Keep An Analytical Mindset With Your Social Media
Social media is both a gift and a curse for a lot of different reasons. For starters there are just an unhealthy amount of arguments and unneeded garbage that takes place daily. That being said, there is also a lot of good that takes place as well. Like how easy it is to connect with others where it would have been impossible previously. Just look at my TTRPG blog for even more evidence on how social media (in that case places like discord) can lead to great things.
If your a small business or independent content creator looking to grow online, social media can be a daunting beast that seems impossible to conquer. Though, it is an important area being one of the main ways to engage with your customers, or followers, and be able to find more. Keeping an analytical mindset when dealing with your social media strategy can help you avoid common points of aggravation.
Leverage The Power Of Data Driven Decision Making
Data-Driven Decision Making (DDDM) is not just a business strategy—it's a mindset that can be just as powerful in everyday life as it is in the workplace. While we often rely on our "gut feelings" for quick decisions, especially in situations tied to survival instincts like the well-known fight-or-flight response, this approach isn’t always ideal for modern challenges.
In many cases, trusting your instincts makes sense—like feeling uneasy while walking alone at night and choosing to get to safety or avoiding a plant that looks poisonous. These instincts have helped humans survive for generations. However, in today’s world, we face complex situations where a data-driven approach can lead to better outcomes.
Unfortunately, society often glorifies impulsive, gut-reaction decision-making, and many of us default to it. Instead of relying on patterns, information, and facts, we act on emotion—which can lead to unnecessary drama and poor results. By embracing a more analytical mindset, we can make more informed decisions that drive better outcomes in both personal and professional life.
In other words DDDM is using data to guide decisions and make more impactful ones. See how this can be helpful for social media?
Go Beyond Just Posting
Now that you understand what Data-Driven Decision Making (DDDM) is, you can see why it's important to go beyond simply hitting the "Post" button. To succeed with social media, you need to be curious and dig deeper into the data behind each post. Gather insights from key metrics like:
Likes
Comments
Shares
Reposts
This information is essential for adopting a data-driven mindset. Without it, you're essentially shooting in the dark and missing the opportunity to fully capitalize on this approach. By collecting and analyzing these metrics, you can uncover patterns, determine what works, and refine your strategy. This process is often referred to as A/B testing, which is a huge part of content creation. Some things simply perform better than others—for example, a post that goes viral on YouTube Shorts may fall flat on Instagram.
Fortunately, many platforms offer built-in analytics tools to help you along the way. Personally, I'm a big fan of YouTube Studio, as it's both user-friendly and capable of providing deep insights.
So, don’t just post and move on. Dive into the data and start building a solid foundation of insights that will make your future posts more impactful.
P.S. If it wasn’t clear yet, a business and an individual content creator trying to grow online are essentially the same. All the elements of business are there—the only real difference is the scale. But that’s a topic for another day!
Adapting to Changing Algorithms with an Analytical Approach
Just like a lot of things in life, social media platforms grow, change, fall, and adapt. Kind of like how Google loves to change their SEO rules multiple times in one year, drastically impacting how ranking works. The many different algorithms that power our favorite (or hated) platforms are constantly changing. For example, with the recent prevalence of AI, many platforms are trying to update accordingly in order to deal with this new trend. Back in the early 2015 days to around 2020 YouTube was under going a lot of changes to how its monetization worked as well as how videos are picked up by its algorithm and promoted. For example swearing in the first few seconds could heavily reduce the visibility of your video. So, people had to learn and adapt to these changes and many of which adapted emotionally which resulted in failing profiles, refusing to change. Other’s acted more critically and using the data they collected over time from constant posting, these accounts often succeeded. Markiplier, for example, is a YouTuber who has weathered all of these storms and adapted as needed. He is still one of the most viewed channels on YouTube and he is in the works of producing a new movie with two others already behind him.
There are a few ways to stay ahead of the curve. You could keep up to date on news to see when platform’s announce changes, update your posting schedule, or more. But honestly just like with doing more then just posting and moving on, it comes down to being curious and seeking out more learning and information.
Avoid Analysis Paralysis
One last thing before we wrap up: it’s crucial to avoid what I call analysis paralysis. This happens when you become so focused on the data that it overwhelms you, leading to indecision or overly cautious choices. Data is there to guide you toward better decisions, not to send you down a rabbit hole of fear or overthinking.
For example, let’s say you’ve been running A/B tests on your social media content for weeks, comparing dozens of variables like posting times, hashtags, and content formats. You start obsessing over every minor fluctuation in engagement—one day’s posts outperform another by 1%, and suddenly you’re questioning your entire strategy. Instead of making steady improvements, you freeze, unsure whether to pivot or stay the course. This is analysis paralysis in action: the data overwhelms you, and creativity takes a backseat to hesitation.
There’s a fine balance between relying on data and staying creative. When adopting a DDDM mindset, focus on what’s beneficial in the moment, and don’t let the numbers paralyze you. My advice to all content creators and clients is this: don’t become too numbers-driven. Love what you do and enjoy the process. Data should inform your decisions, not dictate them fully all of the time.
Conclusion
Thanks for reading! If you need help with your social media creation or management feel free to use the form below and drop me a line. Also check out my podcast where I talk with various guests about whatever fits the mood that day!
