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Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Guide

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is transforming how brands show up in AI-powered search. Explore insights, strategies, and best practices to help your content rank and resonate across conversational engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot.

Explore insights and strategies for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to help your brand stay visible and discoverable in AI-powered search.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Blog Collection | Meltwater

Media monitoring helps organizations stay informed about what’s being said across online news, print, broadcast, podcasts, and other media channels. Whether you're tracking brand mentions, measuring PR performance, monitoring competitors, or identifying emerging trends, our expert guides, best practices, and industry insights will help you build a smarter media monitoring strategy and make more informed communications decisions.

Discover expert media monitoring guides, best practices, and industry insights to track brand mentions, monitor competitors, and stay ahead of the news.

Media Monitoring: Guides, Best Practices & Industry Insights

Every day billions of conversations take place on social media: tweets, posts, comments, blogs, reviews, podcasts, and much more.

Learn how to use social listening to make sense of all of that data.

On our social listening category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around social listening and social media monitoring. Read more.

Social Listening Blogs | Category

Business Reputation Management: What does it take to add reputation management to your marketing strategy? More importantly, how do you keep your reputation sparkly and shiny? Here’s your all-access guide to online reputation management for the long term.

On our reputation management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around business reputation management. Read more.

Reputation Management Blogs | Category

From your brand's logo to your website, your social media presence to your customer support—these elements combined are what constitutes a brand in the minds of customers. But, there are thousands of other businesses that have a logo, website, social media presence, and website. So, how can you position your business on the market and make it stand out from the competition?

The key to success is branding & brand management!

On our brand management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around brand management. Build your strategy and reach your goals!

Brand Management Blogs | Category

Competitive intelligence and the act of collecting competitive data can be seen as growth drivers for a company. Our guide will help you understand the concept of competitive intelligence (CI) by answering questions such as: What is the definition of competitive intelligence? How is competitive intelligence useful to organizations? What is the goal of competitive intelligence? And more.

On our competitive intelligence category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around competitive intelligence. Learn how to stay ahead.

Competitive Intelligence Blogs | Category

Let’s dive into the customer journey framework and how to optimize the process by creating a customer journey map and using metrics that matter when analyzing the customer journey.

On our customer journey category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Customer Journey Blogs | Category

How do customers interact with my newly launched product?

How do I increase the productivity of my employees?

How do I know if my marketing efforts are working?

We have just two words for you...Data analytics!

On our data analytics category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around AI and data analytics. Technical and still easy to understand.

AI & Data Analytics Blogs | Category

Public relations and media relations can add impact to any marketing strategy. It’s an opportunity for brands to grow their reach beyond traditional sales messages. PR helps to shape the image you want people to have of your brand.

So, what is PR and how do you use it? This guide shows you everything you need to know to build a strong public relations foundation.

On our public relations (PR) category page, you find all our blogs covering public relations and communications topics. Step up your PR game.

Public Relations (PR) Blogs | Category

We all know exactly what the roles of sales or accounting are in a company, right? We might even have a slight idea of what the IT guys are doing.

But there is another business discipline, that plays a crucial role in organizations, even more so during the pandemic – internal communications!

But what exactly do we mean by that, what purpose does it serve and what steps can you take to ensure you and your employees will communicate effectively?

On our internal communications category page, you find all our blogs about internal comms topics. Learn about the intranet, internal newsletters, and more.

Internal Communications Blogs | Category

As the internet has taken root in more areas of our lives — everything from entertainment to shopping to paying bills and more — traditional marketing is becoming less impactful. As any marketer knows, you need to focus on where your audience is if you want to reach them. Since the average person spends about seven hours a day online, it’s no surprise that content has maintained its hold on marketers.

Here's a closer look at what content marketing is and why it matters more than ever in our digital-first economy.

On our content marketing category page, you find blogs about content marketing topics. Learn about strategies, KPIs, tips, and more. Make your content king!

Content Marketing Blogs | Category

The rise of the influencer marketing space – today a $10 billion industry, growing 50% per year – is one of the clearest examples of how social media is transforming traditional marketing. These days having a business website, presence on social, PR coverage, and your own content isn’t enough to compete.

We'll dive into the intricacies of influencer marketing to help ensure that you're equipped with the insights needed to be successful in this space.

On our influencer marketing category page, you find blogs about influencer marketing topics. Build your strategy, find influencers, and measure results.

Influencer Marketing Blogs | Category

Have you just launched a new product or service that you want to get the word out about? Maybe you want to share with consumers why it is awesome and how it is so much better than the one your competitors offer.

Well, then, there is one thing you can't do without...Marketing!

