrics work for you. Happy goal setting!