So you are pretty sure your account is the coolest one on Instagram. People heart your posts and your notifications feed shows new followers. How do you really know how you’re doing?

Given that Instagram doesn’t offer useful analytics on its own, a few apps have jumped into the breach. My favorite is Iconosquare.

How does it work?

First, log in to Instagram on a desktop. Then go to Iconosquare.com and use the “login as Instagram” option.

Iconosquare plots seven days of Instagram analytics.

Iconosquare plots seven days of Instagram analytics.

To begin with, you’ll only see basic data, like how many followers you have, and how many likes and comments you’ve received. That information is cool but the tool really comes into its own when you let it track your Instagram for a while.

You’ll immediately see a week’s worth of likes and comments, with the option of a monthly rolling total; where you can see follower gains and losses over time, engagement graphs and your most successful posts.

Iconosquare will show you your most popular Instagram posts at a glance.

Iconosquare will show you your most popular Instagram posts at a glance.

Will it post for me?

Nope. Iconosquare can’t post on Instagram, even if you wanted it to. (And how long have we been asking for a desktop Instagram option?)  However, it will post your results on Twitter if you want to gloat.

How do I get rid of it?

If you need to revoke its access at any point, you can do that in Instagram under settings/manage applications.

This is part of a series of social media tool how-tos developed for Social Media Day 2014 #SMday: Monday, June 30. See you on Twitter!

Lyndal Cairns is looking for work. Please get in touch if she can help your organization.