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Writer's pictureIvy Sullivan

Measuring Success on Social Media: A Guide to All Things Analytics

We know that sometimes looking at your analytics can feel like trying to read a foreign language which makes it difficult to understand what is really happening with your marketing - especially if you are not seeing the results you had hoped for! 


  • What is engagement?

  • What time should I be posting?

  • What is the difference between reach & impressions?


But, don’t worry - we’re here to help! 


Why Do Marketing Analytics Matter? 


Analytics allow you to quantify your efforts to assess how your marketing efforts are performing. Checking them regularly (typically on a monthly basis) allows you to be able to better understand your audience and optimize your strategies accordingly. Let’s take a look at some of the most important analytics and what they mean.




What Does Engagement Mean in Analytics?


Typically represented as a percentage; engagement is simply the total number of actions on a piece of content. 


Likes, comments, shares: These metrics show you how your audience is responding to the content and allow you to measure what may be working in your strategy and what may need some adjustment.


Link clicks / click-through-rate (CTR): If you are using links in your CTA, this metric allows you to see how many users are clicking on it showing you that your content is driving action as intended. 


Meaning of Reach & Impressions for Social Media Analytics


Reach and impressions allow you to visualize how many users your content has reached over a selected time period. 


Reach: The number of unique users who find and view your content.


Impressions: The total number of times your content has been displayed. 


They seem so similar - what is the difference? Reach only counts once for each unique user but impressions will count every time a piece of content is viewed and counts repeat views from the same user!


What Audience Insights Can Tell You in Analytics


Knowing who your audience is allows you to tailor your content to be able to create what will resonate with them.


Demographics: This can include information such as age, gender, and location. Social media platforms also give data on the most active days & times of the following which can help in posting content when they are most likely to see it! 


Followers: Keeping an eye on changes to your following can allow you to gauge the effectiveness of your strategy in both finding new followers as well as retaining existing followers.




Tips for Success with Analytics:


  1. Experiment: If you aren’t seeing the results that you want or if you are just starting out, try out different types of content, post on different days, times, or platforms, and analyze the results until you find the strategy that works best for you! 

  2. Keep an eye on trends but don’t make changes right away: Oftentimes, it can take a few months of a consistent strategy to see results come from that. Don’t get discouraged if you aren’t seeing what you want right away!

  3. Set clear goals: Trying to increase brand awareness? Focus on reach! Hoping to have an involved community? Aim for high engagement! All analytics are important and have their place but not every strategy will be focused on seeing the same results. 



Now That You Understand Your Analytics Report - You Should Know...


Digital marketing is rapidly growing and ever-changing so keeping an eye on your analytics is essential for measuring success and helping make decisions for any changes that need to be made. By understanding the different metrics and what they mean, you have valuable insights that can help drive better results for you, your clients, or your agency.


Remember, consistency is key and while the numbers hold important information, they aren’t everything - you’ve got this!



Need Some Marketing Help!? 


We know it can all seem a bit overwhelming, so if you still have questions or want help figuring out where to go from here -  book a strategy session!


In our strategy sessions, you get a dedicated hour to with a member of the Makin’ It Marketing team where you can ask questions and develop a plan of action for your marketing! 


We promise you’ll leave feeling prepared to take your marketing to the next level! 





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