Do you have a bookshelf? Have you read everything on it? Is there a book there that you’ve seen time and time again, but you’ve never read it because maybe you don’t know what it’s about, or maybe the title is a little intimidating? 

Well, today, we’re taking that book off the shelf… And we’re diving into an area that might be a little out of your comfort zone – we’re talking about Facebook and Instagram analytics – also known as, your social media stats!

This is definitely something you should care about and that you can use as an awesome tool to help you know what kind of things you should post about, what time of day, and what days to post. It can also help you understand how to better market the services your nonprofit organization offers and communicate better with your audience.

So, get ready, we’re taking that unread book off the shelf and wading into the waters of this technology today. And I predict that you’re going to feel A LOT MORE COMFORTABLE with your Facebook and Instagram stats!

SO – Let’s start with Facebook … 

Right underneath your nonprofit’s Facebook posts there are numbers. Know that things look a little different if you’re on your phone or if you’re on a computer, but that’s ok, you can find out the same stats. Here’s how:

If you’re looking at a post on your phone, it will say People Reached and if you’re on a computer, it will also say Engagements. 

“People Reached” is the number of people who saw your post. It means, your post came across the screens of that number of different people. 

A couple of ways to up this number is by posting consistently and always remember to ask yourself, “What is my audience going to get out of this post?” That will keep you on track for posting good content! 

TIP: Two things that are popular across Facebook and Instagram accounts are how-to types of posts and inspirational quotes. Check out Episode 2 for a deeper dive into this. 

Now, you might be like “Well, hey that’s all well and good, but what, is Facebook going to just KNOW if something is good or not and then make it show up on more people’s screens?” 

That, my friend, brings us to the next little stat you should pay attention to… 

Engagements is the number underneath your nonprofit’s post just to the right of People Reached on a computer. Engagements are any action someone takes on your post. 

You’ll see a whole new world of information by clicking on Engagements or People Reached – try checking it out – especially on a computer because it really gets into detail. It’s like tracing your posts’ steps across the internet!

You can see WHAT WORKS. You can see what your audience is interested in. You can see what action someone took when they saw your post – for example, comment, like, share, visit your link. This is important because the more Engagement, the more reach your post will have.

When you have a post that works – KEEP DOING THAT! 

Let that post inspire you to create other posts that are similar.

One more thing about Facebook and then we are going to move on to Instagram…

Click on the INSIGHTS tab at the top of your nonprofit’s page, scroll down on the Insights Page, you’ll see your most recent posts. That’s where you can actually SEE which ones have performed better than others.

INSTAGRAM 

Look at Instagram on your phone – make sure you are signed into your nonprofit organization’s account. AND if you need a refresher on that, there’s a link for a quick tutorial at the bottom of these show notes. 

Once you’re logged onto your nonprofit’s Instagram account…

- Go to your profile and click on one of your posts.

-  Under the picture, you’ll see it says VIEW INSIGHTS in little blue words, right under the picture. If you don’t see it, double check to make sure you’re logged into your nonprofit’s Instagram account – not your personal account.

-  Tap View Insights and a little window will pop up on the bottom of the screen, tap that and it will get bigger. 

There, YOU CAN SEE ALL YOUR STATS for that post. 

You’ll see reach, which is the same thing as it is on Facebook

You’ll also see Interactions... Interactions means when someone went to your profile to see more of your posts and find out more about you.

Insights on Instagram shows how many individual accounts you reached, what percentage weren’t following you – that’s a good number to know, because it will tell you if you’re reaching NEW people.

You can also see Impressions and find out if your hashtags were effective. 

If you want to practice with hashtags, check out Episode 8 – it’s full of step-by-step, easy to understand instructions for Instagram.

Try exploring all these different stats on both Facebook and Instagram and use them to help you know what you’re doing right. If you just take a little time to look at these numbers, regularly you’ll feel more confident and you’ll be able to know what’s working and where you’re doing the right thing! 

Three things to REMEMBER: 

• Keep your posts short and sweet
• Use good pictures
• Make your content worthwhile to your audience

And hey, seriously… YOU CAN DO THIS! Keep your eye on the prize – you are using Facebook and Instagram, or the “new word of mouth” to reach the people you want to serve. Remember – you don’t have to do everything and learn everything in one day! Baby steps still move you forward! Just take it all ONE STEP AT A TIME, and remember, I am HERE with you every step of the way. You got this!

Click here for a free tutorial on how to sign in to your nonprofit organization’s Instagram account.

Links I mentioned in this episode:

Episode 2: NonprofitPotential.com/2

Episode 8: NonprofitPotential.com/8

Send me an email! I’d love to hear what questions you have! nonprofitpotential.com/contact

Let’s be friends… Find me on social media and let me know what kind of nonprofit or business you’re working with!

Facebook.com/NonprofitPotential Instagram.com/NonprofitPotential

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If links are not visible in your podcast app, visit the Episode Webpage and Show Notes at https://nonprofitpotential.com/12