Trying to figure out if your social media posts are actually working? You’re not alone. Plenty of folks dump content onto Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn, then stare at a wall of numbers in Buffer and wonder, “Okay... so now what?” If you want to get past the confusion and start using Buffer’s reports to make real decisions, this guide is for you—whether you’re a solo marketer, a business owner, or just the unlucky team member who got handed the social accounts.
Let’s break it all down, step by step—no fluff, no hand-waving.
Step 1: Get Set Up in Buffer
First things first: you need access to Buffer and your connected social accounts.
- Log in to Buffer: If you don’t have an account, sign up for the free version. Paid plans have more analytics, but you can still get the basics on free.
- Connect your social channels: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Pinterest—Buffer covers most of the big ones.
- Permissions matter: Make sure you have the right permissions on each platform (especially with Facebook/Instagram—Meta loves to make this fiddly).
Pro Tip: If something’s not showing up in Buffer, it’s probably a permissions issue. Double-check your page roles and reauthorize Buffer if needed.
Step 2: Find the Reports Dashboard
Once you’re in, it’s time to locate your data.
- Navigate to “Analytics” or “Reports”: The sidebar will say “Analytics” on some plans, “Reports” on others. It’s the same idea—where Buffer keeps your numbers.
- Pick your channel: Each account (like your Facebook Page, Instagram profile, etc.) has its own dashboard. You’ll need to look at them one at a time.
- Set your date range: Don’t just look at “last 7 days” by default. Switch to the past month, or compare custom time frames if you want to see real trends.
What to ignore: Don’t get distracted by the overview charts that just show “activity.” Go deeper.
Step 3: Know What You’re Looking At
Buffer throws a lot of metrics at you. Here’s what actually matters—and what’s mostly noise.
The Metrics That Count
- Impressions/Reach: How many people saw your post. Good for brand awareness, but don’t obsess.
- Engagements: Likes, comments, shares, retweets, etc. This is your best “are real humans interested?” metric.
- Engagement Rate: Engagements divided by reach or impressions. This levels the playing field between posts—useful for spotting what punches above its weight.
- Clicks/Link Clicks: If your goal is getting folks to your website, this is crucial. Everything else is window dressing.
- Follower growth: Overrated for most small brands, but worth tracking over months (not weeks).
Metrics to Ignore (Most of the Time)
- “Potential reach” or “estimated impressions”: These are often wild guesses—don’t build your strategy on them.
- Video views: Unless you’re running a video campaign, the definition of a “view” changes by platform and usually isn’t meaningful.
- Post saves: Nice ego boost, but hard to act on unless you’re a recipe or inspiration account.
Pro Tip: Pick one or two metrics that actually matter to your goals. Ignore the rest unless you have a clear reason.
Step 4: Analyze Individual Post Performance
This is where you separate the winners from the duds.
- Sort posts by engagement or clicks: See which posts got people to do something—not just see something.
- Look for patterns:
- Did certain topics get more engagement?
- Do photos beat text posts? (Spoiler: usually, yes.)
- Was there a post that tanked? Any obvious reason—bad timing, off-brand, boring?
- Compare across time: Did your posts this month do better than last month? What changed?
What Actually Works
- Consistent, relevant content nearly always outperforms random posting.
- Clear calls to action (“Read more,” “Tell us your thoughts,” “Click the link”) drive up engagement and clicks.
- Good visuals matter—especially on Instagram and Facebook.
What Doesn’t Work
- Posting at random times and hoping for magic. Scheduling helps, but don’t overthink “the best time to post”—the difference is usually small.
- Chasing every trend. One viral post won’t make your account.
- Obsessing over outliers. One unusually high (or low) post doesn’t mean you cracked the code or messed up. Look for consistent patterns.
Step 5: Compare Across Channels
Buffer doesn’t magically combine your data from every network into a single “master report.” You’ll have to do some mental (or spreadsheet) gymnastics.
- Check the same metric across networks: For example, compare engagement rate on Facebook vs. Instagram.
- Account for audience size: 100 likes on Instagram with 1,000 followers is huge. On Facebook with 50,000 followers? Not so much.
- Don’t expect apples-to-apples: What works on LinkedIn usually flops on TikTok or Instagram. That’s normal.
Pro Tip: If you want to see everything side by side, export your Buffer data (CSV), then make a simple spreadsheet. It’s not glamorous, but it works.
Step 6: Dig Into Audience Insights (But Don’t Obsess)
Buffer gives you some audience info—age, gender, location, etc.—depending on the network and your plan.
- Look for trends, not details: Is your audience shifting younger? Are you suddenly getting traction in a new country?
- Be skeptical of small numbers: If you only have 200 followers, demographic breakdowns are mostly noise.
- Use insights to tweak, not overhaul: If you see a pattern, try a few posts tailored to that group. Don’t rewrite your whole strategy based on one month’s data.
Step 7: Share (or Save) Your Reports
If you need to show your boss, client, or team what’s happening:
- Use Buffer’s “Export” feature: Download a PDF or CSV of your reports.
- Screenshots work too: Sometimes it’s easier to just grab a screenshot of the chart you want.
- Focus on action: Don’t just dump numbers. Add one or two takeaways (“Our engagement rate doubled on Instagram after we started using more photos”).
What to avoid: Don’t send 10 pages of charts and hope people will read them. They won’t. Highlight the one or two numbers that matter.
Step 8: Take Action—But Keep It Simple
All the analytics in the world are pointless if you don’t do something with them.
- Pick one thing to test next month: Maybe more video, or posting at a different time, or shorter captions.
- Set a simple goal: “Increase engagement rate by 10%” is better than “Grow all numbers everywhere.”
- Check back after a month: Did it help? If yes, do more. If not, try something else.
Pro Tip: Social media is unpredictable. The best strategy is regular, small experiments—not chasing perfection.
Wrapping Up
Analyzing your social media performance in Buffer doesn’t have to be a black hole of endless numbers and fake “insights.” Ignore what doesn’t matter, focus on the signals that line up with your real goals, and make small, steady improvements. Keep it simple, keep it honest, and don’t let the analytics dashboard boss you around. Iterate, learn, and keep moving.