Photo by Cottonbro Studio

Social media can sometimes feel like the biggest game of “guess and check”. It seems that a lot of what we do is throwing things out there and seeing what sticks. For example, when utilizing analytics on any platform, we tend to work backward. Like Sherlock Holmes, we have all of the evidence in front of us, and it’s up to us to determine what was the key that led to our content’s success or failure.

As we gain new analytics, it becomes our goal to identify patterns and the main contributors to success so that we can work with the future in mind. 

 

Look at Your Engagement Rates

When looking at your social media’s data over time, the first clue is how your engagement changes. If your engagement goes up by 8% in the span of a month, take a deep dive into why this may have happened. If your posting rate changes, this may tell a part of the story. If you posted around 8% more, that would explain the engagement boost. But if your posting rate was consistent, then it’s time to look deeper.

Remember that your analytics don’t exist in a bubble. If your brand or product increases in demand for a short time, that very well could be the thing that causes engagement. Outside forces may also cause a dip in engagement, which can be discouraging if the graphic you’ve worked hard on happens to go out at an inopportune time (I’ve been there). So, if you see a spike in interactions on the third Thursday in November, it may have to do with people having free time on their phones during Thanksgiving.

 

What Kind of Engagement?

The next clue to look for is what type of engagement you are receiving. Are you getting a change in likes, comments, shares, retweets, or followers? If one is stagnant while the other metrics grow, why is that? For example, comments could remain unchanged because the language you use in your posts doesn’t start conversations. Ending a post with a call-to-action can motivate users to leave their thoughts in the comments section. 

This next clue doesn’t exist for every platform, but it comes in handy for the ones that do, and it is what percentage of viewership comes from followers and non-followers. If you see some posts are more popular among non-followers, analyze why that may be the case. Is it a specific hashtag, or is it the content of the post? For example, a post highlighting someone in your company may do well because it is being shared amongst that person’s family who may not be following your page. 

Once you identify those posts that reach more non-followers, see how they performed in other ways. Were there more or fewer shares than normal? Did anybody click on your account from that post? This trail of breadcrumbs may show you a great strategy for organically gaining followers. 

Finally, A/B testing multiple posts together is a fantastic experiment for a social media strategist to conduct. Find some posts that are similar to each other — like Throwback Thursday. This is the time to throw all of your analytic tools together. Map out the engagement for each post and see what worked better. Which got more likes or shares? What time of the day or day in the week was each posted? Were there different hashtags or emojis? Did one have paid boosts? Try to hone in on one difference at a time so that the multiple variables don’t become overwhelming. Do this over and over, and you will be able to create a checklist of what works and what doesn’t. 

Playing as a detective can be a really fun part of the job as a social media strategist. With all of these tips in mind, remember that anything can change at any moment. Strategies that work today may not work in the future. All that means for us is that we should never hang up our detective’s cap and put away our microscope, and we should always be studying for ways to create our next viral post.

 

Author: Ben Rosenstiel, SMS

Ben joined the NISM team as a summer intern in June of 2024 and, shortly after completion, earned his Social Media Strategist certification. He graduated from Northern Kentucky University with a Bachelor of Arts in Electronic Media & Broadcasting in 2022 and with a Master of Business Administration in 2023. Ben enjoys making content as a Social Media Associate for the Kenton County Public Library. In his free time, he enjoys playing live music in the Cincinnati area, writing music with his band, and spending time with his amazing girlfriend either reading or watching TV (usually Vampire Diaries).