According to the latest Digital Australia report, Australians aged 16 to 64 now spend an average of one hour and 51 minutes on social media each day.
This represents a vast resource for businesses looking to connect with new customers. Make sure you’re ready to take advantage of this thriving marketplace and use these free social media management tools to work out which of your business’s social activities is on track and where you might need to change things up a bit.
Here are our top seven picks!*
1. Google Analytics.
No list is complete without the behemoth that is Google Analytics. While this tool is used primarily for tracking your web pages, it will also provide statistics on referrals that come from social media channels. This can help you determine the social media channels that are pulling their weight and those that aren’t, which can help you figure out where to do more work, invest or cut your losses.
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2. Instagram Insights.
Instagram has grown in popularity in recent years, with many Australians moving to this platform. In fact, the average Australian accesses Instagram 28 times per week (that’s just one time less than they access Facebook).
The simplest tool to learn more about your social media posts and audiences is Instagram Insights, a free tool provided by Instagram.
With Insights, you can watch trends across your content’s performance with your audience, and across your followers in general. You can look at data for specific reels, videos and posts to learn more about how each one is performing, so you can determine what engages your audience best.
3. Hootsuite.
Another of the major social media players, Hootsuite is your go-to for covering all the key platforms including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. You can use it to schedule posts, measure the impact of your campaigns, delegate tasks to your team and more.
While most of Hootsuite’s social media management plans are paid, you can manage up to two accounts for free, which is ideal for small businesses.
4. TwitterAudit.
One of the biggest issues on Twitter is fake accounts, which can interfere with your follower statistics. TwitterAudit offers one free audit to determine how many (if any) of the handles following your company are fake. The service also offers a paid version that allows unlimited audits and additional features.
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5. Twitter Analytics.
Twitter also offers its own social media analytics tool. This shows you your tweet impressions, best-performing tweets, your mentions, how many people are visiting your profile, your top followers and more.
6. Facebook Insights.
If you’re managing a Facebook page, you don’t even need a third-party app or site to check in on your reach and statistics. Facebook Insights is built-in for company pages and is a straightforward way to view information about your followers, such as geographical location, demographics and more. You’ll also get all the basics such as page likes, post reach, video views and engagements, which can help you see which of your posts perform the best.
7. Social Champ.
Social Champ is an all-in-one social media management tool that supports all the major platforms, from Facebook and Instagram to YouTube and Twitter. You can use it to plan and schedule your posts, but it also offers PDF reports for your weekly and monthly performance across each platform.
This tool has an affordable monthly paid subscription, but also has a free option that lets you manage three social media accounts with unlimited posting for one user. That makes it a handy option for small businesses.
Our favourite tools for small businesses.
Choosing the ‘best’ social media analytics tools often depends on specific needs, such as the platforms you’re focusing on, the depth of analytics you require and the usability of the tool.
Two widely recognised and highly valuable free social media analytics tools that cater to a broad range of needs are Google Analytics and Hootsuite Insights. Here’s a brief overview of each:
1. Google Analytics.
Google Analytics is not exclusively a social media analytics tool but offers comprehensive insights that can be incredibly useful for tracking social media traffic and conversions. It’s a must-have for any digital marketer looking to understand how social media drives users to their website and how those users behave once they arrive.
Key features:
Traffic reporting: See which social platforms are directing the most traffic to your website.
Conversion tracking: Set up goals to track conversions from social media campaigns, understanding which platforms and content are driving the most valuable actions.
Audience insights: Get detailed information about your website visitors, including demographic details, interests and behaviours, which can inform social media strategies.
How it helps: Google Analytics helps marketers measure the return on investment (ROI) of their social media efforts by tracking how users from social platforms interact with their website. It’s invaluable for understanding the broader impact of social media on your digital presence.
2. Hootsuite Insights (Powered by Brandwatch).
Hootsuite Insights offers a more direct focus on social media analytics. While Hootsuite is primarily known as a social media management tool, its Insights feature provides powerful monitoring and analytics capabilities.
Key features:
Real-time social media monitoring: Track brand mentions, conversations and audience sentiment across social media platforms in real time.
Detailed reports: Generate detailed reports on your social media performance, including metrics like engagement, reach and follower growth.
Competitor analysis: Compare your social media performance against your competitors to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
How it helps: Hootsuite Insights allows businesses to stay on top of their social media presence, understand audience sentiment, and gauge the effectiveness of their content and campaigns. It’s particularly useful for businesses managing multiple social media accounts and campaigns.
Why these tools stand out.
Both Google Analytics and Hootsuite Insights are powerful in their own right.
Google Analytics excels in tracking how social media impacts your website’s traffic and conversions, providing a clear picture of your social media ROI.
Hootsuite Insights, on the other hand, offers in-depth monitoring and analytics specifically for social media, helping businesses optimise their social media strategy in real time.
Choosing between these tools—or using them in conjunction—depends on your specific goals, whether you’re more focused on the impact of social media on your website or on optimising your social media presence itself.
Get help with your social media management.
There’s no doubt that the impact of social media on the world has been phenomenal, but with social media tools, you’ll know exactly how much of that impact is relevant to your business. And, if you need a hand creating a social media campaign, Yellow Pages’ Social Ads experts can plan, implement and track your campaign for you, which is something to consider if you’re keen to tap into this huge market.
*This information is provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; it does not constitute an endorsement or an approval by Yellow Pages.
