Unlock Instagram's Power: What Social Media Marketers Should Know About Insights
As social media marketers, we all know that posting regularly on Instagram is only half the battle. The real secret to growing your brand, whether it's for your clients or yourself, lies in the data found through Instagram’s Insights.
Instagram Insights is a free analytics tool available to Business and Creator accounts, designed to give an inside look at how your content is performing, who your audience is, and how people are interacting with your profile. But the challenge for many social media marketers is knowing how to interpret their metrics and what to do with what they learn.
Not to worry.
I’m going to help you uncover how to use your (and your clients’) Insights to your advantage.
1. Understanding Instagram Insights: A Quick Overview
Before diving into the data, it’s important to know where to find Instagram Insights and how to navigate the interface.
Accessing Insights: You can find Instagram Insights on a business or creator account by navigating to your profile and then tapping “Professional Dashboard”.
The Dashboard: The Insights dashboard provides an overview of views, interactions, total Followers, and the content you shared.
Narrow Your Window: Within each subsection you can change the dates of the analytics you want to view.
2. Content Performance: What Are People Engaging With?
One of the most fundamental metrics in Instagram Insights is content interactions. This includes data on likes, comments, saves, and shares for posts, stories, and reels.
Likes, Comments, Saves, and Shares
Likes: Instagram likes can give a general sense of how well a post resonates with viewers.
Comments: Engagement through comments is more valuable than likes because it indicates a deeper level of interaction. In addition, comments give you the opportunity to encourage even further interactions based on your response. Remember- engagement breeds engagement.
Saves: Saves is one of the most important engagement metrics. When users save your posts, it signals to Instagram that your content is valuable and worth revisiting, which increases the chances that your content will be further distributed..
Shares: Sharing indicates virality. The more people share your content with their friends or followers, the more your reach expands organically.
Pro Tip: Look at the Engagement Rate (likes, comments, saves, and shares divided by total views) to determine which posts perform best and why. Use this information to refine your content strategy.
3. Audience Insights: Who Are You Talking To?
As a social media marketer, it's essential to know who you're reaching with your content. Instagram Insights gives you a detailed breakdown of your audience demographics, including:
Age Range: Instagram categorizes followers into specific age brackets. If your audience skews younger or older than expected, you may want to adjust your tone and visuals.
Gender: This breakdown helps tailor content to the preferences of your audience. For example, knowing whether your audience is predominantly male or female can help guide aesthetic choices and content themes.
Location: Location data reveals where your audience lives. This can influence the timing of your posts and the kinds of offers you promote (for example, time-sensitive offers in certain time zones).
Active Times: The "Most Active Times" metric shows when your followers are online, broken down by day of the week and hour. This allows you to post at optimal times for maximum engagement.
Pro Tip: If you're running Instagram accounts for multiple clients, make sure you're catering to the unique demographics of each audience. Even if each of your clients tie back to your niche, they likely have their own niches made up of different demographics.
4. Reach and Impressions: How Far is Your Content Going?
Reach vs. Impressions
Reach is the number of unique accounts that have seen your content. It gives you an idea of how widely your content is being distributed.
Impressions show the total number of times your content has been seen, which includes multiple views from the same account.
Pro Tip: A high number of impressions but low reach could indicate that the same users are seeing your posts repeatedly, possibly because you’re reaching only a limited segment of your audience. Experiment with keywords, hashtags, and content types to expand your reach.
5. Tracking Hashtag Performance: Yes, They Still Matter
One of the questions I see most often on Instagram is, “Do hashtags still matter?” and the answer is Yes.
Numbers don’t lie so here’s how to see for yourself…
How to View Hashtag Reach
To find how many people saw your content from hashtags, follow these steps:
Go to the post you want to analyze. Unfortunately, hashtag analytics can only be viewed on posts (not Reels).
Tap "View Insights."
Scroll down to see "Views." You'll notice a breakdown showing how many people found your post from “Home,” "Hashtags," "Profile," and "Other."
Why This Matters:
Hashtags are an effective way to expand your reach, especially if you're just starting out or working with smaller clients. If a significant portion of your impressions come from hashtags, it means you're using the right ones.
Pro Tip: Experiment with different hashtag strategies (broad vs. niche hashtags) to see which combination drives the most reach.
6. Stories Performance: Are They Worth the Hype?
Instagram Stories are a great way to engage with your existing audience. But how can you tell if your stories are effective?
Key Metrics for Instagram Stories:
Taps Forward/Backward: These show how many times users tapped to skip forward or rewind to the previous story. A high number of taps forward might indicate that your content isn’t holding users' attention.
Exits: This metric shows how many people exited your story entirely. A high exit rate might mean your story is too long or irrelevant.
Replies and Shares: Stories that generate replies and shares indicate high engagement, which can boost your visibility in the algorithm.
Pro Tip: Stories are short-lived, so use them for time-sensitive content, sneak peeks, behind-the-scenes moments, and calls to action. Keep an eye on exits to ensure you're not losing your audience's interest.
7. Calls to Action (CTA): Are They Working?
One of the most important goals of social media marketing is to drive action, whether that’s directing users to a website, encouraging them to purchase, or having them sign up for a newsletter. Instagram Insights can help you track the success of your CTAs.
Key Metrics to Watch:
Profile Visits: This tells you how many people tapped on your profile after seeing your content. More profile visits mean more potential leads, so be sure your bio is optimized to convert visitors into followers or customers.
Website Clicks: This shows how many users tapped on the link in your bio. If your goal is to drive traffic to a site, this is a crucial metric.
Email and Call Clicks: These are especially important for local businesses or service-based industries. Tracking these metrics will show how effective your profile is at generating direct leads.
Pro Tip: Use clear and compelling CTAs in your captions. Phrases like "Tap the link in our bio to learn more!" or "Click here to book your free consultation!" can drive immediate action. People are more likely to do what you tell them.
8. Follower Growth: Are You Attracting the Right Audience?
At the end of the day, one of the best indicators of success is follower growth. However, it’s not just about numbers, it’s about attracting the right people.
Key Questions to Ask:
Are you gaining followers consistently?
Are these followers listening to your CTAs?
What type of content is leading to the most follower growth?
Pro Tip: If you're seeing a spike in followers after a particular post, analyze what made that post stand out. Was it the type of content, the time you posted, or a specific CTA? Use these insights to replicate success.
9. The Power of Data-Driven Decisions: Adjusting Your Strategy
Once you've gathered and analyzed your Instagram Insights, the next step is to adjust your strategy based on the data. For example, if your hashtag reach is low, try experimenting with different combinations or adding new niche hashtags. If your engagement is dropping on stories, it may be time to refresh your content style.
Pro Tip: Set SMART goals around your data. For example, if you notice that website clicks are low, set a goal to increase website traffic by 20% over the next month by improving your CTAs and experimenting with different post formats.
10. Conclusion: Data-Driven Strategy = Success
Instagram Insights are more than just numbers. They’re the key to growing your social media marketing business and your clients' businesses. By analyzing these metrics and making data-driven decisions, you can optimize your content, expand your reach, and ultimately grow your brand.