We are quickly approaching the end of the year, which makes it the perfect time to set aside a little chunk of time and review your social media efforts. One of the best tools to measure your social media goals and success is Google Analytics. The goal for the majority of companies is the send users to their website to gain more information or make a purchase. Social platforms can only measure so much information from their side. Google Analytics will pick up where the social platforms left off.
There are 3 main data points that reveal your social success via Google Analytics.
Demographics, this is probably one of the first places you would think to look. Once you know about your audience age and gender, compare those with the top social network for that group. If a large section of your audience is 18-24 then your company needs to look at being active on Snapchat. Research by SmartInsights, reflects that Snapchat rises above other social networks for users 18-24 as of June, 2016.
Tip: Use this information to target your content marketing towards the lifestyle of this user as well.
Geographic Location, for smaller companies this can make a big impact in terms of online spending. Focus your paid spending budget on the identifiable areas that are making the largest impact. They may or may not be areas that you previously thought. Companies that sell online, can often identify cities where the simply sell better. This will help you identify those and then you focus spending money in those areas because you realize the rate of return will most likely be higher. Be where you find success, don’t worry if it’s not where you thought.
Referral Channels. Under the acquisitions tab you will find the Channels listed under All Traffic. This breaks down where your website visitors are from in regards to the internet. By checking out the social networks listed you will see how many come directly from each network. Identifying which platforms are creating higher levels of traffic can let you realize how you can improve. It may mean you need to spend time on another network, or just that you’re having good success but could capture more with increased focus. This section should be tracked on an ongoing basis to measure any adjustments that you make to your social campaign.
Each of these entities reveals pertinent information that can allow you to reflect and improve upon your social media marketing strategy. The analytics are best paired with those you can also pull from each of the social media platform insights. Many of the platforms are gathering richer data and insights especially as larger audiences are gained. As the year ends, be sure to make the time to reevaluate your strategy and try to set time each month or quarter to review and make those small adjustments that will increase your success.
