If you are a business owner, then you have probably read many times the importance of being on social media. Yet, you may wonder if the time that you are spending creating posts, engaging with customers and other activities is worthwhile. Using social media analytics will allow you to measure your success on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other platforms.
Whichever social media analytics you choose, it should help you identify your business goals and key performance indicators. Using the right tools helps you adjust your social media use until you are meeting your goals. Here are 20 social media analytics tools NetBase recommends that you use.
5 Built-in Social Media Dashboards
According to NetBase, these free social media dashboard tools are a great starting point if you are not currently analyzing your social media performance.
Facebook Insights
Easily compare paid versus organic traffic with this dashboard. You can go back up to 28 days allowing you to glimpse the long-term effects of different material that you share. Additionally, you can also use it to see what is working for your competitors.
Twitter Analytics
In addition to learning which tweets are succeeding, you can use Twitter Analytics, according to NetBase, to find ideas to tweet about by going to the events tab. Gain insight into Twitter’s audience by looking at the audience tab.
Pinterest Analytics
While you will need a business account to use Pinterest Analytics, you can see who is following you and who else they follow. Taking a look at what people are pinning from your boards along with their other pins may help you connect with your targeted audience better.
Instagram Insights
If you have not already done so, claim your free business profile on Instagram. Clicking on the options menu that may look like just three dots allows you to see demographics about your followers. This section also allows you to see your content’s reach, impressions and profile views.
YouTube Analytics
You already know that videos are a necessary marketing medium. Use YouTube Analytics to find out more about who is watching your videos and for how long. They even have a pro section containing even more details that can help you determine when you should be placing call-to-actions in your videos.
If you are active on several social media platforms, then you may need to analyze data from all of them efficiently. Additionally, some platforms, like Tumblr, do not give you the option of analyzing data right on the platform. Here are some social media analytical tools Netspend recommends if that is the case.
Boardreader
The simplicity of Boardreader makes it an easy option to use. Filter results for up to 365 days. You can also see mentions of your competitors, although you will not know if they are good or bad.
Buffer
You may already be using Buffer to schedule your posts, but you may not realize that this program has a powerful option to let you analyze what posts are working and which posts drew the least attention.
Followerwonk
If your primary focus is on Twitter, then Followerwonk may be the perfect analytics tool for you. The basic version allows you to see when your followers are active, search bios for keywords and more.
Friends+Me
Easily schedule up to five posts with Friends+Me. Then, use this program to spread your posts to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Tumblr.
Google Alerts
While you may not want to count on this option forever, Google Alerts gives you the ability to manage mentions of your company name and your key executives. You may want to use it to build the number of reviews that you are getting by thanking people when they post about your company.
Hootsuite
If you are looking for the basics, then Hootsuite is a great place to start. It lets you schedule up to 30 posts, but the best news is that it integrates easily with other analytical programs including Netspend.
HowSociable
See the amount of activity around your company’s brand names in this program that ranks them from 0 to 10. The program works across 12 social media platforms including Reddit and LinkedIn.
Likealyzer
If your primary focus is on Facebook, then you need to be using Likealyzer. This simple analyzer allows you to find pages to watch and actions to take to raise your authority level.
Social Oomph
See who is retweeting your information along with seeing social mentions and scheduling posts with this social media analytics tool designed for Twitter. It even allows you to set up interest channels.
SumAll
Get an email update daily or weekly from SumAll allowing you to spot social mentions. This program also allows you to automatically send thank yous when someone retweets your information.
Twitonomy
Search via users, lists or keywords on Twitonomy. If your primary focus is Twitter, then visualizing your users on a heat map may be an important asset.
TweetReach
Get a quick overview of your account along with specified hashtags, or keywords by using TweetReach. This program also gives you the ability to mine data from your competitors quickly and easily.
Zoho Social
If you are a social media manager, then keep all your accounts organized with Zoho Social. You can connect several different platforms together and several users can use one account.
Paid Social Media Analytics Options
As soon as you are able, you will need to upgrade to paid social media analytics options because they offer even more insights. While many of the free options have a more valuable paid option, there are four other programs that you need to consider.
NetBase
NetBase uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) to allow you to see social mentions across several languages. You can also use this program to see reputable threats to your organization.
Likeable Hub
If your primary focus is on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, then check out Likeable Hub. This program allows you to generate referrals, find shareable content and manage your brand’s reputation.
Sprout Social
Understand more about your target audience with Sprout Social. Get streamlined reports showing you key performance indicators. Schedule posts around the hottest topics on the web.
Tailwind
If your focus is on Instagram and Pinterest, then Tailwind may be for you. Find social mentions and see what others in your industry are posting all in one easy-to-understand report.
The decision is yours as you know what information you seek to make an informed decision. You may want to try various free and paid versions to discover what works best for your company.