Most social media outlets provide users with large followings easy access metrics. These take all the guesswork out of the process. But according to Open Colleges’ Tess Pajaron, you don’t have to measure much when the platform is already handling it for you.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to assume the common predetermined metrics are enough. There are plenty of other things you should be measuring to make sure your reach and engagement are as high as they can possibly be.
- Your Comments
Look at your posts with the most comments. Did you ask your followers a question or encourage a discussion of some sort? Whatever topic you posted about was something that compelled your followers to get involved.
As long as things didn’t spiral into an argument, you should incorporate similar posts into your regular posting schedule. If you give your followers what they want, your engagement will naturally rise. All you need to do is pay attention to where your comments are going and re-create the scenario that got everyone social.
- How Far your Retweets and Shares Are Going
Are other businesses sharing your YouTube videos or Facebook posts? Are they retweeting you? This can create an excellent networking opportunity.
It’s unlikely that your competitors will promote you – the most common scenario is that a noncompetitive business or socially influential individual within your niche is sharing your content with people who may find it relevant.
Can you partner up with this business or person? Can you co-promote each other? It may just be the beginning of a wonderful partnership.
- How Often You Publish
Failing to follow a consistent schedule can quickly become your downfall. When do you post the most? Unpredictable patterns can cause you to become buried in your followers’ feeds. If you don’t post very often, people will begin to forget about you.
Periods of inactivity also affect search engine optimisation, and people will be less likely to discover you through organic search if you’re constantly popping on and off the map. Make sure you’re posting enough to stay consistent and relevant.
- Where Your Followers Are Located
If you’re selling a product or service, the most valuable followers are those who live in areas where they can spend with you. If you post great content, you may amass some followers that live outside of your purchasing radius.
If certain locations pop up more than others, it may be time to consider what you can do to expand and serve within those areas. Is ecommerce a feasible option for you? Can you open another location? Should you be translating your website into different languages?
Knowing where your followers are will lead you to success.
- How Many Times You’re Mentioned or Tagged
People are bringing you up. Don’t you want to know what they’re saying? Of course you do! You’re not being nosy if they’re linking directly to you in their posts. Sometimes, people will mention or tag you somewhere because they’re seeking customer service.
If you aren’t paying attention to your notifications in these areas, you could be missing a customer service opportunity. This will be viewed as unfavorable by other people who support you. There’s two sides to the coin of mentions and tags – people could be mentioning something they love about you or recommending you. This is just as valuable.
In short, the easily accessible metrics are helpful, but they aren’t the be-all-end-all of valuable analytics for your social media profile. Digging a little deeper will allow you to modify your strategy in a way that will maximize your results.
