4 Free Tools to Measure Your Instagram Success

Guest Post by Rachael Seda

For the past few months, my friend Ryan has been managing a boutique in a nearby shopping center called Apricot Lane. I know 80-90% of the stores in this area are out of my price range and, because they are so expensive, their typical customers are more likely to be women in my mom’s age group.

I assumed that Apricot Lane was another boutique with clothes for women older than myself. That is… until Ryan started an Instagram for the boutique. She posted photos of the clothes, jewelry, and new items on Instagram. She even posted photos of people I knew modeling the clothes.

I fell in love with the different styles and fun items. I realized my preconceived notions were wrong, and I was quickly convinced that I needed to visit the boutique. Not only did I visit, I brought my mom and sister with me, both of whom loved it.

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My wedding photographer and wedding planner are also on Instagram. I hired them both before I started following them on Instagram, but every time I see their photos, I am even more happy that both of them will be a part of my wedding day.

My photographer (Andi Grant) and wedding planner (Jamie Howell) post fun photos of their office construction, clients, DIY projects, and their everyday life. By giving me a peak into their everyday lives, I feel closer and more comfortable with them as people and professionals. As my trust for them has grown, I am inspired by their creativity and love for their profession.

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By building an identity on Instagram, Ryan changed my perception of her boutique, and Andi and Jamie have continued to grow my loyalty as a client. Perhaps this was their goal when they began their Instagram accounts, perhaps it wasn’t.

Either way, I’m proof that their time spent on Instagram is reaping benefits… but how else can they measure their Instagram success?

Immediately intrigued, I sought out to find some Instagram measurement tools and, of course, they do exist.

Here are four free tools small businesses can use to keep track of their Instagram success:

1. SumAll – I just started exploring this tool and it looks like the perfect tool for small businesses looking to track their social success, find out which network is reaping more benefits, and how it’s affecting the bottom line. I’ll have to explore it some more (and maybe make my friend’s new business Modern Maternity my guinea pig) but I definitely think this tool is worth trying out, for Instagram and more.

2. Statigram – This tool is solely for Instagram and provides statistics such as the amount of photos you have, likes received, comments, followers, and more. I like how it shows you the photos with the highest engagement, the day and time that your users are most engaged, your most engaged followers, and your growth and loss in followers as well. You can even manage contests using this tool!

3. SimplyMeasured – This tool allows users to download analytics on different profiles for free as long as you agree to share a tweet to promote the company. You can download a detailed, and I mean detailed, Excel document that even shows you the engagement your photos have had outside of Instagram. The free analytics report is definitely worth sharing a tweet!

4. Nitrogram – This tool shows engagement rates, statistics per photo, follower count, and the number of photos shared.

Regardless of which tool you choose, I think it’s important to measure and track your brand’s Instagram success. Tracking your account’s metrics and the engagement of your community can help you learn more about your audience, grow your existing followers, understand what your audience values, and convert your followers into loyal customers.

Do you use Instagram for you business? If so, what type of success have you had? Are there any other tools you’d recommended or important statistics you think brands should be tracking on Instagram? Please share!

Rachael Seda grew up barefoot in Hawaii. Determined to find a career that put her creativity and social skills to good use, she double majored in communication and media arts and design at James Madison University and set out to do just that… and is now an Account Executive at CRT/tanaka. She shares her career experiences and journey at rachaelseda.com. Her ultimate weakness is cheese.