8 Leading Social Media Analytics Tools for Brand Marketing
Let’s focus on brand marketing on social media. It’s integral for you to connect with your social media audience and drive business growth. Relying on inconsistent manual processes and fragmented performance data will not allow you to deliver accurate insights, optimize campaigns effectively, and show clear ROI to your clients. These inefficiencies can cause you to miss out on necessary things.
That’s where social media analytics tools come on. These measuring tools help you make informed decisions with streamlined and comprehensive data. Say Goodbye to guesswork and hello to impactful marketing.
As a digital marketing service provider, you can leverage analytical tools to enhance client reporting, strategies, and results. The in-depth insight on audience engagement, content effectiveness, and competitive intelligence helps you craft more targeted and strategic social media marketing campaigns. Such digital marketing tools mitigate risks of client rejections, workflow mishaps, resource wastage, and unreliable marketing measures.
Your hunt for the perfect social media analytics tool ends here. This blog contains a curated list of tools and features to consider before employing the right one.
Essential Features for Social Media Analytics Tools
Since the establishment of social commerce and marketing, businesses need a strong grip on online presence. Experts estimate the global social media analytics tools market will reach $26 billion by 2028, enhancing customer experience, marketing management, and competitive intelligence. Stop guessing how to choose the right tool!
When investing in powerful analytics tools, consider these key components beyond a user-friendly interface and customization. Look for these key components in analytics tools:
- Multiple Platform Integration: Your social media analytics tools should integrate multiple social media platforms (i.e., Facebook, Instagram, Twitter(X), LinkedIn, YouTube, Snapchat, Reddit, etc.) on a single dashboard. The centralized control will help you track and analyze platform performance and streamline strategies across networks, eliminating the need to switch between the platforms to check the status of your social media presence.
- Trends Identifier: The trend identifier feature finds emerging trends and topics for targeted marketing (i.e., demographics, audience, or industry). It follows and records conversations, hashtags, and popular content to modify your social media strategy based on real-time trends to stay relevant and boost visibility.
- Content Performance Analysis: Effective social media analytics tools provide detailed content performance metrics that go beyond basic engagement statistics. These tools analyze which content types, formats, and topics generate the highest engagement and conversion rates across platforms. Content analytics features help marketers refine their content strategy by identifying top-performing assets and understanding why specific content resonates with their audience.
- Engagement Metrics: Audience tracking tools for social media engagement include RecurPost, Buffer, Hootsuite, and Sprout Social, which measure interaction levels on various platforms through metrics such as likes, shares, retweets, reposts, mentions, subscribers, and followers. These metrics help redefine your social media post ideas and foster meaningful connections, resulting in greater brand loyalty and advocacy.
- Sentimental Analysis: Sentimental analysis evaluates the emotional tone behind audience comments and mentions of your brand. Sentiment analysis observes audience’s positive, negative, or neutral feelings toward content, products, or services and identifies changes needed for more influential social media profiles.
- Brand Monitoring and Analysis: Social media analytics tools should track brand mentions, hashtags, and conversations across platforms to measure brand perception and awareness. Brand analysis features compare your brand metrics against competitors, identify brand advocates, and measure share of voice in your industry. These insights help marketers understand their brand positioning and make strategic adjustments to improve brand perception.
- Comprehensive Reporting & Visualization: Reporting tools for social media include RecurPost, Buffer, Statusbrew, ReportGarden, and Hootsuite, which curate visually appealing and informative reports for smooth meetings and data sharing with clients and stakeholders. Comprehensive reporting and visualization add required key performance metrics, reach, and insights related to your social media marketing.
- Automated Reporting: Advanced social media analytics tools offer automated reporting features that generate and deliver reports on predetermined schedules. Automated social media reporting saves time by eliminating manual data collection and report creation, ensuring stakeholders receive consistent analytics without additional effort. These systems allow for customized report templates that automatically populate with the latest data and deliver via email or dashboard notifications.
- Customizable Reporting: Social media analytics tools should offer customizable reporting options that allow you to create and schedule reports based on specific metrics and timeframes. The ability to generate white-label reports with your brand elements makes sharing insights with clients and stakeholders more professional. Advanced reporting tools automate this process, saving time while maintaining consistent data delivery to stakeholders.
- Real-time Insight: Real-time insight offers an up-to-date overview of social media campaigns. The real-time insight feature constantly monitors social media engagement to capitalize on real-time opportunities(trends) and maintain an agile social media strategy.
