The Do's and Don'ts of Social Media Reporting

Ahh social Media Reporting, the part of social media marketing that everyone has a love hate relationship with.

You see over years we've tried to simplify it so much we've ended up with a one page slide of a PowerPoint where we input the data of last week, maybe mention the best performing post and call it a Monday.

I'm the first to admit two things:

I've been guilty of the one page report for many years.
I know there's a better way than this outdated one-size-fits-all approach.

Before we get into the Do's, let's tackle the Don'ts:

Don't ignore the context:

Don't overlook the context behind the numbers. What was the reason behind the spikes or dips in engagement? What external factors influenced the performance?

Don't only focus on public engagements:

We've become more private engagers on social media over years, replacing public comments with sharing content to private conversations. In fact, Instagram themselves have stated the most amount of content shared is through private conversations. Don't only look at the comments, look at the shares too.

Don't blanket every post with the same metrics:

Judging top-of-funnel content by its conversion rate is like judging a fish for its ability to fly—it’s not meant for that. The same goes for expecting bottom-of-funnel content to go viral.

The Do's of Social Media Reporting:

Share live results with stakeholders & set a cadence for insights reporting:

Social Media Managers don't have the time to report on numbers every single day, and with more content hitting the feed, posts need a minimum of 7 days to build momentum.

Do: Create a live data reporting framework for stakeholders to gather the numbers as they need, and establish what day of the week you'll deliver insights on the numbers.

Context. Context. Context!

What's the WHY behind the numbers instead of reporting for reporting sake. What insights can you gather and implement the following month. How can this adjust your strategy? Can you apply these learnings to your next campaign?

Use your reporting as a time to teach stakeholders on the value of social media:

Incorporate into your reporting a glossary of terms and provide context into HOW the platforms work. The more you educate stakeholders on the value of social and what it means for them, the better change you'll have to elevate your content game across the organisation.

Segment data by platform:

No two platforms report on data the same, nor to they have the same metrics. Don't just blanket report on each metric across 7 platforms at once, appreciate each platform for their own nuances. For example TikTok focuses on video views, whereas LinkedIn focuses on Impressions.

Use a Content Funnel x Success Metrics Framework

In my previous article I shared what the content funnel I teach entails, the next step is establishing the success metrics aligned to each stage of the content funnel.

For example top of funnel content should focus on awareness & discoverability with reach, shares, video views and follows, whereas middle of the funnel content focuses nurturing with on video views, engagements and engagement rate.

Bottom of funnel focuses on action with website traffic, lead generation, sign up, downloads etc.

Social media reporting making you feel in over your head? No stress it's exactly what I do with you as part of my 1:1 services.

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