On our marketing category page, you find blogs about marketing topics. Learn about all the different angles and types of marketing and improve your results.

Marketing Blogs | Category

Building a following and using social media platforms to reach a wider audience requires a well-planned social media marketing strategy. In this guide, we’ll be looking at why social media marketing is so essential and how you can make it work for your business.

On our social media marketing category page, you find blogs about social media marketing topics. Learn how to get the highest paid social ROI!

Social Media Marketing Blogs | Category

In the fast-evolving realm of digital marketing and public relations, utilizing the right tools is crucial for success. Our interdisciplinary category showcases all the pertinent tools for digital marketing & PR. These tools help in enhancing your online presence and effectively reaching target groups, whether through reputation management, influencer marketing, or social media management.

On our digital marketing and PR tools category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Digital Marketing & PR Tools Blogs | Category

AI adoption is no longer the challenge—trusted context is. Most organizations have AI tools, but many still rely on disconnected, stale, or unverified data, limiting the quality and trustworthiness of AI-generated outputs. Meltwater MCP brings trusted, real-time intelligence into AI assistants.

Your Best Context is Already in the Room

Today, PR teams aren’t just tracking media coverage and share of voice. They’re also measuring how their brand shows up in AI-generated answers, search summaries, and large language models (LLMs). This new LLM visibility layer is quickly becoming a critical part of PR performance.

15 Must-Have PR KPIs and How to Track Them

See how one platform can power every decision across PR, communications, and marketing.

The Meltwater Blog

Blog Topics: Generative Engine Optimization, Media Intelligence, Media Relations, Social Listening, Consumer Intelligence, Influencer Marketing

Find out how you can leverage Facebook to boost your brand's online presence and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

Facebook Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage Instagram to boost your brand's visual appeal and gain a competitive edge. Explore our category page today!

Instagram Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage LinkedIn to grow your professional network and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

LinkedIn Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage TikTok to elevate your brand with creative content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

TikTok Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage X / Twitter to engage your audience effectively and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

X / Twitter Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage YouTube to create engaging video content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

YouTube Blog | Meltwater

Note: This blog is based on the Global Digital Report 2024 – produced in partnership with Meltwater and We Are Social. See Simon Kemp's article about The Changing World of Digital in 2024. Download the Global Digital Report 2024 and the Global Digital Report 2023 for free.

In the modern digital era, social media has undergone a significant transformation, becoming a space where marketers have continued to understand dynamic trends to engage their customer base. Effective utilisation of social media platforms can significantly elevate a brand, promoting client interaction, audience expansion, and successful conversions. This article aims to shed light on the most recent social media statistics for Indonesia heading into 2024, seeing how online user behaviour is changing and what these changes mean for businesses and marketers.

Social media usage statistics in Indonesia

Digital marketing statistics in Indonesia

What's ahead for social media in Indonesia in 2024?

As we begin to explore Indonesia's digital landscape, we discover a lively ecosystem where digital connections form the foundation of daily interaction and commerce. Indonesia stands out in the APAC region due to its distinctive digital footprint, a prominent feature of its broad online base. Discussing the nuances of Indonesia's social media environment allows advertisers to understand better and connect with this dynamic and diverse audience.

When looking at Indonesia's general social media statistics for 2024, the numbers show that internet usage remains relatively constant. The amount of internet users has increased slightly by 0.8%, or around 1.5 million more than the previous year, bringing it to 185.3 million. Similarly, the number of cellular mobile connections has risen by 0.7%, reaching 353.3 million, with 2.5 million more connections added since last year. Because some people may have more than one mobile phone subscription for other purposes, such as work, the ratio of cellular connections to the total population is 126.8%.

These numbers demonstrate Indonesia's slow yet consistent growth in digital connectedness, which is essential to comprehending the nation's present social media and internet usage patterns.

As we can see from the data collected concerning Indonesia's internet usage statistics in 2024, there has been a slight decrease in the amount of time people spend online. Over the past year, there has been a 1% drop, or 4 minutes, in the average amount of time spent online across all devices daily. Still, over two-thirds of Indonesians have access to the internet, as over 66.5% of the country's population use it regularly.

Knowledge, interaction, and inspiration remain the main drivers of internet use among Indonesians. Firstly, 83.1% of users go online to find information, making the internet the average Indonesian's go-to place for news and statistics. As we'll see later, with WhatsApp being the country's top social media network, keeping in touch with friends and family is a priority for 70.9% of Indonesians online. This reason for using the net highlights digital communication's vital function in sustaining social relationships. New ideas or inspiration are sought after by 70.6% of Indonesian internet users, demonstrating that the internet also serves as a centre for innovation and discovery for them.

