If there’s one thing 2025 has made very clear about social media, it’s this: the demands on publishers are more intense than ever. With billions of posts flooding social platforms daily, the battle to stay relevant, trending, and at the top of your readers’ feeds is fierce. 

Using a social media analytics tool can help ease some of the stress on publishers, especially when managing multiple social media accounts. But if you’re new to these tools, it can be hard to know where to begin. What data do social media tools have to offer? How do publishers transform these into strategies? 

We’re here to help. This post will discuss the key things you should know about social media analytics tools and explore how publishers use their benefits to build smarter, more effective content strategies. 

What does a social media analytics tool do?

Social media analytics tools are talked about a lot in the publishing industry, but not always clearly understood. Let’s break down what information you can typically expect from these tools: 

• Performance metrics. Measurement of how well your content and campaigns perform over time. 
• Data collection and measurement. These tools track metrics, including followers, impressions, clicks, comments, likes, shares, and reach. 
• Trend monitoring. Some tools highlight trending topics and shifts in online conversations and sentiment. 
• Audience insights: This is a dive into who is looking at your content based on demographics, behavior, location, interests, and more. 
• Sentiment analysis. Less about knowing how your users are feeling and more about identifying the positive, negative, and neutral tones your audience uses when engaging with your posts. 
• Competitor comparison. See how your content compares to other publishers and media marketers in your niche.  

Red flags to watch for

Despite having similar metrics, not all social media analytics tools are the same. Many take a one-size-fits-all approach that doesn’t offer much personalization for your audience. Some tools may deliver enough data to help you maintain your success, but not enough to grow continuously. Keep this in mind.

Additionally, ensure the analytics tool you choose has a strong reputation for timely data collection. Some tools experience delays due to platform restrictions, leading to you falling behind on trends and algorithm shifts. Staying ahead requires real-time insights to reduce the risk of missing opportunities to engage your audience. 

Practical uses of analytics tools

Once publishers sorted through their analytics data, then what? How do you turn that data into a strategy that drives real results? Thankfully, many publishers have figured it out. Here are a few ways to do it.

Understand your audience 

Audience targeting for publishers is the foundation of a successful content strategy. It helps to shape content, build trust, and boost engagement. Social media analytics play a critical role in this process. Publishers use data from demographics, top-performing posts, engagement rates, impressions, reach, and click-through rates to determine who is consuming their content. The better you understand your audience, the more you can personalize their posts. 

Create a recirculation game

Analytics are invaluable for helping publishers maximize the impact of their content. Content is king–we know this, but we don’t all have time to create the amount that helps us stay relevant. To help in this area, publishers use metrics to highlight top-performing posts to find those golden posts they can repurpose and recirculate. It’s a smart way to save time and a valuable secret to effective social media scheduling, especially when you can do it beforehand. 

Prevent burnout

Social media burnout is real, and there’s no time for it in the digital newsroom. A burnt-out social media team is a low-performing team at best. Using analytics helps take some workload off your team, but it also outsources grueling data gathering that would be nearly impossible to do manually these days. 

Adjust to algorithms 

Platform algorithms change so often that sometimes you’re behind before you even notice. Analytics tools help publishers stay on top of things when a platform’s focus has changed. You can tell right away which metrics are the priority and what the algorithm is pushing. 

Content creation ideas

Beyond identifying the best content for recirculation, analytics can be a powerful tool when creativity stalls. By reviewing your own top-performing posts and the types of content trending in your niche, you can spark fresh ideas and inspire your team to create new, engaging posts. 

Working with True Anthem’s tool

To truly reduce stress and save time, you need a tool combining social media analytics and management. Yes, social media analytics saves you time by compiling data, but you still need a tool to schedule everything unless you want to do it all on each platform (which you don’t!).

True Anthem’s tool stands out by offering an easy-to-use platform that consolidates everything in one place. With real-time data, our tool allows you to analyze performance across all of your platforms, schedule content, and highlight high-performing pieces that are perfect for recirculation. 

Request a demo to jump right in, or reach out to us to learn more.