Social media is a relatively new form of marketing that offers businesses practically unlimited potential. But knowing which metrics to track (and to what end) can be a challenge.
In this post, we’re going to take a look at all of the stats you’ll want to populate your social media dashboard. Check out the following:
Click Rates
Click rates measure the number of clicks that your posts or paid ads receive. Click rates are expressed as a proportion of total impressions, giving you an idea for how compelling your social media campaign actually is.
If your click rates are low, then it could be an indication that you have a lot of work to do appealing to your target audience. If they’re high, then it’s a sign that you’re on the right track.
Facebook has an excellent click-tracking system. If you head on over to the insights Ad Manager and click “actions on-page,” it’ll display click rate data, showing you your performance.
Content Shares
It’s not just the number of people who click your content that is important, but also the volume of shares that it gets.
Shares are one of the most valuable commodities in the world of social media. The more you have, the more free promotion you’re getting from the community. What’s more, there’s an argument that shares are more important than regular paid impressions because they come with social proof. If a friend thinks that it is worth their contacts’ time to consume your marketing, then they are more likely to give it the time of day.
Comments and Replies
The number of comments and replies that a post receives is indicative of how engaging your content is. If your marketing provokes people to reply, it could mean that you are onto a winner.
Comments and replies, however, can be a double-edged sword, so it is essential to keep track of the actual content, not just the numbers. You don’t want to receive negative feedback if you can avoid it.
Keep Track of Mentions
A “mention” is any time somebody on social media refers to your brand or people on your team. Keeping track of mentions is crucial because it can give you a heads up if you have any negative publicity on your hands.
Mentions also occur whenever somebody tags your business in an article or a post. Thus, if you are using social media as a tool to improve your authority, mentions can be a great metric to track. The more you get, the more highly regarded your content is likely to be.
Track Dynamic Metrics
Dynamic metrics are just metrics that vary with time. It is vital that you track them, however, because they can provide you with valuable information about your campaigns.
For instance, posting at certain times of the day can often generate more user engagement than others. On Facebook, for example, you can follow which days generate the most views, clicks, and impressions, and break it all down by the hour.