Katie Coen

If you open your phone, you may see a variety of social media platforms. These platforms have become a part of pop culture and are used by more people than ever. When you open your favorite social media app, do you ever pay attention to how many likes a post has or notice that one post has more interaction than another? Social media analysts look at a variety of data, including these factors, with the goal of spreading their message to more people.

Today I analyzed a social media post by looking at the time, content type, and interactions, then comparing it to other posts.

WFSB Channel 3 is a television news station in Connecticut. I work there as a new producer, but I have never worked with their social media department, and since I am so busy doing my job, I haven’t taken the time to look at their posts. 

This is a Facebook post from around 10 a.m. on Sunday, January 28, 2024. It is a very simple post asking where their audience is seeing snow. Clearly this was posted during a snowstorm, which is why it was relevant and impactful to their audience. There is no picture or really any visual aspect of the post. Instead, it’s just words with a graphic background.

Although it is very simple, there are thousands of interactions on this post. At the time of my analysis (about 5 hours after it was posted), the post has 280 likes, about 1,400 comments, and 13 shares. Because the post poses a question, it is asking for the community to react and share. Most of the comments are answers to the question, some including pictures. They are all positive and contribute to the conversation. This shows people in their target audience are enthusiastic and willing to participate. 

The timing of this post could also impact the engagement. It was posted on a Sunday morning as people are waking up and looking on social media for the first time. A weekend gives people more time to scroll and respond.

This conversation is different from their average post. WFSB generally posts images or links to articles and stories on their website. But this one has more comments and interactions. This shows that their followers want a community environment and want to share their personal experiences. As someone who is still learning about social media analytics, I’d feel confident saying these types of posts asking a question will continue to boost their interactions. 

While looking at the other recent posts, I noticed there is a very consistent schedule of content. There are sometimes multiple posts an hour, but it does vary on the day and the news happening in Connecticut and around the country. From my knowledge of the company, I know the social media is run by a team who work in shifts, making it so someone is always available to post. I don’t know anything about the strategy the team uses to drive their engagement, but they seem to post things that interest people and have high impacts, like weather, breaking news, and interesting stories. 

Whatever the strategy, they use the values of social media to grow their business. Posting absolutely helps them get more sales and awareness, as well as helps them build relationships and credibility in their community. This post specifically can also help them gain insights on their viewers because many are sharing where they live. 

Overall, this Facebook post was clearly created to increase interactions and give a sense of community. Although there are things the organization can improve upon, it seems they reached some of their possible goals through this post.