Internet usage across a range of devices in Indonesia has decreased, reflecting the slight decline in online engagement discussed earlier. Notably, tablet devices and feature phones have experienced the most significant declines, with 18.2% and 27.9% decrease, respectively. This development suggests consumers are moving towards more integrated and multipurpose devices, such as the old reliable mobile phones, as their continued go-to internet-accessing device.

Internet usage in Indonesia through mobile devices has been relatively stable, increasing by 0.6% over the previous year. This is supported by mobile internet connection speeds in the country, which have improved significantly, with download speeds going up by 42%. This indicates better network capabilities, which may contribute to the continued use of mobile phones for internet-related activities. This is coupled with a 16.4% increase in internet download speeds overall, leading to a more efficient and better user experience. In line with worldwide trends towards mobile-centric internet consumption, this supports the notion that Indonesians value the immediacy and convenience of mobile phones while accessing the web.

Statistics on social media use in Indonesia show a subtle change in how the internet is used. Compared to a year ago, Indonesians on social media - which account for 49.9% of the total population - now spend an average of 7 minutes fewer each day online. The overall trend of social media's reduced significance in brand discovery is reflected in this decrease in engagement time. More specifically, in the past year, there has been a marked decline in the number of people using social media to learn about new brands and products.

Compared to the previous year, there has been a 1.8% decline in the total use of social media platforms for brand research. Blogs and vlogs, content-driven platforms, have seen a steep decline of 28.0% and 19.5%, respectively. Indonesia's advertisers and social media influencers face a challenge as the country's audience becomes increasingly selective when discovering new companies online. Heading into 2024, Indonesian marketers must adapt to and engage with a customer base that shows less interest in using social media to learn about and connect with brands.

Three factors stand out as primary drivers of social media use in Indonesia heading into 2024. 

With 58.9% of Indonesians using social media for leisure, it's clear that this platform is mostly used as a source of entertainment. The social nature of these platforms is further supported by how 57.1% of users say they use them to keep in contact with friends and family. As we'll see, WhatsApp is the social media platform Indonesians spend the most time on, with the most monthly app sessions and being users' favorite network. Meanwhile, 48.8% of users turn to social media to see what's being talked about, establishing social media as an essential source of information for Indonesians online in addition to conventional media channels. 

As Indonesia's most used social media platform and messaging application, WhatsApp is utilised by 90.9% of the country, with Instagram second at 85.3% monthly usage. Although not as popular in Indonesia, the percentage of individuals using Facebook remains relatively high at 81.6%, while the percentage of people using TikTok is 73.5%. These social media platforms cater to Indonesian users' needs in terms of communication, information, and entertainment, three of the chief reasons discussed earlier.

One reason for WhatsApp's popularity in Indonesia is the high rate of mobile phone usage in the nation. With so many people relying on their mobile devices for everyday tasks, it's unsurprising that WhatsApp is designed to be user-friendly and optimised for mobile devices. Statistics reveal that users open WhatsApp over 1,347.8 times each month, almost four times more than the next-highest used app, TikTok, which is at 373.7 times opened monthly, further demonstrating WhatsApp's popularity. This significant distinction highlights the function of WhatsApp in Indonesians' everyday interactions through their digital lives. 

Take note that WhatsApp is much more than simply a chat app; small businesses may reach a large audience and promote their products and services via WhatsApp business, taking advantage of the messaging app's widespread adoption. Given the nation's steady usage of mobile devices, this contributes to Indonesia's social media statistics, including the number of monthly uses and the amount of time spent on the application, streamlining commercial transactions via its user base and facilitating communication through the platform.

As mentioned, Indonesians use social media for communication, content discovery, and enjoyment. Instagram, the second most used social media network in Indonesia, has many features that appeal to all three. Users can also keep in touch with loved ones, follow their favourite celebrities, and immerse in these activities in an aesthetically pleasing and engaging format—all in one convenient location.

The opportunity for marketers is shown by the platform's advertising reach, which surpasses 100.9 million individuals, further emphasizing the social media app's usage in Indonesia. Instagram is one of two Indonesian social media platforms seeing significant increases in ad reach, along with TikTok, which is demonstrating extensive and rising exposure. Supported by a 13.2% growth in ad reach from the previous year, Instagram has become an ideal platform for advertising efforts in Indonesia due to its growing popularity and capacity to attract and engage a large and active audience.

TikTok is the most popular social media app in Indonesia in terms of time spent on the platform, with users using it for an average of 38 hours and 26 minutes every month. Meanwhile, YouTube, with its high advertising audience, follows, with consumers spending 31 hours and 28 minutes monthly on it. WhatsApp and Instagram are third and fourth, at 26 hours and 13 minutes and 16 hours and 10 minutes, respectively. 

