Social media is constantly changing, with new features being added, the algorithm being updated, and consumer habits changing. Tracking social media metrics can help you understand what resonates with your audience and determine what changes you need to make for more effective marketing. Here is our New York independent analytics consulting firm’s 2021 predictions for social media analytics development.

Content types and topics

Want to ensure your 2021 content resonates with your audience? Look at your top-performing posts of 2020 and make note of the specific topics covered and the content types, such as whether it was a photo, video, or text only, to see what your audience most enjoyed. Photos and videos typically do well, so if you have a lot of text-only posts, find the best performing ones and create a photo or video posts on the same topic.

It’s also helpful to know that people follow brands to learn more about their products and services, using social media to do research before buying a product. Do your posts share product information? How are those posts performing?

Short-form video

As TikTok and Instagram Reels become more popular, so likely will short-form video in general. Try sharing short-form videos, then track their impressions, reach, and engagement rate, as well as how much time people spent watching the video. This will help you understand how your videos are performing.

User-generated content

User-generated content remains a popular content type. Many consumers trust the opinions of their peers over a company’s marketing, so using UGC can be beneficial in driving sales. Be sure to track when people tag your account in your post or use your branded hashtag, as you may find content you can use.

Smartphone vs. desktop use

Pay attention to data that shows how your followers are accessing your content. If you see that many are accessing your page via their smartphone, which is likely, make sure your images are optimized to work on mobile.

Influencer marketing

Just as people are likely to trust their peers, they’re also likely to trust an influencer who they find to be honest and authentic. Influencer marketing is a great way to get in front of your target audience through a person they find trustworthy. When using influencer marketing, make sure you track metrics like reach, impressions, and the engagement rate of the influencer’s post.

Response rate

As messaging apps become more popular and social media becomes increasingly used for customer service efforts, it’s important that you quickly respond to consumers who have questions or comments. Tracking your response rate will give you clearer insight into how long it typically takes your team to respond to messages and how often those messages are responded to vs. ignored, so you can find areas in need of improvement.

Ecommerce

As people continue to spend time at home, the popularity of ecommerce has grown. If you’re a product-based business, be sure to track the reach, engagement rate, and other metrics of your ad campaigns to see which best resonate with your audience so you can make the most of your ecommerce efforts.

About Watermelon Analytics

Paying attention to social media analytics is important to making your marketing as effective as possible, but it can be overwhelming and time consuming. Instead of doing it yourself, Watermelon Analytics can take on the data analysis for you. We’re a New York independent analytics consulting firm that provides strategic interpretation of data, including social media performance data, website analytics, SEO and SEM. With 20 years of experience, we provide a personal touch and a boutique approach to help your business quickly grow.

Want to learn more? Schedule a call with us today.