So you are investing effort in your social media marketing, but how do you know if it is working?
There are several different metrics which help you to determine the success of your social media marketing strategies.
This article will reveal how, and why, you should be checking your analytics to ensure that your marketing strategy is effective.
Understanding Your Analytics
Analytics can seem like a complicated thing to understand, and, in short, they can be.
If you do not have much experience in dealing with analytics, then it may take you a while to get the hang of it.
But it is crucial that you understand which metrics to follow, and what you should be aiming for.
In essence, your analytics show the success or the failure of your brand, so they are definitely something that you need to understand!
Many social media platforms have inbuilt insights functions.
They show you how many people are viewing your posts, as well as how many of them are engaging.
The proportion of engagement is essential.
Seeing what percentage of your audience is seeing your posts and choosing not to engage with it is a sign that you may need to improve your content.
You should analyse which posts are successful, and which are not.
Take time to determine which elements of your content make something succeed or flop.
Try do more posts which include the successful elements.
Simple!
Tracking Your Growth
You should also track the click-through rate and understand how it translates into sales.
The most obvious analytic to track is your follower growth.
It is normal for the number of followers to fluctuate slightly over time, but you want it to follow an upward trend.
Ensure that your follower count is on par with the engagement of your content.
If the follower/engagement ratio seems off, check the demographic of your followers aligns with your target audience.
If there is a discrepancy, meaning your followers do not fit with your ideal customer profile, try to determine why this is.
Tweak your content to appeal more to your ideal customer.
An adjustment to your content strategy may mean your audience numbers dip in the short term.
However, it is better to have a small audience who will buy, than a large audience who can’t or won’t.
Additionally, you should not neglect to check trends in the wider industry.
Is Your Strategy On Trend?
Make sure your marketing strategy is still relevant and keeping up with broader trends, both with the industry and your audience’s tastes.
Do not forget also to spy on your competitors.
Look at their analytics, and see how they compare to yours.
How can you improve yours to beat theirs?
Your metrics show the value of your work.
If you plan on collaborating with other brands they will request insight into your audience and engagement.
Building, and regularly updating, your Social Media Impressions Kit is a useful way to ensure that you continue to reach your targets.
Update Your Goals
To ensure that your analytics are on track, set tangible time-sensitive goals and track their progress.
If you are scared to do so, set small goals or begin with; or break down larger goals with time increments.
This will help you to see exactly what you should be looking for when constructing your data analysis.
You should make a regular check of your analytics to ensure that you are on track to meet your business goals.
Make it a priority to check your progress.
It is a great way to ensure that your business is growing!
