How can you use data and statistics to support your message on social media?

1 Know your purpose

Before you start looking for data and statistics to support your message, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your social media post. Do you want to raise awareness, educate, inspire, or provoke a reaction? Depending on your purpose, you will need to choose the type and source of data that best suits your goal and your audience. For example, if you want to inform your followers about a current issue, you might use official data from reliable and credible sources, such as government agencies, research institutions, or reputable media outlets. If you want to persuade your followers to take action, you might use data that shows the benefits, costs, or consequences of a certain behavior, such as testimonials, surveys, or case studies. If you want to entertain your followers, you might use data that reveals surprising, funny, or interesting facts, such as trivia, quizzes, or polls.

2 Use visuals

Presenting data and statistics on social media is best done with visuals, such as charts, graphs, tables, infographics, or images. Visuals can simplify complex or abstract information, highlight key points, and draw attention. To create effective visuals for your social media posts, it's important to choose the right type of visual for your data. For example, use pie charts to show proportions, bar charts to compare categories, line charts to show trends, or maps to show geographic distribution. Additionally, use colors, fonts, and icons that are consistent with your brand identity and tone of voice. Labels, titles, and captions should explain what the visual shows and why it matters; include the source and date of your data if possible. Finally, optimize your visuals for the platform and device you are using. For example, use horizontal or square visuals for Facebook and Twitter, vertical or square visuals for Instagram and Pinterest, and video or animated visuals for TikTok and Snapchat.

3 Tell a story

To make your data and statistics more engaging and memorable on social media, you can tell a story with them. This will help you connect with your audience on an emotional level, show the human side of your data, and inspire action. To do this, start with a hook that captures your audience's attention and curiosity. This could be a question, quote, statistic, or challenge related to your topic. Then provide context and background to explain why your data and statistics are important and relevant. Use examples and anecdotes to illustrate your data in a concrete and relatable way. Finally, end with a call to action that invites your audience to do something with your data and statistics. By following these tips, you can make sure your data is seen and heard!

4 Be ethical

When you use data and statistics on social media, it’s important to be ethical. This means respecting the integrity, quality, and validity of your data and statistics, and not manipulating or misrepresenting them. To ensure ethical data use, check the source and credibility of your data and statistics to make sure they are from reputable sources. Additionally, cite and link to the original source of your data and statistics, and provide a link for more information. Furthermore, use data and statistics that support your message instead of twisting or distorting them. Lastly, respect the privacy and consent of your data subjects by not using or sharing personal information without permission.