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Top 11 Social Media Analytics Tools for Effective Tracking
23/10/2025 Written by CommerceCentric
Social media is a cornerstone of modern marketing, but creating impactful strategies requires more than creativity. Understanding what sticks with your audience, tracking campaign performance, and identifying areas for improvement are essential for success. Social media analytics tools make this possible by providing actionable data that helps brands refine their approach and achieve measurable outcomes.
In 2025, marketers will increasingly rely on social media analytics tools and social media reporting tools to demonstrate ROI, benchmark performance, and allocate budgets wisely. According to recent studies, over 70% of marketers say their biggest challenge is proving social media’s business impact — making accurate tracking of social media analytics more critical than ever.
Before we dive into the tools, a common question arises: “How do you track social media analytics?” The short answer: define your KPIs, use social media analytics tools (or native platform insights), apply UTM tagging, and consolidate across tools to monitor trends and benchmarks. We’ll show you exactly how with these 11 tools.
1. Sprout Social
Overview:Sprout Social is a comprehensive social media management platform ideal for businesses of all sizes. It allows marketers to centralise analytics from multiple platforms, monitor engagement, and make data-driven decisions. Sprout Social is particularly useful for teams handling multiple accounts or campaigns simultaneously.
Detailed Features:
Unified Dashboard / Platform Integration:
Integrates Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and TikTok.
Provides a single view for all accounts, avoiding the need to switch between platforms.
Displays real-time engagement metrics and audience demographics.
Example: Marketing teams can track multiple client accounts in one dashboard, saving hours each week.
Customisable Reports / Analytics:
Offers tailored reports based on KPIs, such as reach, impressions, click-through rates, and conversions.
Reports can focus on brand awareness, engagement, or content performance.
Scheduling options allow automatic delivery of reports to stakeholders.
Engagement Tracking / Audience Insights:
Tracks likes, comments, shares, mentions, and hashtag performance.
Identifies high-performing content and optimal posting times.
Helps marketers understand audience behavior and refine content strategies.
Competitor Analysis / Benchmarking Tools:
Provides metrics to compare performance against competitors, including engagement rates, follower growth, and posting frequency.
Supports benchmarking to set realistic goals and identify content opportunities.
Additional Features / Special Capabilities:
AI-assisted recommendations for posting schedules and content optimisation.
Supports tagging and campaign tracking for easier attribution.
How It Optimises Social Media Strategies: Sprout Social enables brands to streamline multi-account management, monitor performance across platforms, identify trends, and benchmark against competitors, making it a strong choice for both daily operations and long-term strategic planning.
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2. Hootsuite
Overview: Hootsuite is a versatile platform for social media management and analytics, widely used by global teams to monitor multiple accounts and campaigns from one dashboard.
Detailed Features:
Centralised Analytics / Platform Integration:
Integrates Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and TikTok.
Provides comprehensive tracking of engagement, reach, impressions, and conversions.
Example: Teams can view cross-platform performance trends and identify which content drives traffic and leads.
Customisable Reports / Analytics:
Pre-built and customisable reports for various KPIs.
Can export reports in PDF or Excel formats for stakeholders.
Audience Tracking / Insights:
Segments audiences based on demographics, engagement patterns, and locations.
Provides insights into the type of content audiences engage with most.
Competitor Benchmarking Tools:
Allows monitoring of competitor accounts, including engagement, follower growth, and posting patterns.
Supports strategic planning by identifying industry trends and top-performing content.
Additional Features / Special Capabilities:
Integration with GA4 to track social media traffic to websites.
Scheduling and workflow management for teams.
How It Optimises Social Media Strategies: Hootsuite helps marketers make data-driven decisions by tracking performance, analysing audiences, and benchmarking against competitors. This makes it easier to adjust campaigns and focus on high-impact strategies.
3. Buffer
Overview: Buffer provides a straightforward analytics solution for businesses seeking clear insights without complexity.
Detailed Features:
Unified Dashboard / Platform Integration:
Tracks Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest performance.
Customisable Reports / Analytics:
Monitors engagement, reach, click-throughs, and post performance.
Audience Tracking / Insights:
Basic demographic segmentation and engagement analysis guide content planning.
Competitor Benchmarking Tools:
Limited competitor insights, mainly historical data comparison.
How It Optimises Social Media Strategies: Buffer is ideal for small teams to monitor performance, identify trends, and adjust posting strategies efficiently.
4. Agorapulse
Overview:Agorapulse is user-friendly and suitable for small to medium businesses. It provides detailed analytics dashboards and simplifies social media management.
Detailed Features:
Unified Analytics Dashboard:
Tracks Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.
