Ever wondered what an agency actually does with your social media data each month? Spoiler: it’s not just screenshotting your follower count and calling it a report.
At Digital 24, the monthly review is one of the most important things we do for our clients. It’s where we work out what’s working, what isn’t and what we’re going to do about it.
Here’s what actually happens, and how you can do your own version.
Why monthly?
Check your numbers every day and you’ll drive yourself mad reacting to normal ups and downs. Leave it a whole quarter and you’ve wasted months on things that weren’t working.
Monthly is the sweet spot. It’s enough time to spot real patterns, and soon enough to change direction.
Step 1: Pull the numbers
We start by gathering the data across each platform. The exact metrics depend on the client’s goals, but usually include:
- Reach and impressions
- Engagement, especially saves, shares and comments
- Follower growth
- Link clicks and website traffic from social
- Video views and how long people actually watch
Step 2: Find the top and bottom performers
This is where it gets interesting. We pull out the posts that did best and the posts that did worst, and put them side by side.
Then we look for patterns. Was it the format? The topic? The first few seconds of the video? The time it went out? Often the answer is staring right at you once you line the posts up together.
Step 3: Ask why
The numbers tell you what happened. They don’t always tell you why.
A post with low reach might have gone out when the audience wasn’t online. A video with lots of views but people dropping off early might need a stronger hook. A carousel with loads of saves is telling you that people found it genuinely useful.
This is the part no dashboard can do for you. It takes a human who knows the brand, the audience and the context. (It’s one of the reasons we’re not fans of letting AI write your social media strategy.)
Step 4: Check it against the goals
A post can get loads of likes and do nothing for the business. So we always come back to what the client is actually trying to achieve, whether that’s enquiries, sales, sign-ups or awareness in a new area, and ask whether this month’s activity moved them closer.
Vanity metrics are nice. Business results are better.
Step 5: Decide what changes next month
A review is only useful if something changes because of it. So every review ends with a short list of clear actions. Usually no more than three, for example:
- Do more of the format that’s working
- Test a new hook or posting time
- Drop the content type that consistently underperforms
Those actions feed straight into next month’s content plan.
Step 6: Explain it in plain English
Finally, we share it with the client. Not as a wall of numbers, but as a clear story: here’s what happened, here’s why we think it happened and here’s what we’re doing next.
No jargon. No hiding the posts that didn’t work. Just an honest conversation about how to make next month better.
Do your own 30-minute monthly review
Managing your own social media? You can do a simple version of this in half an hour:
- Note down your key numbers for the month.
- Find your three best and three worst posts.
- Write down what the best ones have in common.
- Ask whether this month moved you closer to your business goal.
- Pick no more than three things to change next month.
Do it every month and you’ll be amazed how quickly your content improves.
Would you rather have someone do it for you? Have a look at our social media management service or give us a shout.