- ROI Tracking: The ROI tracking feature is essential for measuring the financial returns of social media campaigns comparing marketing costs with revenues. This is how social media analytics tools justify marketing investments and optimize strategies for maximum financial outcomes.
Businesses need social media analytics tools to make data-driven marketing decisions, measure campaign ROI, understand audience preferences, track competitor performance, and optimize content strategies for maximum engagement and conversion rates.
8 Robust Social Media Analytics Tools
These social media analytics tools provide a competitive edge in your digital marketing strategy. Based on extensive testing, here’s honest feedback to save you research time. The tools listed below range from specialized analytics applications to comprehensive media analytics suites that integrate multiple functions. Media analytics software typically combines analytics with publishing, listening, and management capabilities, offering an all-in-one solution for social media marketers. When evaluating these options, consider whether you need a specialized analytics tool or a complete media analytics suite that handles your entire social media workflow.
1. RecurPost
RecurPost stands out as a top-notch, easy-to-use social media management and analytics tool. It allows you to handle multiple social media campaigns in real-time with minimal effort.
RecurPost gives you reports on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, with support for Pinterest, TikTok, and YouTube on the way. RecurPost excels at finding your best content, tracking social media activities, and highlighting areas for improvement.
It’s suitable for startups, individuals, and businesses of all sizes, especially agencies planning strategic social media strategies and boosting multiple clients’ online presence.
Price: Starting $25/month (for 5 accounts)
Top Features:
- Analytics & reporting
- White label reporting
- Content analysis
- Platform overview
- Real-time insights
Users rate RecurPost as a helpful social media analytics tool that changes their approach to analytics. The centralized reporting allows users to review all social media efforts in one place. Up-to-date engagement metrics support online business growth, while the tool offers innovation and reliability.
However, customer support is available on weekdays. The learning curve was overwhelming for a few users, and it took them a while to get the hang of analytical tools.
2. Buffer
Buffer offers an easy-to-use dashboard for managing and analyzing social media. You can see the performance stats for Facebook, Instagram, Twitter(X), and LinkedIn platforms.
While Buffer’s analytics tools provide great engagement metrics and detailed analysis, they fall short in identifying recent trends and sentimental analysis. The white-label daily reports are handy but lack real-time insights.
Also, I didn’t find the ROI tracker feature. The lack of social listening and multiple platform integration will not be the perfect fit for agencies.
Price: Starting $6/month per platform
Top Features:
- Analytics & reports
- Campaigns
- White label reports
- Content analysis
Users have found Buffer an affordable social media analytics tool. The analytics allow users to measure the performance of different content on multiple social media networks. Agency users found it easy to handle multiple client accounts with Buffer.
Numerous users find it inconvenient to pay more to connect to more platforms, and agency users find it difficult to switch between client accounts from Buffer.
Buffer vs. Coschedule | Buffer vs. Hootsuite | Buffer vs Crowdfire | Buffer vs Zoho Social : An In-Depth Look at Social Media Analytics Tools
3. Statusbrew
Statusbrew helps make smart decisions with clear insight into social media performance. It provides reports and analytics for all major social media sites including Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter(X), LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube.
Statusbrew is popular among big businesses for its diverse in-depth features including automated reports, industry-specific templates, and brand insights.
Its extensive features and high price range are overwhelming for small to medium-sized agencies and businesses.
Price: Starting $89/month
Top Features:
- Analytics & reporting
- Social listening
- Engagement metrics
Users praised Statusbrew’s comprehensive features, ease of use, and effective team collaboration features. The detailed information on engagement metrics, including the best time to post and audience engagement, helped businesses grow their social presence. Agency users were able to create a separate workspace for clients, ensuring marketing effectiveness.
However, new users think learning and the lack of instant support need improvement. Some users also encountered technical glitches while using Statusbrew social media analytics tools.
For those specifically focused on Facebook marketing, be sure to check out our Top 10 Facebook Marketing Tools to enhance your campaign performance.
4. ReportGarden
ReportGarden is a handy social media analytics tool for digital marketing agencies and in-house teams. Its customizable dashboard and automated reports for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter(X), and LinkedIn are particularly helpful.
The interface is a bit complex to get used to and offers limited options in customized reports.
It lacks features for social listening, sentimental analysis, and trend identification for marketing purposes. There is also no ROI tracker.
