When you want to succeed on a vast social media platform like Instagram, you need to put in the legwork to make sure you have a plan and are executing against it. That’s where analytics comes in. Approaching things with a strategy is a great way to reduce upfront costs early on and make sure you’re using your time efficiently as your account grows.
But what if you don’t have a big budget for marketing? Or, what if you’re just getting started and don’t have a lot of data to work with?
There are still many ways to get valuable insights from your Instagram account with free analytics tools. This article will share 8 of the best free Instagram analytics tools to help you track your success and growth.
Why Track Your Instagram Analytics?
Instagram is a vast social media platform with over one billion monthly active users. And while it started out as a way to share photos and videos, it’s become a powerful marketing tool for businesses of all sizes.
But, with so many people and businesses using the platform, how can you make sure your content is seen by your target audience? And, how can you tell if your efforts are actually paying off?
That’s where Instagram analytics comes in. By tracking your progress and understanding which content is performing well, you can make informed decisions about what to post, when to post it, and how to grow your account.
What Are Analytics Important To Track On Instagram?
When you’re first getting started with tracking your Instagram analytics, it can be helpful to start with the basics. The first thing you will need to do is establish a long-term content plan to improve on your technique and come up with new and innovative content ideas that stand out from the crowd. Once you have this worked out, you can start thinking about which metrics will be most important for your specific approach.
For example, if you are running giveaways, tracking new followers would be an excellent metric. In contrast, reach, and engagement would be more critical if you are trying to increase brand awareness. Or, if you’re using Instagram Shop, you’ll need to target customers with popular content to get a better return on investment (ROI).
Here are a few key metrics you’ll want to keep an eye on, no matter your approach:
– Engagement Rate: This is the number of people who engage with your content divided by the number of followers you have. To calculate your engagement rate, simply take the number of likes, comments, and shares your post receives and divide it by your number of followers.
– Audience Growth: This metric will show you how quickly your audience is growing. To track your audience growth, simply compare your follower count from one week to the next. If you are running a campaign, it’s a good idea to track your audience growth before, during, and after the campaign to see how effective it was.
– Post Reach: This metric measures how many people see your post. To calculate your post reach, take the number of impressions (the number of times your post appears in someone’s feed) and divide it by the number of followers.
– Most Popular Content: Take a look at which content gets the most engagement and try to replicate that type of content in the future. If you tweak anything, make sure you only change one thing at a time! It may seem like a small detail, but you never know what could be causing your content to perform well (and usually, it’s not what you would think).
These are just a few of the key metrics you’ll want to track when getting started with Instagram analytics. As you begin to understand more about your audience and what content performs well, you can dive deeper into other metrics, like conversion rate or website traffic.
Tips For Improving Results For Each Metric
Once you know which metrics to track, you can start thinking about how to improve your results. Here are a few tips for improving each metric:
– Engagement rate: If you want to increase your engagement rate, try posting interactive content, like a poll or a question. You can also try using relevant hashtags and tagging other users in your posts.
– Audience Growth: To grow your audience, you need to post high-quality content that is interesting and relevant to your target audience. You can also try using popular hashtags and promoting your account on other social media platforms.
– Post Reach: To increase your post reach, try using relevant hashtags and tagging other users in your posts. Blog posts about your topic can also be a great way to increase your reach, as you can share your posts with a broader audience by using SEO keywords that get your account better rankings. You can also try promoting your content with paid ads which are expensive in the long term but delivers almost instantaneous results to help you find what content works.
– Most Popular Content: Take a look at your most popular content and work out what made that most successful. Was it the type of content, the timing, or how you promoted it? Use what you learn to create more successful content in the future.
These are just a few general tips for improving your results. However, keep in mind that what works for one account may not work for another. It’s essential to experiment and find what works best for you and your audience.
8 Analytics Tools For Instagram
There is a wide variety of paid and free tools to help you track your progress and growth on Instagram. Depending on how you approach your social media, you will need to work out your budget and what key features you are looking for in an analytics tool.
Here are 8 useful tools for Instagram Analytics:
1- Sprout Social: Sprout Social is an all-in-one platform that offers a wide range of features, including social media management, engagement, and analytics.
2- Iconosquare: Iconosquare is an Instagram analytics tool that offers a variety of features, including insights, scheduling, and content management.
3- Simply Measured: Simply Measured is an analytics platform that offers a free 14-day trial. After the trial, plans start at $500/month.
4- Hootsuite Insights: Hootsuite’s Insights platform offers a variety of features, including social media management, engagement, and analytics. Plans start at $19/month.
5- Socialbakers: Socialbakers is an analytics platform that offers a free 14-day trial. After the trial, plans start at $99/month.
6- Curalate: Curalate is an analytics platform that offers a free 14-day trial. After the trial, plans start at $49/month.
7- Union Metrics: Union Metrics is an analytics platform that offers a free 14-day trial. After the trial, plans start at $99/month.
8- Tailwind: Tailwind is an Instagram scheduling tool that offers a limited number of analytics features. Plans start at $9.99/month.
These tools all have benefits and drawbacks, so choosing the right one for you and your needs is essential. However, all of these tools will be able to give you valuable insights into your Instagram analytics in one way or another and improve your results.
Strategically analyzing and improving things is a great way to understand your business and customers more as well which can significantly help with content improvements in the future.
Instagram holds a lot of potential for businesses and brands. By understanding which metrics to track and how to improve your results, you can use Instagram to reach your goals and grow your business. Working more efficiently can maximize your results and give you a better outcome for services you may buy.
Try out one or more of these Instagram analytics tools to take your brand to the next level!
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