Analytical reporting is a term often heard, but sometimes misunderstood. But this is an important tool that can help make or break your social media game.

Techopedia defines Social Analytics as: “Social Media Analytics (SMA) refers to the approach of collecting data from social media sites and blogs and evaluating that data to make business decisions. This process goes beyond the usual monitoring or a basic analysis of retweets or ‘likes’ to develop an in-depth idea of the social consumer.”

Sounds simple, right? It can be if you have the right tools. There are numerous options when it comes to social analytics, but below are some reasons to really invest in social analytic reporting.

1. Understand the importance of the timing of your posts. One tool you can use will show you when your users are most active, so you get to see your audience’s best engagement days and times. You can then schedule your posts during your users most active times, ensuring your message will be seen.

2. Find out who is talking about you. Another available tool for social analytics will search the Internet for specific conversations about your brand. You can separate those conversations into categories and analyze them to spot out critical information.

3. Track your posts. This one is pretty simple, but a necessity. You can see which content performs best or worst and make smarter decisions about what you post.

4. How does your brand complete? There are tools you can use to show you how your brand’s performance compares to others. You can see where you need to step up and where you can scale back if needed.

The limits are endless with social media analytics and now is the time to utilize the available tools to ensure you are getting the best bang for your buck.