Looking for a better way to analyze your Instagram marketing efforts? Need free tools to help?
The right Instagram tools can provide analytics to inform your social media content strategy and planning.
In this article, you'll discover 5 free Instagram tools for marketers.
Number 1: Instagram Insights
If you've set up a business Instagram account, you have access to analytics tools through the Instagram app.
Instagram Insights provides basic metrics to assess your Instagram marketing efforts. Learn about your followers, when they're on Instagram, and which of your posts perform best. This information will help you choose content that's more likely to resonate.
The downside is that you have to dig around in the app to see all the metrics. It would be nice if Instagram allowed you to view this data on your desktop or download the results.
Access your Instagram Insights
To access these Insights, tap the bar graph icon in the upper right-hand corner of the app.
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You can see your total reach, website clicks, profile views, and impressions. This section also shows your top posts and metrics for Instagram Stories from the past 24 hours.
Some Instagram Insights features:
- Review top posts
- See your top 6 posts from the past 7 days, ranked by reach.
- See your follower insights
- See how many new followers you have.
- See the age breakdown of your Instagram followers.
- See where your users live (countries and cities).
- Review your ad insights.
Number 2: Socialbakers
With Socialbakers, you can get a free report of your top photos, filters, and hashtags, and all your engagement with followers. The report is visually appealing, but the navigation is a bit dated. The most useful sections are the posts with the most likes and comments, as this information can inform the types of images you use in your future Instagram posts.
This free report is relatively straightforward. You can see your posts with the most likes or comments, most popular filters, top hashtags, and frequently tagged people.
Number 3: Simply Measured
Simply Measured offers a free Instagram report for users with up to 25,000 followers. The metrics and insights are clearly presented and will help you make informed decisions about your Instagram posting strategy. This report lets you quickly see what has been working in your Instagram marketing and apply that knowledge to your future posts.
To access your Simply Measured report, you'll need to follow a few steps, but I promise it's worth the time and effort. The report you receive will be rich in detail.
Features of this website include:
- Engagement chart - See your Instagram engagement over time.
- See total engagement, engagement as a percentage of followers, and information on likes and comments your photos and videos received.
- How your top posts compare to your brand's average engagement.
- Optimizations help you understand what users are saying in comments, which filters perform best, and where your top posts are located.
- Comments and Posts by Day and Time chart shows the best day and time for engagement.
- ScoredCards provide basic metrics about your Instagram account.
- Appendix shows a table of your top posts ranked by highest engagement, including post date, type, likes, comments, and total engagement (likes + comments).
Number 4: Union Metrics
Union Metrics offers a free Instagram account checkup to assess your performance. While not as comprehensive as some others, it provides useful data for marketers. It helps you determine the best times to post, which hashtags to use, and what type of content to post more or less of. It also identifies your top followers and reminds you to engage with them.
Your report shows data from the past month. You can see daily post counts. Use the icons in the upper right-hand corner to share, print, or download your report. Review additional metrics along with Union Metrics’ recommendations, including the best days and times to post. Also, view metrics and visuals for your top-performing posts.
Number 5: Squarelovin
With Squarelovin, you can get basic Instagram analytics for free. The report is well-designed and easy to understand. The Optimization section provides insights to help inform your Instagram posting. The "worst times to post" information is especially valuable.
On the dashboard, you can view your high-level metrics and access other analytics pages.
This report details your post history and top posts, information on likes and comments and posts with the most likes or comments, comments your posts received over time and posts with the most comments, the best time and day to post on Instagram, and the worst times to post on any given day. If you use filters on your Instagram, you can also see their impact.
Conclusion
Ultimately, these 5 free tools together provide good reporting and insights into your Instagram marketing, until Instagram Insights is available for desktop or presented in a more efficient format.
Understanding who your Instagram audience is and what content they engage with, and when, will inform your future social media content strategy.
At the end of the day, analytics are only useful if the information relates to your social media marketing and business. Focus on key metrics to inform your Instagram content and strategy. This will help you post content that your audience is more likely to respond to and engage with.
What are your thoughts? Have you tried any of these tools? What results have they yielded for your business?
