On Becoming Data Literate on Social Media
The question that haunts so many business owners:
What analytics actually matter? How is social moving the needle for your biz?
Just hoping and wishing doesn’t get you anywhere. We believe in data-driven, strategic content that's not created for the ego boost — but for real results.
Each month, we walk our clients through their results — good and bad. Every number, every reaction is an opportunity to learn and adjust.
So what does each piece of data actually mean? Which numbers should you be looking at and which should you ignore?
Here's our data analysis strategy — made easy!
Steal our data strategy 👇
Step One: Know What You Want From Social
First, figure out what you actually want to achieve from social media.
(Posting just because you “should” isn’t what I'm talking about.)
You need to be really clear and realistic. We recommend focusing on 1–3 specific goals before expanding your efforts.
Why? If you're just starting to take your business social seriously, spreading yourself across too many goals does the opposite — you end up not being focused on anything.
How We Help Clients Define Their Goals
We always start by talking to our clients about what they truly want out of social:
Do you want to answer questions people are already asking about your business or process?
Do you want your leads to start recognizing you for the high-quality, luxury work you do?
Are you trying to increase the number of leads coming in?
Do you want to position your business as the leading expert and educate your audience?
There are SO many valid goals outside of “grow followers.”
Because at the end of the day, a huge audience who follows you for the wrong reasons is way less valuable than a few aligned followers who may actually convert into clients or partners.
I'll say it again for the people in the back:
A FEW ALIGNED FOLLOWERS ARE ALWAYS BETTER THAN MANY UNALIGNED FOLLOWERS.
Step Two: Keep Your Goals Front and Center
Now that you've chosen a small set of real, attainable goals, write them down somewhere you’ll actually see them. Revisit them each month when you look at your analytics.
For us, there are two types of data we track:
Output Data
Input Data
Output Data (Most People Stop Here)
Output data = the hard to read/understand numbers inside IG:
Engagement
Reach
Views
Follows per post
Saves
Shares
The best place to start? Just familiarize yourself with what your numbers look like right now and save screenshots each month.
Our Output Data Checklist:
1. Review your top 3 posts (Reels + carousels)
Why did they perform well?
Strong CTA?
Storytelling in the caption?
Process shown?
Transformation or before + after?
Write down what worked and do it again. It really is that simple.
2. Look at the data that ties to your goals
Not just followers + likes.
Brand awareness goal → views + reach
Attract aligned audience → new followers per post + who followed from each post
P.S. You can see how many followers each post brought in. It’s eye-opening.
3. Track month-to-month movement
Pick which metrics matter to you and check if they go up or down — then connect the dots back to your actions.
If you ever have questions, DM/email us and we can chat about it.
Input Data (This Is Where Most People Drop the Ball)
Input data = what YOU are doing to move the needle:
If your goal is to position yourself as an expert, how many educational posts did you publish this month?
If you wanted to bring in more leads, are you promoting your services? Are you sharing info on your offers? Are you educating on what it would be like to work with you?
Input data is data too.
Once you put these strategies into practice, we guarantee you’ll have a much clearer idea of where your results are coming from.
It’s time you took control!
Contact us if you want expert data tracking and strategic results.
