Are you tracking social media analytics and statistics? If you have a Facebook business page or group, a business Instagram or Pinterest account, Twitter, Email, or a Blog, tracking these stats will help you understand how those platforms are impacting your business. If you’re like me, you want this to be a simple process that takes only a few minutes each month. You don’t want to waste a log of time looking for the right stats, you just want it done. Good news! That’s totally do-able!
I became so frustrated with tracking stats last year that I stopped doing it. Looking back, I have stats up to April. After that? Zilch. Zero. Oops. That really was not helpful to me when trying to understand what drove traffic to my business last year.
I have spent a lot of time the last few months coming to understand those mysterious statistics. I’ve spent even more time trying to locate them! If I have trouble, I’m sure others do too. What to do, what to do. I decided to share what I’ve learned.
Below is a guide to finding the stats you want to track – the good, the frustrating, and those that tend to be a bit elusive. Before you start, decide on what day of the month you want to pull your numbers. It really doesn’t matter if it’s the last day of the month or the first day of the month, as long as you’re consistent.
This list is long and rather comprehensive. You may not want to track everything listed. That’s ok! You want to do what is best for your business. If you don’t use a platform, just skip it. One more thing, some platforms call them analytics, some call them insights, some call them stats. Don’t let the terminology confuse you.
Table of Contents
- Facebook and Instagram
- Pinterest Analytics
- Email Stats
- Twitter Analytics
- LinkedIn Stats
- Blog Stats
- How to Track Your Social Media Analytics
- A New Tracking Tool
Facebook and Instagram
Facebook Profile Followers
Your Personal Facebook Friends is the easiest to find. You can find that number by going to your profile page. It’s right below your photo (see the red circle.) And yes, I am an avatar. There’s a long, amusing story behind that I’ll share another time.
Next, we move on to the Facebook and Instagram Business Pages. These are fairly easy to navigate if you use Business Suite. Business Suite brings everything for both platforms together in an easy to use format. If you’re not using Business Suite, you really should.
Facebook Business Page Insights
Some of the more common things you’re looking for on your Facebook Business Page are:
- Followers
- Post Reach
- Post Engagement
- Link Clicks
- Comments
- Shares
To get to the Business Suite on a desktop, scroll down the left side and click “Business Suite”. That will open a new window where you can check your insights. Once there, scroll down the left side again and click “Insights”.
Here you can select your date range from the upper right side and then locate your stats for both Facebook Business Page and Instagram Business Page by clicking through this section.
Using Business Suite is by far the simplest tool to use for finding your data. There is also an app available for both phone and tablet.
Facebook Group Insights
If you have Facebook Group, you’ll want to look at it next. Some key things to track in Groups are:
- Number of Posts
- Total Posts
- Reactions
- Comments
- Members
- Active Members
- Most Popular Day
- Most Popular Time
Instagram Insights
If you use the Instagram App to pull your numbers, it provides you one week at a time. That may or may not be helpful, depending on your goals. You can use Business Suite to pull your monthly numbers if that’s more appealing.
Instagram Business Page insights to watch are:
- Number of Posts
- Followers
- Following
- Reach
- *Impressions
- *Interactions
- *Profile Visits
* Found in Weekly Insights
To find your insights, look to the left side of your screen in the Business Suite. Scroll down past everything in the Admin section and you’ll find your insights. Click each option to find the stats you’re looking for.
Pinterest Analytics
To track Pinterest stats, you’ll need a Pinterest Business Account. Pinterest doesn’t provides any kind of analytics for personal accounts.
The main things to track for Pinterest are:
- Impressions
- Total Audience
- Engagement
- Engaged Audience
- Pin Clicks
- Outbound Links
- Saves
When you log in to Pinterest on a desktop, you’ll land on the Business Hub page. Scroll down and look for the red button on your right side called “see analytics” and click it. That will drop you into the Analytics Page. From here you’ll be able to find all of the information you’re looking for.
Email Stats
Email stats are interesting. You actually want to look at more than your open rate. Who knew there was more than that? Now keep in mind, each email provider is a little different, BUT, they will all have the same information.
Email Stats to pay attention to are:
- Number of Subscribers
- Number of Unsubscribers
- Open Rate
- Link Clicks
Here’s a tip. Open Rates are often a low percentage, so don’t be discouraged! I know some who have a 5-10% open rate and others who have 25% or more. Whatever your magic number, remember it’s simply a tool to help you grow.
Twitter Analytics
Twitter is fairly easy to track. From a desktop, log into Twitter. On the left side of your screen, click on “…more” and then select “Analytics”. Common things to track in Twitter are:
- Following
- Followers
- # Tweets
- # Re-Tweets
In the Twitter Analytics home screen you’ll find a 28-day summary with Impressions and Followers. Click on “Tweets” at the top of the page and you’ll go to a page where you’ll find the rest.
LinkedIn Stats
LinkedIn is also super simple to track. It’s all about connections, so it makes sense to track Profile Views and Connections. Both of these can be found under your profile picture on the left side of your home screen.
Blog Stats
For those who have a blog, there are a number of things that you can track to help you grow. Blogging has grown so much over the years, many bloggers have achieved five and six-figure incomes (or more!) Along with many or all of the platforms above, bloggers grow by tracking their analytics, including:
- # Posts
- Bounce Rate
- Top Source
- Page Views
- Number of Visitors
- Number of Return Visitors
- Average Page Views per Session
All of this information can be found through an analytics tool such as Google Analytics or Monster Insights.
How to Track Your Social Media Analytics
Whew! That was a long list! Now, what do you do? You decide what you want to track and then start doing it. You can track your social media statistics on paper or digitally using things like a note-taking app, digital planner, Excel, or Google Sheets. Whatever method you use, it should easiest for YOU. Don’t go spreadsheet instead of pen and paper because you’re bestie does.
I’m a spreadsheet kind of girl, so I have opted for Excel. I created something for myself to use, then realized, others may want to use it too. I have put together a compressive spreadsheet tool that allows you to track all of the above listed statistics monthly. Once you enter your numbers, it automatically calculates your changes from the previous month as well as year to date. There’s also an optional section for that that want to track Instagram weekly. Does it get any simpler than that?
A New Tracking Tool
If you are also a spreadsheet kind of gal, head on over to my online shoppe. There you’ll find the Simply Social Media Stats Tracker. I’ve included both the Excel file and Google Sheet for those that like to use one or the other. The files include a glossary and instructions. I also have an Upgrade add-on for those that have more than one business and want to see everything on one sheet.
Use your analytics and stats when developing your goals! Check out the 90-Day Goal Planning Guide.
If you have read this far, thanks so much! I hope I’ve helped you understand how to find your social media stats. Tracking them really can be simple! And, I’d love to know how you’re doing with your tracking. Feel free to drop me an email or post on my Facebook Page.
If you enjoy this kind of thing, you’ll want to join my Insiders Group (see below) to get my (mostly) weekly updates. When you join, I’ll send you a link to download a March weekly planner! Are you following me on Facebook and Instagram? If not, head on over and check it out. I’d love to have you follow along. Until next time,
