You’ve probably asked yourself: “What am I supposed to do with it anyway?” “What metrics are actually going to make a difference and help me move the needle?” In today’s post, we’re eliminating the mystery around Facebook metrics. By the time you’ve finished reading this post, you’re going to know: • Which Facebook analytics you need to track in 2023, to set yourself up for success • Where to find everything • How these metrics will help measure your progress, boost engagement and convert those lurkers into paying customers
Facebook Metrics You Need to Track
#1: Engagement
Want to defeat the Facebook algorithm without paying for ads? You need to snoop your Facebook engagement metrics to see what content is attracting the following: • Likes • Comments • Reactions • Shares • Clicks Once you’ve identified what’s driving people to take action, you can plan your Facebook content strategy around those analytics. The more content you create that gets attention, the more the algorithm will push your posts out to users — free of charge. Where to find it: Navigate to your Facebook Page, click on “Insights” on the top bar navigation and select “Posts” in the sidebar section. You’ll get an overview of all your posts published and their engagement metrics. Click on “Post Types” to see what type of content (video, photo, link, status) your audience likes the most – and make more of it! Action Step: Analyse your post for the last 30 days. Identify your top-performing posts and what gave you a boost in engagement. Did you ask a question? Post a video? Write an intriguing caption? Post on a trending topic? Once you’ve figured it out, it’s a lot easier to recreate. Read Next: Facebook Marketing Tips You Can Use Right Now
#2: Reach
Reach is the number of eyeballs on your content. The more times your content pops up on other people’s feeds, the more exposure for your brand. When Facebook made the switch to an algorithm-based feed, pages with followings large and small saw a massive drop in reach. Some studies report it dropping to as little as 2.6%. Ouch. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t track this Facebook metric. It’s important to monitor if your reach is increasing or decreasing over time so you can adjust your content strategy as needed. For example, if you notice it’s going downhill all of a sudden, it’s time to sound the alarm. Delve deep into your analytics and figure out the cause. Maybe you’ve only posted twice that month, no one is sharing your posts, or people are flagging your content as spam. Where to find it: Click on “Insights” and select the “Reach” tab on the sidebar. You’ll see your reach metrics for: • Post • Stories • Recommendations • Reactions, comments, shares • Unlikes, hide and spam reports Action Step: Analyse your reach for the last 30-days. Has it gone up and down? If so, why? What have you done differently?
#3: Facebook Referral Traffic
Social media platforms like Facebook are great and all, but it’s only a vehicle for your brand. At the end of the day, you don’t want your followers to stay on your page. You want to move them along on your buyer’s journey and turn them into paying customers. One of the best Facebook metrics to track is Facebook referral traffic. It’s going to give you a clear picture if your content is compelling or not. If people are sharing, but no ones clicking and buying — there’s likely a problem. The good news is, the sooner you identify it, the sooner you can fix it! Where to find it: You’ll need a Google Analytics account to track this metric. Once you’ve created your account, click on “Acquisition” > “Social” > “Network Referral”. It will give you a report that shows the number of visitors your site received from Facebook. Action Step: Analyse your Facebook referral traffic from the last three months. If it’s declining, re-assess the content you’re sharing and spend time writing more compelling headlines and descriptions. Read Next: Facebook SEO: 10 Must-Do’s for More Traffic
#4: Page Likes
Okay, so hear us out. Yes, Page Likes is a vanity metric, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore it. Monitoring your likes helps you to assess how your audience size is growing on Facebook. Over time, your follower count should go up. But if you’re stuck with the same number or your audience is shrinking, it likely means: • You’re losing the same amount of likes you’re gaining. • New people are not liking your page. • Your content is making people opt-out. If you’re not tracking your audience growth monthly, it is difficult to make changes to your content strategy to get back on the right track. Where to find it: Click on “Insights” and select the “Likes” tab on the sidebar. You’ll get data on: • Your total number of likes. • Where those likes came from (search, newsfeed, etc.) • The number of organic likes, paid likes and unlikes. Action Step: Start tracking your audience growth every week or month and monitor when unlikes happen. This will help you identify if a piece of content caused people to unfollow your page and if your content is attracting new people.
#5: Facebook Video Retention
Over the last couple of months, we’ve been singing the praises of Facebook video content. Whether it’s the benefits of going live or creating irresistible Facebook video ads — if you’re not incorporating it into your content mix, you’re missing out big time. But there is an important metric to track to make sure your videos are a success: How much of your video are people watching. If you’ve published a 5-minute video and people are clicking away after 30-seconds, that’s a tell-tale sign your content isn’t quite grabbing their attention. Where to find it: Go to your “Insights” tab and click on “Videos” in the sidebar. Scroll to the bottom of the page, and you’ll see a list of your videos. Hover over a video until you see the icon for “View More Video Insights“. A new page will load, and you’ll get information on: • Total minutes viewed. • 1-minute video views. • 10-minute video views. • 3-second view videos. • Average video watch time. • Audience retention. • Audience (age, gender, interests) and post engagement. Action Step: Analyse your top and worst-performing videos to see what you need to change and what you need to keep doing. Read Next: How To Create Facebook Video Ads People Will Watch
#6: Facebook Ad Metrics
Are you dabbling with the Facebook Ad machine? If you want to maximise the results of your campaign, you need to focus on the stats that will help you measure your progress towards your goal. Here are some of the ad metrics you should track: • Cost per Result: How much your ad cost to get you the desired result. For example, if you set a conversion goal, it will show you the cost per sale. • Ad Impressions: How many times your ad was viewed. • Ad Frequency: How many times your ad was viewed by an individual. • Ad Clicks: The number of times someone clicked on your ad. • Click-Through Rates (CTR): The percentage of people who clicked on your ad from everyone that saw it in their feeds. • Cost Per Click (CPC) / Cost Per Impression (CPM): How much it costs you when someone clicks on your ad and how much you pay per 1,000 views. • Conversion Rate: The percentage of people who saw your ad, clicked on it and made a purchase. • Cost Per Conversion: How much you’re paying for each sale or lead. Where to find it: Go to “Insights” and click on “Ads” in the sidebar. A new window will open for your Ads Manager. Read Next: How to Advertise on Facebook: 13 Tips You Need to Use in 2020 The Social Media Manager’s Guide Learn how to manage multiple accounts without going crazy! First Name Email
Start Tracking Your Facebook Metrics With Plann
Facebook analytics are super in-depth, but they don’t have to be intimidating. We’re happy to announce that you can now learn more about your post and video performance from right inside Plann! You’ll now be able to easily review your growth tactics and discover what’s working for you in a single glance. Check out reach, views, clicks, reactions, shares and more for a full picture of your content’s performance. Improved Analytics for Posts
Make sure your Facebook is connected, then head to ‘results’ to check out your metrics today!
