5 things to think about when choosing a social media platform, Part 2: Advertising & Analytics

​Welcome back to part two of our blog on five things to think about when choosing a social media platform. In case you missed last month's blog post, be sure to check it out as we talked about the first three things on the list: Content type, Target Audience, and Visibility of content. This entry will focus on Advertising and Analytics but do not worry as we will keep it as simple as possible for those of you who may be new to analytics and advertising in the online world.

Paid advertising on Social Media Platforms is big business and the platforms themselves have made it easier than ever to run ads through Social Media. There is a lot involved in this but we have compiled some things to think about before diving into paid advertising on social media. The first thing is how selective you can be with your target audience. You don't want people outside your target market seeing your ad as it will cost you more money for no return. You also want to be able to target everyone that is within your target audience so platforms like Tik Tok may not suit international businesses targeting multiple countries, but may suit local businesses better, for example if you are a business in Kildare and want to target Irish Businesses. This leads us on to the next point about advertising which is how simple the platform ads manager is. Many business owners do not have a background in marketing or advertising and so it can be difficult to begin if the ads manager is confusing and difficult to use. If this applies to you make sure that you can either understand the ad manager or you can get help from someone who does.This means you will not waste the money you spend on social platforms. If you are stuck and need help why not contact us at COSMOS, where we can help you manage your entire social media without you having to worry about it..

Analytics will also be important for your business to see how you are performing on these social media platforms. This allows you to update your strategy to continue to reach your followers and get engagement. So what should we look for in social media analytics? 

The first thing to take note of is whether the in app analytics are filled with so called ‘vanity metrics’ that look great on the surface but do not show the business results you are looking for. The next thing is if they are easy to understand and correlate between your other social analytics or your websites analytics. The key is to streamline the analysis process so you can easily see what works and what does not, and change accordingly. Metrics to think about when looking into insights on a social media platform are:

• Times your audience is most active during the each day of the week in said platform
  
• Engagement metrics (either by individual post or weekly)
  
• Can you see how they found you? (Hashtags, Explore page/ For You Page)
  

These metrics among others will allow you to tailor your content and posting schedule to suit your audience. But what if you want to compare the platforms you use and potentially get better insights into your social media analytics? Maybe you could use a social media analysis tool such as Fanpage Karma. This Software allows you to link up your social media channels so you can compare each of them to each other over a certain period of time. Aside from showing which of your social media accounts are performing better, it will also allow you to add your competitors to the site so you can keep an eye on their progress too! Perfect for staying ahead of the competition.

And that concludes our two part blog for 5 things to think about when choosing a social media platform. If you have any further questions, have a look at some of our other blog posts such as

• 7 reasons to invest in social media
  
• How social media marketing helps small business