Instagram Analytics in 2023: The Ultimate Guide + 7 Best Tools

Instagram analytics provide invaluable insights into the performance of your Instagram account. By tracking key metrics over time, you can understand what content resonates best with your audience, when your followers are most active, and how your efforts are contributing to concrete business goals.

This comprehensive guide will explore:

What Instagram analytics are and why they‘re important
Key Instagram metrics to track
How to access Instagram Insights on mobile and desktop
7 top Instagram analytics tools

Plus helpful tips, actionable recommendations, and answers to frequently asked questions about understanding the data behind your Instagram success.

What Are Instagram Analytics and Why Are They Important?

Instagram analytics refers to the metrics, data, and insights available about your Instagram account‘s content and audience engagement over time. This includes information like:

Number of followers
Post reach
Content interactions
Audience demographics

Monitoring this vital data is crucial for a few key reasons:

Inform Your Instagram Strategy

The numbers provide concrete evidence of what‘s working well. You can use Instagram analytics to identify your best-performing content styles and types, optimal posting cadence, and peak audience engagement times. With these insights, you can strategically create content that resonates better.

Benchmark and Track Growth

Analytics allow you to benchmark your starting point and track growth in followers, engagement rates, etc. over time. This progress can demonstrate ROI to bosses/clients and motivate your team.

Understand Your Audience

The data reveals valuable details about your followers‘ demographics and interests. These psychographic insights help you tailor content and products more precisely to your target customer base.

Uncover New Opportunities

You may uncover an unexpected audience niche or content format driving strong engagement. Lean into these opportunities for quick wins!

Key Instagram Metrics to Track

With a broader understanding of why Instagram analytics matter, let‘s explore some of the most valuable metrics to track consistently:

Instagram Account Performance

These top-level metrics provide an overview of how well your Instagram presence is performing:

Follower Growth Rate
Engagement Rate
Website Referral Traffic

Content Metrics

These metrics offer insight into how each piece of content (post, Story, Reel) is resonating with your audience:

Impressions
Reach
Saves
Comments
Shares

Instagram Insights

This built-in tool provides an overview of your followers‘ demographics and behaviors:

Age Range
Top Locations
Gender Breakdown
When They‘re Most Active

Armed with these metrics, you can start analyzing Instagram performance more effectively!

Accessing Instagram Analytics on Mobile

Wondering how to view those valuable Instagram metrics on the go? Here‘s a quick guide to checking Instagram analytics on mobile:

Open the Instagram App
Navigate to your profile page
Tap “Professional Dashboard”
Select “Account Insights”
Tap “See All” to expand insights
Analyze performance metrics
Adjust date range filter as needed
Click metric names to see details

These steps allow you to check top-level metrics and engagement data by post. For more advanced analytics, continue reading or switch to desktop.

Accessing Instagram Analytics on Desktop

While Instagram Insights offers mobile-friendly performance tracking, accessing Instagram analytics on desktop provides a more powerful experience.

Here are three easy ways to see in-depth Instagram metrics on desktop:

1. Instagram Post Insights

View simple engagement data for individual Instagram posts via the web feed. Just click the “View insights” option beneath any post.

2. Facebook Business Suite

Connect your Instagram account to Business Suite for more robust cross-channel analytics. Flexible custom reporting allows segmenting data by channel, content type, and other variables.

3. Third-Party Instagram Analytics Tools

We‘ll cover the top analytics platforms shortly, but these provide the most comprehensive Instagram data, including historical performance, competitor benchmarking, and predictive suggestions based on your metrics.

7 Best Instagram Analytics Tools

To take your Instagram analytics to the next level, third-party analytics tools are a must. Here are seven top-rated platforms to consider:

1. Iconosquare

Robust analytics for Instagram and 4 other networks
Custom reporting and data visualization
14-day free trial

Best for: Multi-network analytics and data sharing

Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter analytics
Social listening capabilities
30-day free trial

Best for: Cross-channel social media management

3. Later

User-friendly Instagram analytics
Content planning/scheduling tools
14-day free trial

Best for: Streamlining Instagram content workflow

4. Keyhole

Hashtag and influencer performance tracking
Real-time updates on Instagram contests
Free and paid plans

Best for: Monitoring UGC and branded campaigns

5. Hootsuite

Custom analytics reporting
PDF export capabilities
30-day free trial

Best for: Creating visual reports

6. Squarelovin

Audience demographic insights
Suggests top-performing hashtags
100% free platform

Best for: Budget-friendly option

7. Analisa

Benchmark performance against competitors
Determine peak engagement times
30-day free trial

Best for: Competitor research

Assess each tool against your specific needs to select the right fit! Most offer free trials to experiment firsthand.

5 Tips to Improve Your Instagram Strategy With Analytics

Here are five quick tips for acting on the insights from your Instagram analytics:

Identify and create more of your highest-performing content types and formats. Your analytics reveal your "greatest hits" – so make more of them!
Study your audience demographics and craft content that better fits their interests. Tailor your messaging and visual aesthetics to what resonates most.
Post at the times when your audience is most active. Hourly metrics show when your followers are most likely online and engaging.
Pinpoint low-performing content and stop posting more of it. If the numbers show certain types of posts aren‘t working, try something new instead.
Set measurable goals and monitor how you’re progressing. Establish KPIs for targets like followers gained, engagement rate, or link clicks. Track them in your analytics to showcase your Instagram ROI.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions about diving into your Instagram analytics? Here are answers to some common queries:

How do I check Instagram insights on mobile and desktop? See the guides provided above for accessing Instagram Insights‘ built-in analytics via mobile and desktop.

What are some must-have metrics to track in Instagram analytics? Prioritize follower growth rate, engagement rate per post, website clicks, audience demographics, best posting times, and your top-performing post types.

Are there any free Instagram analytics tools? Instagram Insights provides basic analytics for free. Some third-party tools offer limited capabilities or trial periods at no cost. For advanced features, paid tools are required.

Can I view historical Instagram data? Yes! With business profiles, you can access Instagram Insights data up to the past year for posts. Many premium tools offer archival data over a longer timeframe too.

How often should I check Instagram analytics? Review top-level metrics including growth and engagement rates daily. Do a deeper dive into audience demographics, individual post performance, and historical trends weekly.

Final Takeaways on Leveraging Instagram Analytics

Here are the key lessons for succeeding with Instagram analytics:

Check Instagram Insights routinely, setting daily and weekly analytics review reminders.
Use the data to create targeted content strategies that play to your audience interests and preferred formats.
Let the numbers steer your informed decisions rather than guesswork.
Know exactly how your efforts are driving quantifiable ROI by monitoring metrics aligned to business goals.
Try tools offering analytics beyond Instagram Insights to unlock more game-changing insights.

Stop flying blind and leverage Instagram analytics to lift your Instagram marketing to the next level!