Price: Starting $89/month
Top Features:
- Customizable dashboard
- Automated reporting
- Data blending
- White label portal
- Comprehensive integration
- Detailed analytics
Users found ReportGarden social media analytics tool easy to streamline and optimize social media marketing performance from multiple networks. They also appreciated the ad budget management and customer support facilities. The comprehensive details helped agencies take proper action for individual client accounts, ensuring effective social media strategy.
However, it took time for users to adapt to Reportgarden, and customer support wasn’t quick to respond.
5. Hootsuite
Hootsuite excels at managing multiple social media accounts, scheduling content, tracking brand mentions, and analyzing social media campaigns on a single dashboard. You will be able to analyze content from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and LinkedIn platforms.
Hootsuite offers numerous features to measure social media performance, but its interface isn’t user-friendly. The high pricing deters small to medium-sized agencies and businesses.
Price: Starting $99/month
Top Features:
- Analytics & reporting
- Social media monitoring
- Ads management
Users have found Hootsuite’s social media analytics tools important for strengthening social media efforts. The analytics and reporting tools help users increase reach and engagement, creating a strong online presence. The analytical dashboard is user-friendly and provides insight into cross-platform activities.
However, the Hootsuite interface can be overwhelming for new users, and its high pricing is another drawback. Multiple users have found latency issues with customer support.
Agorapulse is also a strong contender compared to Hootsuite, offering excellent social media analytics features. Explore the detailed comparison of analytics functionality between Agorapulse Vs. Hootsuite | Hootsuite Vs. Planoly | Hootsuite Vs. Tailwind | Hootsuite Vs. Coschedule to find the best fit for your needs.
6. Rival IQ
Rival IQ ‘s social media analytics tools help stay ahead of the competition in social media marketing. You can have a look at the valuable insights for platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter(X), YouTube, and LinkedIn. Rival IQ stands out with its powerful competitive analysis, custom dashboard templates, and performance benchmarking.
Rival IQ’s pricing is too high, especially for individual marketers and small to medium agencies. Plus, its extensive features will make it complicated for new users to adapt to it. There is no ROI tracker in Rival IQ.
Price: Starting $239/month
Top Features:
- Competitive analysis
- Trend analysis
- Reporting & dashboard
- Social listening
- Audience demographics
- Social media audits
Users choose Rival IQ’s social media analytics tools because of its competitive analysis and reporting capabilities. Users have also noted impactful improvements in social media strategy and competitive positioning due to the insightful data the tool provides.
However, users have mentioned limited social listening and high pricing are the major downside. Users have pointed out that Rival IQ provides limited analytics for other platforms, except Facebook, Twitter(X), and Instagram.
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7. Sprout Social
Sprout Social‘s comprehensive analytics tools effectively quantify social media performance. You can conveniently add Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, Threads, Twitter(X), and YouTube for a centralized overview.
From ROI tracking to social listening, Sprout Social provides deep insights into social media efforts. I do feel the pricing of the tool is very high for individuals and small and medium-sized marketing providers.
Sprout Social has a steep learning curve as an analytics tool. Without a user guide, it is challenging for beginners to get the hang of the tool.
Price: Starting $249/month
Top Features:
- Reporting & analytics
- Social listening
- Team collaboration
- Website & link tracking
- Reputation & review management
Users have applauded Sprout Social’s all-in-one social media services, which include content curation, scheduling, and analytics. Users were able to scrutinize and deliver in-depth reports on various multiple campaigns and content with analytical tools. The ease of sharing social media analysis via email to clients, managers, team members, and stakeholders has earned more points.
However, users do find Sprout Social to be a bit pricey software, especially for small businesses. Several users have raised concerns about frequent slowdowns and painful onboarding processes.
For a detailed comparison, check out our Sprout Social Vs. Buffer | Sprout Social Vs. Coschedule | Sprout Social Vs. Sendible | Sprout Social Vs. Later | Sprout Social Vs. Agorapulse in-depth blog post here..
8. Facelift Data Studio(Quintly)
Facelift Data Studio (Formerly known as Quintly) is a top-notch tool for analyzing social media performance across major platforms.
It offers easy customization of metrics and reports to specific requirements. While Facelift includes most features mentioned above, it lacks sentimental analysis and ROI tracking.
The high price range and complex interface can discourage agencies from opting for Facelift Data Studio as their social media analytics tools.
Price: Starting €490/month
Top Features:
- Customizable dashboard
- Benching
- Automate custom reports
- API & integrations
Users have appreciated the robust analytics and customization features of Facelift Data Studio. Detailed performance tracking and competitor analytics have helped multiple users improve their social media strategies with insightful data.