TikTok has the most significant increase in advertising reach from the previous year and is also where most Indonesians spend their time on social media. Compared to Instagram, whose ad reach has declined over the last quarter, Tiktok's ad reach has increased by 19.1% over the same period and 15.4% over the previous year overall. TikTok provides marketers with an ideal platform to reach a large and engaged viewership thanks to its entertaining mix of features and the ability for social media influencers to create videos to promote products. The swift and steady increase in its ad reach highlights TikTok's increasing impact on Indonesian consumers, demonstrating how it's become an important application to monitor moving forward.

Meanwhile, considering YouTube in particular, the platform has a noteworthy ad reach, capturing the attention of 75% of Indonesia's total internet users and a potential reach of 139 million users, both of which are the highest among all the social media networks in Indonesia as of this study. With the most considerable reach of any social media network, YouTube allows advertisers to reach a diverse range of Indonesians.

The top demographics of Indonesian social media users by age comprised of a younger audience, giving advertisers a clearer idea of where to target their efforts. Males make up 20% of the advertising reach, and females 17.7% in the 25-34 age group, making it the largest segment when it comes to social media usage. Next are those in the age bracket of 18–24, where males account for 13.1% and females for 14%. The third comprises Indonesian users aged 35–44, with males making up 11.5% and females 9.3%.

Advertisers can tap into the tastes and routines of this younger demographic by adjusting their marketing efforts to appeal to them specifically. Marketers looking to take advantage of TikTok's jump in ad reach entering 2024 should think about interacting with users through fresh, short-form video content that is authentic, entertaining, and fitting of the social media platform's tone. By utilising social influencers that cater to their specific demographic, incorporating dynamic visuals, and creating engaging content, they can attract a younger audience and cash in on current trends. 

Along with the high engagement rates on WhatsApp, it raises the possibility for marketers in Indonesia to take advantage of cross-platform strategies that reach and influence people in this age bracket more deeply. Keeping an eye on what kinds of content use social media statistics such as these and making adjustments based on that data is key. Marketers should monitor social chatter and engagement metrics to determine the most effective content formats. This allows them to make quick, real-time adjustments to their strategies based on what's being discussed, ensuring their campaigns are highly engaging and relevant to Indonesia's young and active users.

Amidst the tide of shifting digital behaviours, Indonesia's mobile landscape in 2024 has remained stable. With 353.3 million cellular connections—more than its population—and a mobile phone penetration rate of 126.8%, mobile phones are, as mentioned, a necessary aspect of many people's lives in Indonesia. 

The average Indonesian spends 6 hours and 3 minutes on their phones daily. Apps for entertainment, which include audio and video streaming media, account for 35.6% (~2 hours and 9 minutes) of smartphone time, suggesting a strong desire for multimedia content consumption. 28.7% (~1 hour and 44 minutes) of this time is occupied by social media apps, highlighting the significance of these platforms for connecting and communicating. Additionally, mobile games have a lot of influence in this space, as users are engaged for 13.7% (~49 minutes) of mobile time with gaming, which shows how popular gaming is as a leisure activity. Apps for utility and productivity come in at 11.9% (~43 minutes), indicating the use of mobile devices for a mix of work and play. 

Despite a slight drop in overall app downloads, consumer spending in Indonesia's mobile app market has increased. Mobile app and in-app purchase spending reached $757.3 million in 2024, a 20.5% increase from the previous year. This uptick among Indonesian consumers reflects a rising inclination to spend on digital goods and in-app offerings.

Given its position as Indonesia's most used social media platform in terms of time, TikTok is the app with the most prominent consumer spending. TikTok coins are a way for users to show their support for their favourite content creators by purchasing in-app purchases. This paves the way for influencer marketing, where an appropriate influencer choice can result in direct monetisation, thanks to passionate fans eager to spend money on content creators with whom they connect deeply.

Consumer spending on Vidio, an Indonesian video streaming service, is second only to that; as an entertainment app, this reflects the amount of time Indonesians spend on their smartphones for that purpose. Video streaming continues to be one of the primary forms of leisure activity, reflecting the broader trend of Indonesian social media usage.

Businesses and marketers can gain valuable insights from customers' spending habits on mobile apps. Their points highlight the value of entertaining or informative content that engages users and the possibilities for monetisation through purchases made within applications and subscriptions such as memberships.

