All in the Adjustments: How Data Helps In-Progress Projects

In my first post, there was a lot of talk about how analytics can help the all-too-often-worrier how to overcome some of the stress of getting a project off the ground. Maybe since then you’ve gone ahead and started something, and now you’re facing down a whole new monster, anxiety about how things are going. 

Well there’s more good news from your new friends, data and analytics. Both can serve as an objective guiding light during the course of your project, giving you confidence that you’re making the right decisions. Take for example, a small business who’s decided to undertake a new social media marketing plan. Rather than just posting for months on Facebook, hoping their efforts are paying off, they could be using any of the robust social media analytics reporting platforms designed to help them optimize their time and posts. Facebook analytics, the native analytics reporting system for Facebook for example, will tell you more than just which posts are getting likes, but also help you understand why posts are doing better or worse. It provides you with insights about your audience and that knowledge alleviates the stress of navigating the seas of social media without any sense of direction. You know what they say, knowledge is power. 

As mentioned earlier, beyond Facebook analytics, there are tons of platforms out there designed to provide feedback for a small business. Some are paid, some are free with tiers. What’s nice is they’re all a little bit different, so you can find the platform that feels right to you. Some to check out right away, especially if you’re juggling multiple social media platforms, are:

·     Hootsuite

·     SproutSocial

·     Adobe Social (and Analytics)

And of course, the platform-native analytics like Facebook Analytics, and Twitter Analytics. 

Don’t forget about Google Analytics. While not designed with social media in mind, there are still a ton of metrics that work hand-in-hand with social media to provide a better picture of what’s going on. Like I said before, knowledge is power, and power certainly makes the stress of a big project melt away.

Come back next time for a look at how data and analytics can help you post-project.