In
today’s fast-paced social environment, social media managers are searching for
measurement tools to not only provide data from social media accounts, but to
also assist in interpreting and understanding what the data mean for their
social media strategy. Union Metrics is a social media measurement tool designed to do just that
by turning data into strategy through social marketing intelligence on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
What is Union Metrics?
Union
Metrics is a web-based analytic tool designed with marketers in mind. Union
Metrics began back in 2009 as TweetReach.com. Recently TweetReach joined forces
with TrendKite and InsightPool to form Union Metrics.
This
review focuses on Union Metrics’ free measurement tools including Twitter
Assistant, Twitter Snapshots, and Instagram Checkup. Each of these tools
include algorithms from the paid subscription features to help improve social
media marketing for free. A brief description of each tool is included in the
image below. There are paid subscription options include Social Manager
($49/mo), Social Marketer ($99/mo), and Marketing Team ($199/mo). More information
can be found at https://unionmetrics.com/pricing/.
Free Social Analytics Tools courtesy
of Union Metrics (https://unionmetrics.com/)
How the free Union Metrics tools
work
To
access each of the three free tools, users will need to register for a Union
Metrics account, then link a Twitter profile to both the Twitter Assistant and
Twitter Snapshots tools and link an Instagram account to Instagram Checkup.
Twitter
Assistant
Once
you have linked a Twitter account all you have to do is run the Twitter
Assistant tool. It will then provide a breakdown of information from the linked
account over what seems to be a four-week time period. Information will include
the top performing tweet, what tweet content needs improvement, best times to
post, top performing hashtags, and your most influential contributors. Each
section of information will explain what needs to be worked on with tips on how
to improve, as seen in the image below.
Twitter Assistant report courtesy of
Union Metrics (https://unionmetrics.com/)
Twitter
Snapshots
After
linking a Twitter account, you are able to search for any hashtags, keywords,
or accounts. A snapshot will then be generated with information about the
potential reach, potential impressions, recent activity, and contributors.
This
feature is helpful to understand the potential reach of your account or even a
recent social media campaign. In addition, you can even get a look at your
competitors’ reach and impressions. This feature does limit you to only the
latest 100 tweets or the past seven days, whichever comes first. So, keep that
in mind when analyzing data over an extended time period of a campaign.
Twitter Snapshots report courtesy of
Union Metrics (https://unionmetrics.com/)
Instagram
Checkup
Running
the Instagram Checkup will generate a report containing the frequency of posts,
the best time to post, your top hashtag, as well as the posts with the most
engagement. Tips for improving each section are provided as well. Only the
posts from the last month will be included in the checkup report. Once running
the report it can only be updated every 24 hours.
Instagram Checkup report courtesy of
Union Metrics (https://unionmetrics.com/)
Pros and cons of Union Metrics’ free
tools
Like
all measurement tools, Union Metrics has some pros and cons that users should
be aware of prior to using.
Pros
·
Free means free. Union Metrics never requires a
credit card to use the free features, and there is no free trial time frame
limit.
·
Data insights. One of the outstanding pros for
Union Metrics is that the tools provide data for marketers but also include
tips and insights on how to use the data to improve a social marketing
strategy.
·
User friendly interface. Union Metrics’ website is easy to
navigate and understand. All of the tools are easy to learn and do not require
previous experience to use. Also, all terms are defined on the website.
·
Navigation. Switching between the three tools
is easily done by the drop down menu on the web page.
·
Speed. Across all three tools, they
operated very quickly. Generating reports only took a few seconds, but
depending on the size of the data could take up to two minutes.
·
Instagram analytics. Instagram analytics are usually
difficult to come by, and the fact that Union Metrics provides a free checkup
tool is a great pro.
·
Privacy. Upon linking each account to the
three tools, you are informed of every aspect of information the tools will be
able to access. No outstanding privacy concerns stood out as the tools mostly
required access to only basic account information.
·
Official Twitter partner. Union Metrics is an official Twitter
data partner. They are credited in assisting users make informed decisions
regarding Twitter data. For more information visit: https://partners.twitter.com/
Cons
·
Amount of data. As with many free versions, Union
Metrics severely limits the amount of data allowed in the measurement reports.
Twitter Snapshot only allows for the latest 100 tweets or the past seven days,
whichever comes first. Twitter Assistant only analyzes tweets over the last
four weeks, and Instagram Checkup only includes posts from the last month.
·
Brief insights. Because these tools are free, the
insights are brief and at the surface level. For example, the tool might say
“post more content like this” or “use a variety of content styles,” which is
helpful but not necessarily very informative. To gain more in-depth insights,
you will need a paid version.
·
Limited number of accounts. Each tool only allows for one
account to be linked. This can be a con for businesses with multiple accounts.
·
Ability to save/download reports. Except for Twitter Snapshots
reports, in which you can easily download, print, share a link, and export to
excel, Twitter Assistant and Instagram Checkup do not have the ability to
download or export reports.
·
No Facebook analytics. Facebook is not included in the
free version and could be a con for marketers trying to have all social
platforms analyzed in one place.
Overall recommendation
Union Metrics’ free social media measurement
tools are beneficial for marketers of small organizations and businesses. These
tools are limited in their abilities so after the first use, they are best used
as a monthly checkup or after a specific campaign. With no cost and no
perceived risk, users cannot only receive data and analytics from their social
media platforms but also information, tips and insights on how to put that data
to use
through their social strategy. To begin using these free Union Metrics tools
visit https://unionmetrics.com/free-tools/.
Logan
Allen is a graduate communication studies student at Tarleton State University.
You can get in touch with him at @LoganSAllen on Twitter.
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Contact us:
Texas Social Media Research Institute
Follow Us on Twitter - @TSMRI
Call Us - 254-307-8211
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texassocialmediaresearch@gmail.com
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