What is the very first thing you do when you wake up? Let the dog out? Make coffee? Pick up the phone and check social media? Boom. That’s the winner.
We’re all a little guilty of picking up our mobile devices and falling into a rabbit hole of constantly refreshing our news feed of user-generated content. Social media has become a major trend that has taken off over the last couple of decades to share personal journeys and build relationships. More recently it has become more open for brands to engage, connect, and sell products or services. Companies measure their performance by using social media analytics.
What is Social Media Analytics?
Social media analytics is defined as:
“The approach of collecting data from social media sites and blogs and evaluating that data to make business decisions. This process goes beyond the usual monitoring or a basic analysis of retweets or ‘likes’ to develop an in-depth idea of the social consumer.” (Leidig, 2021)
Map Out Your Social Media Strategy
The first step in monitoring growth and success of your business is to develop a social media strategy.
Outline your goals. Find out what you want to see more of — increase brand awareness (get your name out there), grow your brands audience (bring in new followers), or boost community engagement (grab attention of your current followers). Wherever you see room for growth will help you determine which social networks (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc.) to manage and the right content to publish. Your social media strategy should data-driven — focusing on the amount of people that see, click, engage, or react to your content.
Discover Your Target Audience
Once your strategy is mapped out, it’s time to master the art of research. If you haven’t already, create strong, personal relationships with your brand and target audience. Find out what your audience’s interests or beliefs are and find common ground among them. Use keywords and phrases that resonate well with your followers. There are plenty of resources and tools available to determine what demographic your products or services will attract. Once you’ve finished your research, compare and contrast with the engagement of your current audience.
In conclusion, implementing your business goals into a concrete strategy can lead to a higher percentage of brand recognition. Once you have your goals set in mind, you are more likely to discover the social networks and content appropriate. Research is a key element in understanding how to attract a stronger following that connects with your brand. The more understanding of your brand’s internal marketing, the more opportunity you will have to highlight the assets of your company and increase market share. What’s something your brand can improve on?
The resources below give insight on how to improve your brand:
https://netbasequid.com/blog/what-is-social-media-analytics-why-is-it-important/
https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-marketing-strategy/