Social media reporting is a constant ‘buzz word’ here at #teamTDP.
For business owners, social media managers and consumers of social platforms out there, it’s likely that you’re familiar with notifications pinging away. They’re great at keeping you on top of all the juicy action on your accounts … but what does it all *really* mean?
If you’re curious minded like me, I’m sure you’re interested in what’s happening below the surface, am I right?
Strap on your snorkel + flippers folks. I’m here to help you dive a little deeper into the social media reporting waters. Let’s explore what data matters when it comes to monthly reporting and what you can splash past!
Establish your Social Media Marketing goals
The beauty of investing a good amount of time on your social strategy from the start, means that when it comes time to report on your account or advertising campaigns, you’ll be on the front foot. You’ll know exactly where to look for success measures and what you or your client are progressing towards.
Account growth, brand awareness and leads/conversions are all likely part of your overall KPIs. Having a long term plan laid out will be key for measuring your trajectory along the way, and knowing which metrics you need to keep front of mind.
Setting up a simple spreadsheet is also worthwhile. This helps to clearly lay out targets that will keep you accountable to and realistic about your goals, as your monthly data begins to accumulate.
Organise your toolbox
While most social platforms provide adequate surface level insights, to really capture an understanding of what’s working and where your growth opportunities are, we suggest investing in the help of some listening programs.
Dive a little deeper into your research with an external platform like Sprout Social
TDP’s personal fave when it comes to all things reporting is Sprout Social. We love that you not only get a gloriously data-laden page report as well as a detailed overview of your post performance.
With Sprout, you’ll understand exactly how people are interacting plus what content is resonating. You also have the added flexibility of comparing date ranges that are unique to your business, instead of those pesky, predetermined in-app settings. #LoveThatForYou
Templates FTW
We highly recommend setting up a social media reporting template that drills down to YOUR key metrics, so when you skull dive into that sea full of data, you know exactly what to be focussed on in relation to your accounts.
We’re big fans of Google slides here at TDP and keep all of our templates set up ready to go so that we can hit the first week of each month at pace with a quick duplicate, populate and PDF. It also means we can easily share docs with clients to view their results via a handy little live link.
Simplify the data
Break down your social media report into sections for each social platform. This will provide a clear snapshot of your metrics and your month on month percentage growth.
A little peek at one of our reporting templates
This is key for tracking result patterns and monitoring any trends that are impacting your accounts. For example, influencer marketing campaigns may have increased your monthly followers or driven higher website visits [#Yay!]. Or perhaps you’ve started posting Reels and have noticed your reach and video views have had a sudden surge? #DoubleYAY
Hot tip, Reels are where it’s at RN, but you can read more on that here!
If this part of social media reporting really makes your ears prick up, you can even take your new found love of data further by honing in on your attribution with Google Analytics.
It’s honestly a business owner’s dream to have information explaining exactly where your website traffic is attributing from, how folks are interacting with your content once they land on your page and how it’s impacting your overall sales. What an incredible world we live in to have all that at your fingertips [and for free!].
Oh, and did I mention it’s an incredibly insightful additional layer to your social strategy? Spoiler alert: Google analytics is solely responsible for Cherie realising just how powerful Facebook is for TDP, given that it showed us 70% of our sales happen on that platform and NOT Instagram – wild [and worthwhile] right!?
Celebrate the wins & the learnings
Now’s your time to shine, so be sure to include any highlights in the form of standout post results, particularly wonderful comments/reviews and collaborative wins. #GetThatGlowUp
Try to remember that while it’s great to celebrate the wins [and sing from the rooftops on a job well done!], it’s also a valuable way to act on any growth opportunities and pitch new work to clients.
Being clear with clients on what didn’t work is never a fun conversation to have. However, they’re likely to appreciate your honesty and respect your accountability. It’s also a great chance to adjust your strategy sails and try something new to move forward with!
At the end of the day, I like to think of monthly reporting as a celebration of all the hard work you’ve put into your social accounts. More of a coral reef swim sitch and less of a caught in a Murray River rip type experience.
Afterall, we spend hours upon hours strategising, curating and refining what we share as business owners on socials. It’s only fair we give that hard work the justice it deserves, and celebrate all o’that beautiful data and maybe even find Nemo along the way, too!