Ecommerce has become a necessary part of Indonesians' weekly shopping routines. Investigating the data for this in Indonesia leading into 2024, we can see this based on Indonesians' weekly online shopping behaviour. In the country's ecommerce landscape, 59.3% of internet users between the ages of 16 and 64 make purchases online weekly, demonstrating the widespread reach of digital marketplaces nationwide.

Most Indonesian ecommerce shoppers are turning to online grocery shopping, with 34.4% of users doing so. This emphasizes the convenience and reliability of digital transactions for basic necessities and everyday items in today's fast-paced world. Another noteworthy market is online businesses offering a buy now, pay later service; at 38.7%, over a third of Indonesia's population shops for items they can get now with flexible payment options. 

Several factors encourage Indonesians to shop online, enabling these purchasing behaviours. At 52.3%, half of all Indonesian online shoppers find coupons and discounts appealing, which shows how effective promotional efforts drive sales. The significance of reputation and consumer satisfaction is made clear by the fact that 48.2% of users are influenced by the experiences of others, highlighting the role that consumer reviews play in online shopping activities. The importance of ease and conserving money in Indonesian ecommerce is further demonstrated by how 47.4% of Indonesians are motivated by the offer of free delivery, which saves both time and budget. In Indonesia's digital marketplace, offering free delivery, quality control on items for good public sentiment, and attractive savings are major strategies businesses have employed to increase online customer engagement and sales.

Spending on digital media in Indonesia has been rising across every category reported, suggesting that demand for digital products and services is booming. Expenditure on digital media increased by 11.7% year-over-year, reaching $2.38 billion. Purchasing in the video games sector alone rose by 9.8%, at $1.12 billion. Also experiencing a significant uptick are video-on-demand services like the mentioned Vidio, with spending reaching $670 million, a 17.5% bump from the previous year. Digital music was close behind, with a 14.3% increase reaching $320 million, and the ePublishing sector followed with an 8.0% growth hitting $270 million.

By far, the most popular form of digital content spent on by Indonesians is movie or TV streaming services, which are enjoyed by 30.8% of internet users every month. Music streaming services are another popular option, with 24.6% of users. Of these online users, 22.0% make purchases through mobile games, which has been a major factor in the increase in digital shopping. These numbers show that Indonesians are spending more and more on digital media, especially with Indonesians' love for using their devices to fill their leisure time.

Tip: Take a look at the top Indonesian YouTube influencers and the top beauty influencers in Indonesia to partner with.

Brands face an increasingly challenging environment when attracting consumers via digital marketing initiatives, according to the current Digital Marketing Statistics Indonesia. 

Researching companies online before making a purchase has decreased by 3.4%, indicating an overall loss in engagement. Meanwhile, only 45.0% of users had been to a brand's website in the last 30 days, a decline of 6.2% from the previous year. Banner ad click-through rates dropped 2.4% yearly to 14.1%, while sponsored social media post engagement fell 5.7% to 21.7%. The percentage of people who have downloaded or used branded mobile applications in the last 30 days has dropped to 16.8%, showing a sharp decline of 15.2%, with brands needing to spend more on a better UI and UX experience to capture the audience's attention. 

Nevertheless, despite these challenges, Indonesians use various internet platforms to learn about and explore products. The impact of social and celebrity on social media is significant, as 63% of Indonesians still rely on these sites to learn about new brands. 55.3% of users seek more information on goods and services they already know, as search engines rank as the second most used medium. As mentioned, customer reviews are relied on in the country, with 51.6% relying on consumer testimonials as their primary source of product feedback. 

Genuine evaluations are essential for customers who need help making a purchase decision. Nowadays, when companies make many advertising claims and reviews that can be paid for, consumers rely on genuine assessments from neutral sources. Because of the community-focused and influencer-led dynamics typical in Indonesian online platforms, marketers in this context need to develop authentic, engaging approaches to leverage consumer engagement. 

Despite declining user engagement with digital marketing campaigns, advertising expenditure is increasing for Indonesian firms heading into 2024. At $6.66 billion, overall ad expenditure is up 5.2% from the previous year. Additionally, digital ad spending hit $3.06 billion, an increase of 10.1%, reflecting a market rapidly adjusting to the digital transition.

Spending on influencer ads has increased by 18.8%, making it one of the most rapidly expanding segments of the digital advertising market. Indonesian customers' inclination to depend on trustworthy and familiar voices when purchasing online is well matched by the increase of $190 million in influencer ad expenditure. By combining the appeal of social interaction with online assessments, influencers influence consumers' purchase choices via their reviews and suggestions.

