The 5 Most Important Instagram Metrics you Need to Track

Following Instagram’s algorithm change which kicked in over the last few months, having a strong strategy is even more important now than ever before.

Of course, you can’t recognise the success of a strategy unless you’re tracking the right metrics. The good news? Instagram have recently announced in its latest business update that it will be providing insights for business accounts in the same way that Facebook does for Pages.

Whilst we wait for this release, here are the top five Instagram metrics you should be tracking to measure your account’s success.

Follower growth rate

It is important to track the total amount of followers you have in relation to your competitors, but don’t make it the only measure of success.

The amount of followers available to you will vary depending on your niche and target demographic, so it is much better to focus not just on the amount of followers you have, but also that your following is growing at a consistent rate.

Set monthly goals by using your following’s growth rate to predict the number of followers you can realistically expect over the coming months, and adjust your content output accordingly depending on how many followers you pick up per post on average. But remember, quality is more important than quantity!

Engagement rate as a percentage of total followers

There are many different ways to calculate engagement rate but we feel this is the most accurate.

For those who need catching up, engagement rate is a metric that allows you to see to what extent the content you’re producing resonates with your audience. To equation for identifying your engagement rate is:

Engagement Rate = Total engagements across all posts in a given period
                                  Total number of followers

Obviously you want to see this increase over time, but if it starts to drop you may want to refocus your strategy, try some new ideas or replicate posts that have worked well in the past. One thing to bear in mind with this metric is that it does not take into account the engagements received from non-followers, but is still a metric that is reliable when tracked consistently over time. 

Clickthroughs on URLs

The only clickable area on an Instagram profile is the bio, therefore it is the only place you can link through to a website or landing page. If visits or conversions on your website is one of your KPIs then you will want to track the clickthroughs.

Google Analytics has difficulty tracking Instagram clickthroughs so, to differentiate them, you can run it through bit.ly to track the individual link analytics and see how well Instagram drives traffic in comparison to other channels. 

Best Day/Time to post

The most simple metric to track, and yet one that is often overlooked, is the best days and times for you to post content.

You can create fantastic content but if you post it when your audience typically isn’t online then it will be missed. Granted, the new algorithm will have some effect in terms of showing your content to those who already engage with your content regularly, but at the moment a lot of the content is still appearing in chronological order.

Various experts disagree on the best times and days for posting content, however, you should try to identify the optimal times specifically for your own account and audience. There are a number of tools you can use to find your ideal posting times, but the most simple to use is WhenToGram. 

Top Filters

After coming up with a concept and capturing the image, choosing a filter sometimes feels like an afterthought when posting to Instagram, however the filter you use can have a large impact on how engaging your audience finds your post.

Each filter is created for different types of images and different filters resonate better with different audiences. By tracking which filters are working best you could increase your engagement rate.

Every like and comment counts with the algorithm, so finding the right filter could be what keeps your engagement rate high and ensures your content is put in front of your audience. You can track the filters that work best for you by using tools such as Iconosquare until Instagram for Business tools are released later this year.

It is the content you produce that will define the success you have on Instagram, but without tracking these five essential metrics you won't be able to tweak and improve your strategy to deliver genuine, tangible results.

Download our free Social Media Prospecting Workbook to find out more about how you can use social media to drive new leads.