From Data to Impact: Instagram Analytics for Reach Growth
Social media trends are significant, but what is more important? Your analytics! We’ve had several insightful conversations over the past couple of months with clients eager to understand their social media performance better and determine what content they need to produce or recreate to increase reach on Instagram’s brilliant marketing platform. Detecting your social media ROI can sometimes feel like navigating a maze, so we’re here to simplify it. From data to impact, here’s how to review your Instagram analytics for reach and growth.
What is Instagram Reach?
Instagram reach refers to the total number of unique users who see your content within a given time frame (we will tell you how to tailor this in a minute!). It is a vital metric that indicates how far your content has spread and how many individual accounts have been exposed to it. Understanding Instagram’s reach for small businesses is crucial for assessing the effectiveness of your content strategy and gauging your brand’s visibility. A high reach number compared to your number of followers indicates that your content reaches a broad audience, potentially enhancing brand awareness and recognition far beyond those who follow you! On the other hand, a low reach might inform you that it’s time to reevaluate your content approach or explore ways to expand your audience. The ultimate goal of small businesses on social media is to drive more meaningful interactions and achieve specific social media goals.
How to Check Instagram Analytics
Before checking your account’s analytics, Instagram requires you to switch to a business or creator account, so if your small business has a personal account, it’s time to switch!
- Go to your profile (bottom right icon with your profile photo).
- Click on the Professional Dashboard
For account reach specifically, select Accounts Reached and apply a filter (top left) to your desired date range. We recommend a 90-day timeframe for better analytical understanding, as this will provide a comprehensive view of your performance trends over time. From this vantage point, you can gain insights into your top-performing content and reach numbers based on post type, impressions, and more.
Why Do Insights Matter?
We know that every marketing dollar counts for a small business, and this is what makes Instagram insights invaluable! Here are the top two reasons why insights matter, especially for small businesses:
- Data-Driven Decision Making: This isn’t a “throw something at the wall and see what sticks” kinda thing. Instagram insights provide proven, data-driven, real-time information about their audience, content performance, and what is working and not working. Allowing you to adjust or change strategies on a need basis without wasting resources on approaches that have proven to be ineffective.
- Competitive Edge: We all know Instagram is saturated with businesses and products, and it can seem impossible to stand out… but if you understand your audience and adapt to their needs via analytic performance, you gain a competitive edge and potentially create better customer relationships! Small businesses can use this information to tailor content to their unique audience’s preferences, ensuring higher engagement and conversion rates.
How to Implement Strategy from Instagram Analytics
Now that you’ve figured out how to get to your professional dashboard and reach your analytic performance, it’s time to implement some strategy into your content and post moving forward!
For example, let’s say you’re a custom home builder in Charlotte, NC. Your objective is to connect with local real estate agents and to get more reach around Charlotte. Your analytics showed that your top post was a reel of you doing a walk-through of a newly built kitchen.
The kitchen featured stunning white appliances and rich dark hardwood flooring sourced from a local Charlotte company. Let’s pretend it reached 5,600 followers and 10,500 non-followers. You received two organic comments asking questions like, “I adore this kitchen. Where did you get the flooring from?” or “I’m a real estate agent and would love to come to look at those appliances in person!” You can conclude that 1. This post garnered exceptional reach within the past 90 days. And 2. It attracted two genuine comments regarding the flooring and appliances. And 3. You successfully connected with a real estate agent (score one for your objectives!). Your caption was also keyword-rich and complemented by ten strategic hashtags.
What are you waiting for? Take action and make fresh content, or repurpose older content in a new way. Your analytics tell a story. They suggest your audience resonates with darker floors and white appliances, and the keywords and hashtags worked! The analytics should prompt you to create more content like this or curate older content differently!
Isn’t it clear that your reach insights paved the way for your content strategy?
How Do Digital Marketing Companies Read Analytic Performance?
While your Instagram insights and professional dashboard are great for the average small business, those needing extra help should work with a digital marketing agency. They help overcome the challenges you may have read your analytics from multiple platforms, including the app and third-party apps like Pallyy, Later, and Hootsuite. They can help translate complex metrics and have more significant insights and comparison tools against competitors. This information ultimately helps your marketing team empower small businesses to make informed decisions that drive continuous improvement and success online!
Social Media Management Charlotte NC
At Express My Media, we take a holistic and authentic approach. This approach ensures your small business overcomes challenges and thrives in the digital landscape. Let’s partner together to transform your online presence. Together, we will drive tangible results by addressing your reach and insights on Instagram and offering actionable guidance. We work with small businesses in Charlotte, NC, and beyond. Businesses looking to enhance their online presence and engage their target audience backed by data-driven results. Contact us today!