Provides overview of campaigns, engagement, and audience growth.
Customisable Reports:
Generate reports for engagement, reach, follower growth, and campaign performance.
Audience Tracking / Insights:
Segment audiences based on demographics, activity, and engagement trends.
Competitor Benchmarking Tools:
Monitor competitor content strategies, posting frequency, and engagement levels.
Additional Features / Special Capabilities:
Supports social listening, scheduling, and team collaboration.
How It Optimises Social Media Strategies: Agorapulse simplifies monitoring and reporting, helping marketers identify high-performing content, optimise posting strategies, and benchmark against competitors.
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5. Google Analytics (with Social Media Integration)
Overview:
While not a dedicated social media tool, Google Analytics is an essential addition to any marketer’s toolkit. When integrated with social media platforms, it provides unparalleled insights into how social efforts drive website traffic and conversions.
Detailed Features:
Social Referral Tracking:
Google Analytics tracks how visitors arrive at your website from social media platforms, offering detailed data on user behavior after the click.
Goal Tracking:
Set up specific goals, such as form submissions or product purchases, to measure the effectiveness of your social media campaigns in driving conversions.
Custom Campaign Reports:
Marketers can create UTM-tagged URLs to track individual campaigns and analyse performance down to the post level.
Audience Demographics:
Google Analytics provides in-depth information about website visitors, including age, gender, location, and interests. This data complements social media insights, creating a comprehensive picture of your target audience.
How It Optimises Social Media Strategies:
Google Analytics bridges the gap between social media performance and business outcomes. By tracking social referrals and conversions, marketers can directly measure the ROI of their efforts, ensuring strategies align with broader business goals.
6. Emplifi (formerly Socialbakers)
Overview:Emplifi is an AI-powered social media analytics and management platform, offering predictive insights, audience tracking, and competitive benchmarking. It is suitable for brands looking to combine analytics with AI-driven strategy recommendations.
Detailed Features:
Unified Dashboard / Platform Integration:
Integrates Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
Provides a centralised view for campaigns, performance metrics, and audience engagement.
Customisable Reports / Analytics:
Reports can focus on engagement, conversions, or brand awareness.
Predictive analytics highlight upcoming trends and suggest content strategies.
Engagement Tracking / Audience Insights:
Monitors comments, shares, mentions, and follower growth.
AI-driven insights forecast which content is likely to perform best.
Competitor Analysis / Benchmarking Tools:
Compare metrics against competitors including engagement, reach, and audience behavior.
Identify content gaps and opportunities.
Additional Features / Special Capabilities:
Influencer tracking and campaign performance evaluation.
AI recommendations for content optimisation.
How It Optimises Social Media Strategies: Emplifi helps marketers anticipate trends, refine campaigns, and maximise engagement using AI-driven insights, providing a competitive advantage.
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7. Iconosquare
Overview:Iconosquare specialises in Instagram and Facebook analytics, offering in-depth insights into content performance and audience engagement.
Detailed Features:
Content Analytics:
Tracks likes, comments, shares, story views, and Reels performance.
Audience Insights:
Provides demographic breakdowns, follower growth, and peak activity times.
Reporting Tools:
Customisable dashboards and exportable reports highlighting KPIs.
Competitor Benchmarking Tools:
Monitor competitors’ content performance and posting patterns.
How It Optimises Social Media Strategies: Iconosquare helps brands optimise posting schedules, replicate successful content formats, and adjust campaigns to maximise reach and engagement.
8. Zoho Social
Overview:
Zoho Social is a cost-effective and user-friendly tool designed for small to medium-sized businesses. It focuses on providing essential analytics features without overwhelming users with complexity, making it perfect for teams new to social media analytics.
Features:
Performance Dashboards:
View reach, impressions, and engagement metrics in an easy-to-navigate interface.
Real-Time Monitoring:
Stay updated on brand mentions, relevant hashtags, and audience interactions as they happen.
Customisable Reports:
Generate detailed reports tailored to specific campaign goals or client needs.
Collaboration Tools:
Assign tasks and communicate directly within the platform, streamlining teamwork.
Benefits:
Zoho Social stands out for its affordability and simplicity, making it a great choice for small businesses with limited budgets. Its collaboration tools also make it a favorite among teams managing multiple accounts.
9. Brandwatch
Overview:Brandwatch offers advanced social listening and analytics capabilities, allowing brands to track conversations, sentiment, and trends across social platforms, blogs, forums, and news sites.
Detailed Features:
Listening Dashboard:
Aggregates data from social media and online sources for a complete view of brand mentions.
