You’ve been listening to digital marketing experts and are ready to look at social media data to inform your strategy moving forward. You log into your analytics accounts but find you are hit with an overwhelming amount of metrics.

While we are fortunate as marketers to have access to so many platforms and features that provide us with data, it can be a lot to understand. Does each and every one of these metrics really matter? Which ones should you be using to improve your business?

Focusing on Social Media Marketing Metrics That Matter

One of the types of metrics that seem like they should be most important when it comes to social media is engagement metrics. These are the numbers provided around things like follows, likes, and shares.

Engagement metrics aren’t the be all end all as they don’t show you the full picture, but nonetheless they are still an important metric. High engagement rates tell you that you have a real and responsive audience and are a good indication you are providing great content.

It’s important to not only look at these metrics, but to also maintain deep focus on the other social media metrics that matter as well.

Looking at a combination of metrics helps to give you better context on what’s happening in your business, which will help to inform your strategy.

Comments That Show Valuable Engagement

If you choose to focus on one engagement metric, it should be comments!

Real, genuine comments from your audience are a good sign that your social media posts are not only being seen but are actually being read. Audience members enjoy your content so much that they go as far as to engage with it on a high level.

On the other hand, a ‘like’ shows engagement but is a click of a button compared to a comment that involves more time and effort. A comment indicates that that person is interested, which many social media platforms will give greater weight to.

Therefore, it can be valuable to focus on creating content that encourages fans to comment.

Social Metrics Relating to Your Website

For many businesses, their goal is to get users to their website to help them through the buyer’s journey and eventually make a purchase. This means you should be looking to see how your social media channels are performing in helping users to get there.

You might use Google Analytics to help determine where your traffic is coming from. If the metrics show you that visitors are flowing in from social media, then it’s likely you’re creating content that encourages them to go to your website. This is where they will ultimately convert.

Additionally, the bounce rate is a metric to take note of. It tells you how many people are going to your website from your social media pages (or other means) and then leaving after viewing only one page.

If your goal is to drive traffic to your website, then it could be possible that your social media posts are not directing users to a page with value. Not only should the directed page relate to your social media post, it should give them something exciting or valuable enough to stay.

If you’re finding that your bounce rate is high, it may be time to adjust your strategy and ensure your social media and website goals align.

Potential Audience Size

You’ve likely seen the metric for ‘reach,’ which is a measure of the size of your audience and how far your content is going. When you measure reach on its own, you get an understanding of your potential audience size.

Reach can be extra valuable as a metric when compared with other kinds of metrics. For example, you might measure the number of clicks a post received in comparison to the reach it got.

Large reach with a small number of clicks might mean that it’s time to switch up your content.

Influence Potential on Customers

Influence is a metric that can be measured in a number of ways. It’s different from audience size because it includes the potential for your audience to actually do something when it comes to your brand.

You could have a large audience size but be lacking in the influence potential of that audience. Regardless, this metric can be used to see how influential an audience member might be in the future and inform decisions on who to reach out to and target for campaigns.

Audience Demographics for Better Targeting

Demographics include things such as the income, gender, age, and location of your audience. Looking at these demographics is an essential part of shaping your buyers persona and maintaining better targeting.

Once you have persona’s in place that align with your social media demographics, you can create better content that is more relevant to them.

Get Stronger Social Media Performance

Now that you know which social metrics are going to be most important for your business, it’s time to get those numbers up. Watch your social media channels come to life with a strong social media strategy that will establish your brand, target your audience, and get new leads.

Our team is ready to take on the challenge with you. Book a free consultation today to get started!