They say you shouldn’t try to fix something that isn’t broken, but how can you tell if it’s broken in the first place? Also, how do you know if you’ve made things better? The most straightforward answer is, by observing available data and information, monitoring shifts over time.
With that in mind, here are the five types of data and information your social media campaign should include.
1. Engagements
Engagements are the clearest indicator of the effectiveness of your social media campaign. People can see your content through their feeds, stories, etc. How often do they feel the need to engage with your content?
There are different ways in which they can interact with your brand and different levels of social media engagement. For instance:
- Call-to-action clicks
- Likes
- Shares
- Comments
- Direct messages
- Mentions of your page in other spaces
Since engagement is so important, it’s essential to your campaign plan. First, you will use these engagement metrics as KPIs when setting goals. This means you will analyze their current performance, note where they are, and set your goals.
To make this more efficient, you should follow the SMART principle, which stands for:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- RelevantTime-bound
This way, you will already have an outline of a plan to work towards.
While there’s no single method that can improve engagement, there are multiple steps you can take to make your content more engaging. Remember that sending an instant message or leaving a comment represents a much higher level of engagement. This is why some marketers refer to likes as a vanity metric.
2. Profile views
According to the customer lifecycle, it takes people time before they actually interact with your brand. First, they might check you out, but they won’t necessarily even follow/send friend requests immediately. According to the rule of seven, it takes at least seven interactions with a brand before an interested person becomes a paying customer.
The biggest problem with profile views is that it’s a metric with a relative value. This, too, is sometimes considered a vanity metric. All it tells you is that people are viewing your profile. It means that your visibility is decent and that you’re findable. The problem is that it doesn’t tell you much more.
Of course, if you maintain a steady number of profile views and it suddenly drops or increases, it may mean you’re doing something better/worse.
Another way you can use profile views as an indirect indicator of how well your content is doing or how viral it is: You’ve stirred a pot if there’s a sharp bump in profile views after you publish content or leave a comment. While not always reliable, it’s worth keeping track of profile views.
3. Check social media compliance
The content you share via social media platforms must abide by regulations set by the networks. The messages shouldn’t be misleading, and they need to be compliant with different laws and standards.
The problem is that most of these platforms are international, and government bodies regularly pass new local and regional laws. For instance, as a company from California, you need to follow the CPRA guide, not just comply with the regulations imposed by the platform.
This makes it really hard to keep up with all these compliances. Fortunately, some platforms can automate these processes. They track and alert you of any relevant changes, making staying on the right side of the law a lot easier.
Remember that, regardless of your company’s size, compliances are important. The sooner you introduce a system or an automation method, the easier it will be to keep up. In other words, this is a scalable solution, and you need to approach it as such.
4. Social share of voice
Your social media platform may be a bubble without you even knowing it. For instance, the brand awareness amongst your social media followers will be, by default, higher than normal.
Also, while haters are normal in the digital world, not everyone who dislikes your brand will smear your brand on every occasion. Not everyone who likes you will leave a review.
You’re interested in what people are talking about you when they think you’re not listening. Perhaps even more importantly, you must determine if they’re talking about you. This is your social share of voice.
This is such an underrated metric because it follows your mentions as a percentage of total mentions within the industry. This means you also see how you compare to your closest competitors. In other words, it’s a sort of competitiveness test.
The key to understanding your social share of voice lies in social listening.
5. Demographic data
Understanding your demographics allows you to understand your audience. Therefore, it also allows you to cater to them more effectively. How can you make a good USP (unique sales proposition) if you don’t understand their priorities? Their demographics sometimes determine their preferences.
Demographic data usually involves things like:
- Age
- Gender
- Education level
- Income status
- Race
- Ethnicity
- Location
In some industries, even one’s marital status may be a crucial demographical trait to watch out for. For instance, if you’re selling engagement rings, family homes, or renting out wedding venues.
In some industries, the occupation of your audience is also essential. There are too many reasons why the demographics of people who follow/interact with you matter.
Tracking and using the right data and information will drastically improve your social media campaign
You need to track engagement, page views, and voice to determine if your social media activity is effective.
Sometimes, even vanity metrics make a difference. This makes them worth keeping track of, even if they aren’t a huge factor in your projections and evaluations.
Regarding your social media messaging, you must know who you’re talking to. This is why tracking demographics matters so much.
Ultimately, track all compliances and play by the rules of your platforms.