Example: Track discussions about product launches across forums and Twitter simultaneously.
Customisable Reports / Analytics:
Focus reports on sentiment, engagement, reach, or specific campaigns.
Automated exports and trend tracking over time.
Audience Analytics:
Segments audiences by demographics, interests, and engagement patterns.
Helps identify content preferences and optimise targeting strategies.
Competitor Insights / Benchmarking:
Compare performance with competitors and track share of voice, engagement, and content trends.
Additional Features / Special Capabilities:
AI-assisted trend analysis and sentiment detection.
Alerts for brand reputation management.
How It Optimises Social Media Strategies: Brandwatch helps marketers understand audience sentiment, monitor competitors, and adjust campaigns to improve brand perception and engagement.
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10. Talkwalker
Overview:Talkwalker combines social media analytics and listening to provide detailed insights into audience behavior, trending topics, and brand perception.
Detailed Features:
Real-Time Monitoring / Platform Integration:
Tracks mentions, hashtags, and keywords in real time across social media, blogs, forums, and news.
Example: Detect viral trends early and adjust campaign messaging accordingly.
Engagement & Sentiment Analysis:
Evaluates comments, reactions, and shares to measure sentiment.
AI identifies emerging trends for proactive content planning.
Visual Analytics:
Recognises logos and visual brand content in images and videos.
Tracks how audiences interact with visual campaigns.
Competitor Benchmarking Tools:
Compare engagement rates, audience growth, and content performance against competitors.
How It Optimises Social Media Strategies: Talkwalker enables real-time trend detection, sentiment analysis, and competitor benchmarking to refine campaigns and measure impact.
11. Keyhole
Overview:
Keyhole is an analytics tool that specialises in hashtag and influencer tracking. It is perfect for brands running campaigns focused on specific keywords or seeking to collaborate with influencers effectively.
Features:
Hashtag Analytics:
Measure the reach and engagement of campaign-specific hashtags.
Influencer Insights:
Analyse the performance of influencer-driven campaigns to gauge ROI.
Real-Time Data:
Get instant updates on how campaigns and hashtags are performing.
Competitor Analysis:
Compare your hashtag and content performance against competitors.
Benefits:
Keyhole is an invaluable tool for marketers focusing on hashtag-driven campaigns or influencer partnerships. Its analytics provide detailed insights to optimise these specific areas.
12. Sendible
Overview:
Sendible is a versatile tool designed for agencies and teams managing multiple accounts or clients. It combines analytics, content scheduling, and collaboration features in one platform.
Features:
Advanced Analytics:
Access metrics like engagement, reach, impressions, and audience growth in detailed dashboards.
Content Suggestions:
Discover trending topics and create relevant, high-performing content.
White-Labeled Reports:
Generate branded reports for clients, adding a professional touch to analytics presentations.
Social Listening:
Monitor audience conversations, brand mentions, and hashtags to stay informed.
Benefits:
Sendible’s advanced analytics and client management features make it ideal for agencies handling multiple brands. Its white-labeled reports and content suggestions enhance its value for professional teams.
13. Rival IQ
Overview:Rival IQ focuses on competitive benchmarking to help brands compare performance across industries.
Detailed Features:
Competitor Analytics:
Tracks competitors’ engagement, follower growth, and content strategies.
Custom Reports / Analytics:
Tailor reports to highlight share of voice, engagement metrics, and top-performing posts.
Trend Analysis:
Identifies content and posting trends among competitors.
Audience Insights:
Provides demographic insights and engagement patterns for strategy optimisation.
How It Optimises Social Media Strategies: Rival IQ allows marketers to spot content gaps, replicate successful strategies, and improve competitive positioning.
Conclusion
Each of these tools offers unique features to optimise social media strategies. Sprout Social and Hootsuite excel in managing multi-platform campaigns, while Buffer focuses on simplicity and post performance. Sprinklr caters to enterprises with advanced analytics needs, and Google Analytics ties social performance to business outcomes.
Choosing the right tool depends on your brand’s specific goals, budget, and social media strategy complexity. By leveraging these tools, marketers can unlock actionable insights, refine their strategies, and achieve meaningful results.
CommerceCentric specialises in helping businesses turn data into impactful marketing strategies. With expertise in product launches, affiliate marketing, creative campaigns, and performance analysis, we provide comprehensive solutions tailored to your unique goals. Whether you’re seeking to optimise your social media presence or scale your marketing efforts, our team combines strategic insights with innovative tools to deliver measurable results. Let us partner with you to transform your marketing challenges into opportunities for growth. Visit our website to learn more about our services.
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