Do you know which social media posts are performing the best? Which platforms do people gravitate toward for your content? What time of day are they active? Analytics answers all these questions, plus some. It’s like have a virtual crystal ball so why not take advantage?
The number of social media users worldwide has grown to 2.34 billion and is expected to reach 2.95 billion by the year 2020. Marketing is no longer about guesswork. There is a concerted need to measure and prove efforts. As social media continues to skyrocket, more and more tools become available to measure success.
To efficiently transfer traffic to leads, you have to know where you are winning and where you are losing. That way you can focus efforts. Since there are now hundreds of tools on the market, it can be difficult weeding through the platforms. To help, we’ve compiled a list of the nine best platforms for managing social analytics today. Here they are, in no particular order:
1. Google Analytics
The king of metrics and the birth of all analytics platforms is Google Analytics (GA). An extension of the search engine, it is still one of the most extensive tools for analytics that exists. 56% of companies still have difficulty tying social media to business outcomes, so Google Analytics is a very important tool.
Although not originally intended to measure social metrics, GA is not only one of the best ways to track social campaigns, but it also helps to extensively measure social return on investment (SROI). You can use the site to monitor and analyze your traffic, set conversion goals, and even establish UTM parameters (simple tags at the end of your links). The best part? GA can read virtually any social platform on the web, much like the search engine itself.
2. Sprout Social
This website makes it slightly easier for SMBs to understand social analytics. Every brand should have at least one dedicated social media management tool and Sprout Social typically takes the cake. The site lets you measure a variety of analytics from the following platforms:
When you use one dashboard for multiple channels it makes it easier to track and compare your efforts in multichannel marketing campaigns. This will also reveal where your audience is the most active, so you can better focus efforts.
Send Social Media
3. Iconosquare
If you are sure of your platform, and it just so happens to be Instagram, then Iconosquare is the social analytics tool for you. Specifically built for the visual social platform, Iconosquare can help analyze all of your photos and videos on Instagram. It can also give you deep insights into Instagram’s newest feature, “Instagram Stories.”
Much like the Snapchat format with instant video, Iconosquare can analyze media in real-time like no other. Just remember, unless you are heavily invested in Instagram marketing, you may need something less niche-y.
4. Buzzsumo
Buzzsumo takes a slightly different approach to social analytics than the others on the list. Instead of a platform that analyzes the metrics of your particular brand, Buzzsumo analyzes social trends as a whole. It helps you make a comparative analysis like the Dickens. It looks at how the content from your site is performing across all social media.
For example, if you wanted to see how well your latest blog was doing on LinkedIn and Facebook, Buzzsumo can give you the answer. This is the type of tool that will help you to determine the type of content that resonates with an audience. It’s taking social listening to the next level, which makes it an incredibly powerful instrument.
Buzzsumo
5. Brand24
Brand24 is superb for monitoring your mentions, but they can also help you with a variety of other tasks, like managing campaigns and analyzing outcomes. In addition to internal posting and engagement metrics, Brand24 offers deep insight with features like:
- Sentiment analysis
- Influencer identification and tracking
- Competitive brand analysis
- API and 3rd party integrations
- Advanced Keyword / Hashtag Queries
- Community Analysis and Demographics
- Boolean search
Never underestimate tools that initially offer real-time social monitoring. Chances are that is just the lid on the treasure chest of social data and analysis capabilities they offer.
6. Tailwind
There are currently over 175 million monthly active users on Pinterest and over 50 billion pins. The site is still very popular among the masses despite little data about how companies are using it. Tailwind is probably used the most to analyze Pinterest metrics over any other platform on the web.
Tailwind allows you to track regular metrics like engagement, reach, and followers. Although Pinterest Analytics is a good place to start, using a tool like Tailwind will give you deeper insight to help you make more informed decisions. In addition to analyzing your audience, the site even provides some Instagram analytics.
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7. TapInfluence
Businesses are making $6.50 for every $1 spent on influencer marketing. If you already engage with influencers, you’re a step ahead of the game. But, did you know there is a way to measure your efforts? TapInfluence is a tool that not only helps you research and network with influencers but also create campaigns and track engagement.
If you only work with influencers on occasion, this tool may be too robust for your business. However, if influencer marketing forms a key part of your social media marketing strategy, this app can be the most dedicated one you employ. The social media platforms that TapInfluence will service include:
- YouTube
At times, TapInfluence can be more of an enterprise-level type of software. Traackr is a cheaper alternative for SMBs that will also allow you to track influencer efforts. You can also create specific campaigns and benchmark initiatives. Whatever software you decide upon, the important takeaway is that if you intend on using influencers, make sure you have a platform to track your efforts.
8. ShortStack
One of the best ways to engage the empowered customer is through gamification. ShortStack is a site that will help you track any and all social media contests you run. Never leave the winner hanging again! Follow through with your important polling and contest campaigns with a tool like ShortStack.
Using a software program to help you analyze your social media contest can boost online engagement, build your email list, and inspire virality. In other words, the more positive experience you create for consumers, the more they will share it with others. It’s creating brand advocates through gamification. The key here is awareness.
ShortStack will provide performance metrics on every contest you run and analyze how well you did. Through this type of tool, you can see which contests and prizes your audience responds to the most and move in that direction. The alternative is to keep creating contests that no one participates in, while you give away everything but the kitchen sink. See why you might need a tool?
9. Zoho Social
In addition to performing as a customer relationship management tool (CRM), ZoHo has a social management suite that allows you to achieve deep analytics. It’s a smart tool that can help you grow your presence through a variety of features that include:
- Publishing and social curation
- Drag and drop/smart post queue (social management)
- Community Analysis and Demographics
- Internal post and engagement metrics
- Influencer ID marketing
- Real-time social monitoring
- CRM integration
- Mobility and responsive design
- Competitive brand analysis data
- Sentiment analysis
ZoHo Social is intense, but it was still designed for small and medium businesses. It’s simple enough to be friendly to the local “mom and pop” but functional enough to run an enterprise. If you need to do a lot on social media, in a ton of places, in a short amount of time, ZoHo Social is the tool for you.
The idea behind effectively managing your social metrics is to understand your needs in the first place. Simpler is better. If a platform contains a multitude of features you will never need, consider downsizing to an easier tool. Less is more so don’t overload yourself if you don’t have to.
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Once you find the right tool, it is critical you set your benchmarks right away. Don’t wait a quarter in to start looking at your baseline figures. You’ll never have a true picture of performance. Managing social analytics is about knowing where you stand when you start and quantifying how far you have come.
How do you count something like people’s behavior? How do you assign it a number? It’s not easy but as technology and modern digital marketing advance, we’re starting to figure it out. Don’t be the last one. Grab a tool and get on board now or be left in the digital dust of customer confusion.