Digital audio ads have increased by 21.2%, showing that audio podcasts and streaming services are becoming more popular for Indonesians to hear advertisements. Recognising the vital significance of search engines in product discovery among Indonesians, firms have invested $1 billion, leading to a 9.9% increase in online search advertisements. But, as we see in these digital marketing statistics, even with this methodical distribution of advertising funds, Indonesian online engagement has still seen a decrease; this demonstrates that it takes more than just an in-depth comprehension of the ever-changing ways in which Indonesians interact with companies to understand how consumers' habits are altering.

The future of Indonesian social media in 2024 can be examined using these social media statistics that may help brands and marketers navigate this exciting digital age. Despite declining engagement with digital marketing campaigns, total investment in digital ad expenditure is increasing, indicating a promising but challenging new boundary for brand connection.

Now is the time for marketers to reevaluate their strategies to take advantage of Indonesian consumers' social media and spending habits. With Indonesian social media users continuing to use their mobile phones to access the internet and spending more money on applications and in-app purchases, digital strategies have a clear path to follow. There is a favourable environment for influencer marketing because Indonesians are on social media in the first place, with these people being reliable and familiar voices that affect customer ideas and behaviours.

Companies now need to go beyond conventional measurements and focus on developing ads and marketing initiatives that speak to the individual tastes of the Indonesian audience. This means not only accepting the unique features of each platform, such as TikTok's focus on artistic freedom and WhatsApp's wide use case for Indonesian social media but also making sure that the brand story has something new and fresh to offer consumers.

The personal touch is undeniably important as we employ data from user behaviour and spending patterns. Authentic reviews, recognisable suggestions, and relatable content are the keys to winning Indonesian customers' hearts. The future of social media marketing in Indonesia lies in adapting to its unique population's ever-changing digital habits.

Monitoring what works and what doesn’t with your audiences can help you decide what social media strategies to take when tackling Indonesia’s social media landscape. Consistently interacting with customers across multiple platforms is an excellent approach for companies to keep expanding their reach and fostering loyalty among their clientele.

To reach today's tech-savvy web users, you'll need a solid social media strategy that pinpoints and engages that target with the right message at the right moment. If you want to know how your products or services are being received by the market and how to best position them, you must invest in sophisticated social analytics and listening. 

Our different Meltwater solutions can help you and your brand do exactly that! Just fill out the following form to get a free 15-minute tour of our platform.

Social Media Statistics for Indonesia [Updated 2024]

Reporting has been a fact of business life probably since early Phoenician traders wrote their sales figures and customer feedback on parchment as they traversed the Middle East and the Mediterranean Sea in search of customers more than a thousand years BC. Back then, a sales-qualified lead (SQL) was a personal introduction in the back room of a smoky Middle Eastern tea house, while data sources were talkative Bedouin who had just arrived by camel-train from a distant North African land. Data visualisation likely took the format of columns of numbers etched onto a scroll. 

Arguably, the first smart reporting tool was the humble Microsoft Excel spreadsheet that debuted more than 30 years ago. Today it is still an entry point for many small business users requiring simple data entry and analysis. But while Excel did the job for many years, this approach requires a level of human input that can be slow and subject to error. The distribution of data also tended to be to a limited number of decision-makers and the content was far from being real-time.

Nowadays, the tools that business professionals use in their day-to-day working environment likely have some form of built-in reporting function, but these are typically more suited to ad hoc reporting interpretation rather than for rapidly conveying unified, enterprise-wide, data and insight.

As data requirements become more complex and big data generates a terabyte-scale of info and metrics every second of the day, the requirement for more advanced marketing reporting software has become obvious. Making rapid and real-time decisions based on up-to-date insight provides a clear competitive advantage, which we'll explain later in the article. This need has caused businesses to search for more complex solutions that can make sense of the big data around them feeding into their competitive intelligence databases.

Business intelligence questions that can be answered immediately and with all-important accuracy by reporting tools can be the difference between success and failure. It therefore brings little surprise that two-thirds of executives are expected to increase IT budgets in 2021.

Reporting tools go by a range of names, we've detailed some of them below. Whatever the name, they all come down to the same thing: collecting large quantities of information quickly in order to find meaning and insight.

Business intelligence and reporting tools (BIRT for short)

Understanding software reporting tools in more detail 

What are the different types of reporting software tools?

Examples of specific reporting options and use cases 

Getting the best out of dashboard reports 

Before we get into reporting tools, let's first clear up what we mean by reporting since there are so many different types. In this article, we'll be solely focusing on Enterprise reporting and this definition by Gregory Hill summarises this form nicely:

Enterprise reporting (or management reporting) is the regular provision of information to decision-makers within an organisation to support them in their work.

