If you’re new to the world of data and analytics, knowing which Instagram metrics to track can seem like a daunting task. What's more important to measure? What are vanity metrics? These are all questions you may have when scrolling through your Instagram Insights, but in this blog post, we are decoding the top 6 metrics to track for social media success on Instagram. Once you’re up to speed, understanding and analyzing these metrics can be revolutionary for your brand’s growth!
Metric 1: Reach.
When it comes to monitoring your brand’s performance on Instagram, reach one of the most important metrics to take into account. Reach shows how many unique accounts have seen your post, and therefore how much awareness and value you’re gaining. So if your objective is to increase brand awareness and reach the highest number of users possible, you should be focusing on growing your reach on Instagram.
If a post receives higher (or lower) reach than usual, you can use those results as insight for future posts and stories.
What hashtags did you use? Was your CTA (call-to-action) optimized for engagement? Did you publish when your audience was most engaged? Was there anything different about the type of images you shared that could have resulted in higher (or lower) engagement? All of these factors can have a direct impact on a post’s reach, so it’s worth taking note of any changes that could contribute to an increase or decrease in your metrics.
Metric 2: Saves.
It's all about the saves, baby!! Instagram saves are a useful metric that brands are tracking right now — especially with Instagram hiding likes on the platform. With Instagram saves, users can collect and save a post for later, simply by tapping the “bookmark” icon in the bottom right corner of an Instagram post.
These saves are a key signal for the Instagram algorithm as they indicate a strong interest in your content. The more saves you get on a post, the more people Instagram will show it to.
By tracking the number of saves your posts receive over time, you can understand what content prompts the highest number of saves and use this to inform your future strategy.
SAVE-BOOSTING TIP: Consider the type of content that your audience would be likely to save as a reference to come back to, such as motivational quotes, or carousel posts with tips or how to’s.
Metric 3: Engagement Rate.
Your Instagram engagement rate is a key indicator of how well your audience is responding to your content. If your followers are commenting, liking, saving, and sharing your content, your engagement rate will show it.
So how do you calculate it? Click here and it will generate an answer for you: Phlanx: Social Media Marketing Platform
Remember- you want your engagement rate to sit around 3.5%, any less means your content needs some work!
Keeping an eye on this metric is key to long-term success, as you can pin-point exactly what resonates with your audience — and use this valuable insight to inform your future content strategy.
Metric 4: Instagram Stories Views.
Instagram Stories are one of the best ways to build a stronger relationship with your audience — and tracking your view count, taps forward, and taps back will tell you what’s really resonating with them.
With each slide you post having it's own individual metrics, you can use the metrics for each individual story slide to learn what holds your audience’s attention, what they tap back to, and what causes them to skip away from your content.
Metric 5: Best Time to Post.
Finding your best time to post is a great way to reach your audience when they are most likely to engage with your content — rather than when they’re half asleep, or more focused on something else.
Of course, every account will be slightly different depending on your business and your audience, but it’s good to use the data found in your audience tab, as a starting point and then really focus on the best time to post for your followers.
Metric 6: Growth.
Keeping tabs on your profile growth has always been important, but now — thanks to Instagram’s “followed” and “unfollowed” metrics — you can see exactly how many followers you gain and lose each day. This information can also be found in the audience tab.
Having this level of insight is super helpful for understanding what content helps to grow your followers, and what content results in a spate of unfollows. For example, if you notice a spike in unfollow activity after sharing a feed post, it could be a strong indication that the post was a miss with your audience — and something to take note of in your future content plan.
That being said, it’s worth not getting too hung up on your follower count. Followers can fluctuate due to a number of reasons, and ultimately, having a smaller but more engaged audience is more valuable.
An engaged audience is much more likely to rep your brand, purchase your products, give useful feedback, and share posts with their friends and family.
By understanding what motivates your audience, you can tailor your content plan around this — and capitalize on big click opportunities. Jumping into the deep end of analytics can be overwhelming, but if you focus on these 6 Instagram metrics to track, you’ll be able to reach new audiences and grow your community.