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Contributed article | February 2022

One thing is for certain: goals are an integral part of running a successful business. Having goals ensures that you’re on the right track, whether on a yearly, monthly, or day-to-day basis.

When setting goals for your pet-sitting business, there are so many things you might consider, spanning from operations all the way to marketing: number of clients, target income, hourly workload, followers on social media, email addresses on your email list, etc.

So it should be no surprise to you that if you’re using social media for your pet-care business, you’ll need to have goals. Using a social-media platform just for the sake of it may be harming your business as it may be wasting your time. As with anything in your business, it’s important to know that something is actually worth your time and money. That’s why it’s time to set some social-media goals! Read on for goal-setting advice for Instagram and Facebook as well as a list of metrics to keep in mind when using these platforms.

Instagram Goals

Already on Instagram or ready to get signed up? Here’s your reminder to make sure you’ve got goals set for the platform. Without goals, a platform as engaging as Instagram runs the risk of taking over your day. Spend an hour watching Instagram Reels of pets doing funny things? Easy! But is this a good use of your time? Probably not (though, of course, it depends on your goals).

Before we dive into some key Instagram metrics, it’s important to note that every pet-sitting business is different and so are their Instagram accounts. Followers, likes, comments, messages, saves… there are so many features to consider when it comes to Instagram. Using the information below, you’ll want to make an educated, reasonable decision for your pet-sitting business. Having a goal of reaching 60,000 followers is great and all but only if those 60,000 followers reside in your service area. Otherwise, they’re, frankly, useless to your pet-care business. 

Want to figure out which metrics actually matter for your specific business? Let’s dive in.

Common Instagram Metrics

Followers: Many people associate Instagram success with number of followers. And while this number can certainly dictate how successful your Instagram efforts are, it really isn’t the end all be all to your Instagram strategy.

Since your business is a location-specific business, any and all followers on your Instagram account should be located within your service area or offer some other value to you (business partnership, collaboration, etc.) If you’re a pet sitter in New York, that follower in New Mexico with the adorable Corgi isn’t likely to become a client. And chances of them having a friend in your town to recommend you to? Pretty slim.

Likes: Likes are another metric that people can get hung up on. This is probably because they’ve been around since Instagram first started. Since then, however, new forms of engagement have been added to the platform, and these tend to reveal more about your content and how it’s performing. If you’re tracking your likes and setting goals around them, remember that they are the simplest thing your audience can do to engage and therefore, can indicate less actual interest from the person on the other end. A simple scroll and tap doesn’t necessarily tell you how invested they are in your business.

Comments: Leaving a comment takes a little bit more time and effort from your audience, so these can help you determine what content is really resonating or warranting their input.

Reach: Tracking your Instagram account’s reach can help you understand to what extent your posts are being seen by your followers and others on Instagram. There are a few ways to improve your post’s reach including using strategic hashtags and getting others to share your content.

Saves: The Save feature on Instagram is a great way for people to compile posts they like or found helpful in some way. Saves indicate that someone is wanting to come back to your content for some reason, so this can be an interesting metric to track.

Shares: When someone shares your post to their Instagram stories or messages it to someone else, you can see that! While you can’t always see exactly who shared something and when, you are given the total number of shares.

Email, Website, or Profile Taps/Visits: This metric tells you what actions your audience took after viewing a post. Did they click to email you? Did they click into the website linked in your Instagram bio? Maybe they went to view your full Instagram profile. These can be important metrics to tune into.

While this doesn’t fully cover all of the analytics you can find on Instagram, hopefully this gives you an idea of how you can think more strategically about what numbers matter… and which don’t.

Facebook Goals

Just like Instagram, Facebook can be a great place to spend an hour or two just heading down a rabbit hole of content. And frankly, all social-media platforms are like this; that’s why they’re so popular! 

To make sure you’re getting the most out of your pet-care business’ Facebook page, you have to set some goals! Here are some of the most common Facebook metrics that may or may not be useful for you to track.

Common Facebook Metrics

Page Likes/Follows: These can be considered a ‘vanity metric’ or something that just looks good to an outsider. You’ll want to determine whether or not these are valuable numbers for your specific social-media goals.

Engagement: On Facebook, Engagement encompasses a few different metrics. Within Engagement, you can look at Likes, Reactions, Comments, Shares, and Clicks. Determine which (if any) of these metrics are important for you to track and set some goals there.

Reach: Just like on Instagram, Reach tells you the number of eyeballs on your content. Think of Reach like your brand’s level of exposure.

Video Retention: When posting a video on Facebook, you can actually see how long people are watching your video for. If they’re dropping off at some point, when is that? This can tell you a lot about your content.

Goal-Setting Best Practices

Setting proper social-media goals can prove to be difficult. Here are the steps you want to keep in mind when goal-setting for your social-media accounts:

1. Decide on your social-media goals based on your overall business goals. Where do you want to see your business in 1 month, 3 months, or a year? How can social-media help you get there?
2. Determine which metrics will help you know whether or not you’re on track to reach those goals. Remember that tracking every single metric offered is overkill (and overwhelming). Instead, pinpoint2-5 main metrics for each social-media platform.
3. Develop a system to track your goals. You can use a spreadsheet, journal, or any other tool. Just make sure you are regularly checking in on your goals - not just setting and forgetting.
4. Remember not to get sidetracked with other metrics. Stick to your plan and only pay attention to what actually matters!

Have you set goals for your social-media platforms? Let us know what they are in the comments!