The Digital Project Manager, for example, provides the following definition: “A reporting tool, or reporting software tool, is a system that takes in data from various sources and extrapolates it in tables, charts, visual presentations, and other styles so that the information is easier to parse.”

InetSoft Technology Corp defines reporting software as: “Applications that provide enterprises with various reports about their businesses. [These] can range from sales to production reports, to ad hoc reports [or] reports in which the user customizes the queries, perhaps for a specific problem. Primarily, reporting tools hub essential data from every corner of the enterprise and then present the data in a meaningful way to employees and decision-makers.”

What questions reporting tools should answer

Good reporting software tools should be able to tell us just about anything we need to know. That being said, we're a big fan of the mantra "measure what matters". Not everything that can be measured should be measured; any wise executive will explain the importance of using reporting tools to measure strategic goals and the long-term organisational objective. With this in mind, here are a few metrics we'd recommend keeping an eye on.

Examples of KPI reporting metrics to analyze

The following are examples of key metrics that will assist high-level measurement:

Since there's such a vast amount of data available to measure these days, professionals can easily feel overwhelmed. To prevent this, data visualization is key. Mere data reporting without applying data analysis and visualization to find meaning in the numbers is pointless.

To take analysis further and add a layer of insights, many companies employ (or outsource) data analysts or use automated processes such as embedding visualization reporting tools. The latter can be integrated with standardised templates that have a pre-determined format and structure for regular, easy-to-use, reports. If data need is more bespoke, there are plenty of vendors out there that offer custom dashboards.

Tip: Have you considered using image recognition to add more data into your reporting?

Now that we have an understanding of what BI tools can do to maximise our measurement requirements and track key performance indicators across the entire business, it’s important to understand that there is not just one type of reporting software tool available.

There are many types of reporting tools, such as dashboard software, data visualization software, scorecard tools and ad-hoc report writers.

Dashboard software lets us put the reports that matter most to us front-and-centre; data visualization software is all about turning data into something visually oriented that users can easily read. Scorecarding tools, however, are all about performance data so we know who our high achievers are, and ad-hoc report writers create various styles of reports in the moment for companies who have ever-changing needs.

Reports can also vary in their interactivity too. Static documents cannot be changed by the end-users, while interactive measurement options allow us to navigate through various hierarchies and visualisation elements. Interactive reports allow us to drill down through various levels of the data at the click of a button. They also allow us to navigate, sort, filter and view the data sources for our specific needs.

Delivery mechanisms can vary as well. Common export and delivery options include delivering reports via email, .pdf, different excel formats, .csv, or via FTP. Most Enterprise tools will work with us to figure out the format that best suits our business need.

Tip: Image recognition software adds to your dataset.

What makes a best-in-class reporting tool?

Essentially this is about making it as easy as possible to translate large volumes of data from multiple data sources into actionable info. ‘Easy-to-use, ‘simple to understand', ‘intuitive to operate’ and ‘easy to visualize’ are all phrases that spring to mind here.

Given that data scientists and data analysts are expensive and in short supply, a tool that incorporates self-service business intelligence is a huge plus for management. The goal of self-service BI is to make business users become self-reliant and less dependent on their IT organisations to answer business questions as they arise. In many cases, IT provides these analysis tools and applications to the business, but when an employee needs that data and information, they can source it themselves.

Ben Aston, Founder of Vancouver-based indie digital media publishing company, Black and White Zebra, lists the following as among his top requirements for a tool:

Are the reports aesthetically pleasing and easy to interpret?

Can the data be visualized in a variety of different ways?

Can we export, print, and share the content with relative ease?

How easy is customisation and visualization?

Is it an all-in-one tool that can pull data from different types of data sources, from web reports to web pages, to spreadsheets, apps or accounting software?

Is data easy to search using both technical and non-technical language and specifications?

Are there different ways to ‘ask questions around the data', depending on user ability or preference?

People also ask the following reporting based questions:

Also called a report generator, this program is usually part of a database management system that extracts information from one or more files and presents the information in a specified format. Most reporting tools allow us to select records that meet certain conditions and to display selected fields in rows and columns.

Report writing software consists of programs that produce both periodic and special reports. These may be issued weekly, quarterly, or annually. There may also be unscheduled data reporting requested by managers.

Good dashboards display data, but a great dashboard is interactive. In reality, visual data reporting goes deeper. It not only gives us data, but also lets us interact with it. The ability to interact with the information in front of us helps users understand the data better and enables us to take action.

What's the best way to share report information?

This really depends on what's being reported on. For example, if the info could be used across multiple departments, it might be useful to create newsfeeds updating staff on the company intranet. Alternatively, many companies create command centres and offer all departments access to the data. If the info is sensitive, a dashboard that only a select few people have access to will be more suitable.

