Social media has become an essential element of just about every marketing and communications plan for small and large businesses. One of the great benefits of using this digital medium for sharing your messages is the ability to use social data to measure and evaluate. It is critical that your business understands which posts and content is actually capturing the attention of your audiences and how this can lead to an increase in leads and eventually sales.
All of the major social media networks offer some very powerful metrics to help with this, and especially Facebook. And since Facebook is the giant of the social media world (1.8 billion users and counting) and has the most detailed and helpful free insights, we’ll offer some quick tips to help you get started. Take a minute and read through some of the powerful, easy-to-use, and very helpful metrics offered by Facebook Insights.
To access Facebook Insights, just go to your business’ Facebook page, and click on the “Insights” link at the top of the page. This brings you to the Insights page, which is an overview of your data and a wealth of information. Included here are basic overall statistics such as total page likes and where page likes happened (directly on your page, mobile, or through search). Engagement is certainly a key number as this displays the number of unique visitors who clicked, liked, commented, or shared your post. There also is a chart of your five most recent posts, showing specific and detailed information, as well as an option to see all of your posts in this format. Charts also appear detailing the days and times when your fans are online, which is powerful information needed to schedule posts optimally.
Some new data opportunities appear in the links on the left menu, including “Videos”. Online video has become an extremely important tool to gain engagement and further calls to action through Facebook and other social platforms. This Facebook video data shows when videos were viewed on your Facebook page, how long the viewer watched, and specific data on each video you posted over a particular time period. Also, the “Local” link brings some very powerful information related to the Facebook users who are physically near your place of business. The data shows activity and peak hours (which may help you set your business’ hours of operation), demographic information (including age, gender, and distance traveled), and an historical analysis on any Facebook ads you ran and how they did with people in this region.
This is just a very brief overview of some of the powerful and easy-to-use metrics related to your business’ Facebook page. In today’s digital world, ads and communication can be evaluated and targeted in ways that traditional methods cannot. By using these analytics to continually test and hone your social strategy, your messages will be much more effective in reaching your target audiences. For guidance and assistance with your social media strategy, analytics, and management, contact the experts at Reach Beyond Marketing.