However, the complex interface makes it difficult for beginners to get on board, and it is pricey for small businesses and individual users.
Digital media analytics tools available in the market include comprehensive solutions like RecurPost, Buffer, Statusbrew, ReportGarden, Hootsuite, Rival IQ, Sprout Social, and Facelift Data Studio, which offer varying levels of functionality for different business needs and budget considerations.
When selecting social media analytics tools, many marketers prioritize audience insights. Audience analytics tools help brands understand who engages with their content, allowing for more targeted marketing efforts and improved ROI. These specialized tools track demographic data, behavioral patterns, and engagement metrics across platforms to build comprehensive audience profiles.
The tools listed below offer varying degrees of audience analytics capabilities, from basic demographic insights to advanced behavioral tracking. For brands focused specifically on audience analysis, pay special attention to features like demographic breakdowns, audience segmentation, and behavioral tracking when evaluating these options.
Free Native Analytics Tools
Free social media analytics tools are available through native platform offerings such as Meta Business Suite Insights, TikTok Analytics, Twitter (X) Analytics, Pinterest Analytics, LinkedIn Page Analytics, and Instagram Insights, which provide basic performance metrics without requiring paid subscriptions. Multiple social media platforms provide native analytics and dashboards for an insightful platform activity overview within platforms. These native analytics tools can help you manage multiple social media accounts without any complications. Startups, individuals, and small businesses can get started with these native tools to navigate their social media marketing efforts.
1. Meta Business Suite Insight
You can find insights into Facebook and Instagram social media marketing campaigns in Meta Business Suite under Insights. It gives a 360-degree view of your Facebook page and Instagram business profile for free. You can check key metrics, trends, ad budget across Meta technologies (i.e., Facebook and Instagram), content reach (paid or organic), and demographic and geographic summaries under Insights.
2. TikTok Analytics
You will be able to enable a 60-day TikTok analytics summary once you switch to a ‘Pro account, which has three sections: overview, content, and followers. Collectively, these sections provide details on video performance, content performance, follower growth, audience demographics, and engagement metrics for creators and businesses.
3. Twitter (X) Analytics
Twitter (X) analytics provides a high-level overview of content performance over the past week and a selected period for all users. It delivers metrics such as impressions, follower growth, mentions, profile visits, reach (organic and paid), engagement on tweets, and link clicks.
4. Pinterest Analytics
Pinterest’s social media analytic tools are exclusive to business accounts. The native dashboard shows overall presence and account insights. The key metrics contain in-depth statistics on audience demographics, followers, and website engagement. You can easily track down pin reach, impression, engagement, and video views.
5. LinkedIn Page Analytics
LinkedIn analytics provides basic performance data to users with creator mode and page admins. LinkedIn personal profiles have limited access to native analytics tools. The tools cover reporting & analytics on content, followers, visitors, leads, competitors, employee advocacy, employer brand, ads, and newsletters.
6. Instagram Insights
Instagram’s native social media analytics tools are only available on mobile apps for creators and business accounts. Insights cater detailed data on reach, engagement, followers, content interactions, ads, etc. Recent highlights notify about notable performance movements for a custom duration within 90 days.
While native platform analytics provide basic insights at no cost, several third-party social media analytics tools also offer free plans with expanded capabilities. These free options typically include limited features from their premium versions, allowing small businesses and individuals to access more comprehensive analytics without financial investment. When evaluating the tools below, look for those offering free tiers that align with your specific analytics needs.
Conclusion
Social media analytics tools transform marketing strategy from guesswork to data-driven success. Leveraging analytical insights perfects campaigns, engages audiences effectively, and achieves set goals. Start exploring these tools to grow your social media presence.
Which tool do you use to measure your social media effort?
Frequently Asked Questions
You must check social media analytics at least once a week to stay informed about social media marketing performance. Monthly reviews can help you figure out the latest trends and make relevant marketing changes.
Yes, multiple social media analytics tools help you track down and justify ROIs for social media campaigns. Analytics tools connect your social media efforts with specific business goals, such as follower growth, lead generation, website traffic, and sales.
Of course, many social media analytics tools give users integration options with other marketing platforms. For instance, for detailed information on overview of your marketing performance connect your analytics tools with Google Analytics, CRM, and email marketing.
The ideal social media analytics tool is the one that offers the most features relevant to your needs. You must also consider a user-friendly interface and across-the-board support and training as primary requirements.
Yes, You can connect analytical tools with Facebook Ads, Google Ads, and LinkedIn Ads to track paid campaigns with organic social media efforts.