Identify the ‘why’ behind trends

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Metrics without context can lead to missed insights and misguided strategies. That’s why social analysts also investigate the why—which is essential for brand monitoring.

Let’s say content hits a plateau and social engagement is down month-over-month.

Using a social media analytics tool like Sprout, analysts can review past quarterly or yearly performance to identify patterns and consider specific variables such as posting times and audience demographics that might impact engagement.

They might analyze changes in audience sentiment by reviewing shifts in positive, neutral and negative feedback, helping them understand how brand perception could impact engagement. If it’s dwindled or dropped drastically, analysts can review negative messages and find more detailed information that might explain why content is underperforming.

Sentiment analysis dashboard for Sprout Coffee, showing an 82% positive poland mobile database sentiment summary and sentiment trends over time.
Predict social media outcomes
So much of social media marketing is about planning content calendars and looking forward. But with social media trends shifting so rapidly, how can you confidently plan for the next three to six months? The answer is social data.

With social data, analysts can turn hunches into real and actionable ideas. They identify recurring patterns in customer behavior, analyze relevant listening data, evaluate the content types that consistently engage your audience and track the way content performance varies across channels over time.