If social media is a ship, social analytics is the rudder. Social analytics helps you steer your social media presence and maneuver your way toward success. To best understand how social analytics can help measure your success on social media, you must first determine your goals, what social analytics are available on the platform of your choosing, and approach your social strategy with fluidity. Let’s uncover the details:
Zero in on Your Goals
In a world where nearly 4 billion users are on at least one social media platform, being part of the conversations happening on social media isn’t an option anymore. It’s an expectation. But even though we think that being on at least one social media platform can benefit every company, that doesn’t mean your goals are the same as other companies on social media. Before we talk about how to measure your success on social media, you must zero in on what your success looks like. What are your goals? First, it’s important to know that social media goals are industry specific, if not company specific. A non-profit organization’s goals for social media will be vastly different from those of a law firm because those two companies have different objectives. Here are several examples of great goals – depending on your industry – to set for your company’s social media presence:
- Building followers
- Consistency in brand voice
- Demonstrating transparency
- Driving donations
- Increasing audience engagement
- Increasing event attendance
- Pursuing positive reviews
- Recruiting qualified employees
- Showing leadership in your industry
The goals above are very different, but none more important than the other. Don’t overwhelm yourself by pursuing too many goals. Determine which ones would benefit your company and work hard to achieve them.
Breakdown of Social Media Metrics
Most social platforms have a way to measure their success. Consider Facebook as an example. If your company has a Facebook Business Page, you can click on the Insights tab in your Settings to see how well your posts are doing. Consider five of many social media metrics:
- Followers – how many people follow your page updates.
- Engagements – how many people interact with your posts.
- Impressions – how many times an individual saw your post.
- Response time – how quickly your Facebook page responds to messages.
- Post reach – the number of people who saw any of your posts at least once.
Which metrics are available is dependent on the social platform you’re using. But again, it’s important to seek the metric that is in alignment with your ultimate goal. If you’re unsure what your goals should be or how to reach said goals, talk to M&R Marketing today. Our team would be happy to help you with your social media presence and other marketing mountains.
Tweak or Revise Your Social Strategy
Social media is a tool that can build up or break down your company. Your approach to social media should never be complacent or lacking, as that can negatively affect your customer’s perception of your company, cause sales to decrease, produce uncertainty within your customers, and more. That’s why many companies partner with marketing agencies to handle their social media for them.
If you choose to be in charge of your own social media, make sure to check your metrics weekly or monthly, and revise your social posts as needed. You know the saying, “Numbers don’t lie”? Well, let’s take it a step further. Social metric numbers are a representation of your social media followers’ likes and dislikes. If your engagement rate is low on certain type of posts, maybe it’s time to ditch that category idea and swap it out with a new one. If your reach is low for certain posts, maybe you’re posting at the wrong time of day. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box with your social posts and change your approach if the metrics tell you to.
Partner with M&R Marketing!
Have you ever considered treating social media management like an employee on your payroll? If you do, you can watch that “employee” bring more business your way, pursue potential customers, and be a solid presence in your company. If you don’t think you have time to nurture this relationship, let us take the reins! Our digital team will spend countless hours getting to know your company and goals, and we will devise a social strategy to help your social media work toward your goals – not against them. Ready to get started? Give us a call: 478-621-4491
Stay tuned for part three of our social media series:
- Part 1 – How You Can be Part of Your Buyer’s Journey on Social Media
- Part 2 – How Social Analytics Can Help Measure Your Success on Social Media
- Part 3 – How to Create an Effective Social Content Calendar