Social media analytics can tell you a lot more than how many people looked at your most recent Instagram post. This information has a role to play in other elements of your marketing strategy, and in your business operations, too. Learn how social media analytics can play a part in developing products, improving your sales strategy, and standing out among your competitors.
Get deeper customer insights
Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok generate an enormous amount of data about their users. Your social media analytics can tell you detailed information about your audience's age, location, interests, and online behavior. Learn about your followers’ hobbies, values, and spending habits to inform your product development and marketing strategies. You can also see what type of content resonates most, including trending topics, preferred formats (videos, images, etc.), and popular hashtags. This insight helps you allocate marketing resources to the most impactful channels. You can also plan product or service upgrades to suit your audience's needs.
Social media analytics also offer data points that help you optimize your time and effort. Native analytics and third-party tools can tell you when members of your audience are most active, how they interact with your brand (in comments, direct messages, reposts, or something else), and their format preferences (video, images, polls, etc.). This information helps you design a posting calendar to maximize the impact of your content.
Improve lead generation
Social media provides a rich source of information for identifying and fostering potential leads. Look beyond your company profiles to tap into conversations and communities where new customers can be recruited. Social listening is one strategy that enables small businesses to improve lead generation.
“Social listening is a part of social media analytics that allows you to listen to every comment or conversation happening online across the globe on any topic. Just feed in your topic of interest and listen to who is saying what,” wrote the team at Auris, an AI-powered media-monitoring platform.
Not only can you find potential leads who are interested in your business, but you can also find experts and influencers who could advocate for your brand. Look for analytics tools that monitor metrics such as share of voice, hashtag use, brand and keyword mentions, and trending topics across different social media channels.
[Read more: 3 Ways to Determine Your Most Relevant Social Media Metrics]
Social listening is a part of social media analytics that allows you to listen to every comment or conversation happening online across the globe on any topic.
Auris
Craft more impactful messaging
Social media analytics show you which posts are performing best. With this information, you can start to identify patterns that allow you to hone your messaging for better conversion rates. Go further with A/B testing to compare different post formats, visuals, and CTAs to see what drives engagement and conversions.
Likewise, comments, direct messages, and mentions can be used to improve the customer experience. “Customer feedback is essential to the process. Direct replies from users give you a first-hand look at the impact of your social campaigns and content strategies,” wrote TrustRadius.
Pay attention to frequently asked questions or concerns to adjust your operations as needed. For instance, if customers are asking often about your returns policy, consider updating your website to make sure this policy is clear and easy to find. Social media analytics help you understand where there may be obstacles in the customer journey impeding conversions and sales.
Differentiate your brand
Don’t just dive into the analytics related to your brand; keep an eye on what others in your industry are doing, too.
“Social media analytics can be used to analyze competitors’ data as well,” wrote Social Hire. “[T]his will help you gather an understanding of what is working for them and what's not.”
Learn from others’ successes to fuel your business growth strategy. Pay attention to their positioning to see how you can differentiate your brand. Monitor their comments sections to see if there are opportunities that you can capitalize on to gain market share. And observe the platforms your competitors are using the most to adjust your marketing strategy accordingly.
[Read more: What Social Media Metrics Really Matter to Your Business?]
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