Examples of specific reporting options and use cases

Now that we have a thorough understanding of reporting software tools, the capabilities that separate the good from the mediocre, what they can do, and the solutions that they can bring to the table, let’s examine some specific options and use cases.

Using KPI reports to measure Marketing KPIs

Tip: Take a look at the findings of the biggest Global Digital Report 2023, and download the whole Global Digital Report 2023 here.

KPI reports that really matter and how to track them

Everyone needs something to strive for to keep them on track. Key performance indicators (KPIs) are a great way to make goals more tangible and quantify what was up until now unquantifiable. When we (or our boss) are wondering if we're doing a good job, KPI reports are there to answer the question and nudge us to even greater heights.

If we're working in the PR and marketing environment, for example, our leadership team doesn’t want a dashboard that’s merely a list of links to PR clips and some social media snapshots. They want a KPI report that enables management to understand how their investments in Paid, Earned, Shared and Owned (PESO) media — and the comms team — are supporting their wider business goals.

Yes, many of our goals centre around eyeballs and engagement. But to prove our worth to the leadership team, we also need to measure the right KPIs. Here’s how to get started on a marketing KPI report.

The challenge of setting globally standardised KPIs

Standardising performance indicators across our organisation is challenging, especially if we're overseeing a multi-region operation. What may be a good KPI in one region could, due to differing circumstances and cultural norms, not make for a great KPI report in another region.

In some regions, standardized measurement and a focus on ROI is not the norm for communications teams. If we are used to being measured on awareness and impressions, the boards attempt to deploy a standardized dashboard can be seen in a negative light. That’s why it’s important to align our teams and create buy-in on the reasons behind globally standardized KPIs. Doing so will also highlight how each regional team’s activities can affect the global brand sentiment and overall sentiment. With this groundwork in place, comms professionals can amplify team efforts, more effectively deploy resources, and develop a more cohesive brand identity.

Setting Key Performance Indicators for our team and our company

Most people who run a business or a team in a large company struggle when it comes to setting Key Performance Indicators for KPI reports.

One of the great things about KPIs for our team is that it makes one-on-ones easier as we have timelines and progress of key indicators to track and discuss. It also keeps our team focused on what MUST be done, even if they aren’t there to oversee. Basically, the KPI report is our proxy when we can’t be everywhere at the same time.

Here are three steps for setting KPIs for your team. Follow this step-by-step approach and the KPI report process will become much easier.

Getting the best out of dashboard reports

Dashboards are integral to getting the best out of our data reporting. Whatever the metrics we're tracking – whether it's business intelligence, SQL, the performance of people within the business, customer lifetime value or conversion rate of SQLs – a marketing dashboard becomes an automated oracle.  

Dashboards are always available to help out with everything from content marketing ideas to competitor intelligence and general business intelligence – when they’re done right and designed with clear intention. There are brand, competitor, industry and many other types of dashboards.

With the right KPI marketing dashboard, we'll be armed with analytics that help us understand where our brand is at, how it stacks up against the competition, and where it’s performing in our industry. The next step is to translate that dashboard data into winning PR, communication and marketing strategies.

Why we should use customised manual reports

While quantitative media analysis helps companies understand the ‘what’, sometimes it can be tricky to get to grips with the ‘why’ without the help of bespoke reports that lean on human qualitative media analysis. Qualitative media analysis gives context to the numbers so that business users can make objective strategic decisions. If reporting isn't your forte, fear not. Meltwater's team of experienced analysts can support.

We work with our client's requirements to curate and deliver custom reports based on their specifications and KPIs. Unlike standard dashboard reports, Meltwater's custom reporting services allow users to pick and choose which metrics and analytics are analyzed, rather than using templatized report options. What's more, unlike standard reports, our custom reports are delivered, ready to present, in the format our clients require, without any heavy lifting on their side.

Since customized manual reporting is bespoke, use cases are extremely varied. Whether we want to harness our consumer voice to inform product development, understand trends to make sure our brand stays relevant, or keep tabs on our competitor's movements so we can stay agile – custom reports are built to ensure we’re covered on all levels. 

Often management relies on manual customized documents to streamline its reporting efforts and: 

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AI & Data Analytics

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The Big Reporting Guide: Why It's Important And Which Types Exist

Digital 2024: 5 billion social media users

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Top 5 Data Visualization Tools — And They’re Free

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What Is Trend Forecasting? Trend Prediction Guide

Millennial Cringe: What it is, who's talking about it, and what it tells marketers

Why 2023 was the year of AI chatbots

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