We are going to be talking about marketing metrics for social media.
As a copywriter, and as someone who has been on social media for about 10 years now, I want to talk to you about what social media marketing metrics and analytics matter…
And which metrics are a time-suck?
Most of these tips and hacks are going to be for Instagram and Tiktok specific because those are my two favorite platforms to show up on.
Having said that, I assure you that these tips still apply to apps like LinkedIn, Threads, Youtube, or X.
We’re not going to talk about what you should be posting.
Instead, we’re going to strictly talk about metrics and marketing analytics.
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Which Social Media Marketing Metrics Matter?
What we primarily look at on social media are the likes, comments, saves shares, story views, messaging, reach, and impressions.
To keep this simple, we’re going to look at this like a ladder starting at the bottom (being the least informative) and leading to the top (most beneficial to track).
Likes
The bottom starts with likes, the biggest vanity metric in the world, ever.
That’s all it is: a vanity metric.
It doesn’t matter how many likes you are getting or not getting unless you are an influencer or you’re getting sponsored posts.
But you’re running a business online, so likes truly don’t matter because they aren’t paying the bills in any way.
Think about it this way:
How many times have you scrolled on social media, seen a post or a video or a caption, that made you feel something…
And yet you didn’t engage in the slightest.
Maybe you bought a course from someone you’ve never interacted with.
Maybe you were just in a doom scroll, not engaging.
There are people doing that to your content constantly.
People are constantly consuming your content, even if they aren’t engaging with it.
Even if they aren’t double tapping, even if they aren’t liking.
People are looking at your content every day you post.
Just because people are or aren’t liking your content does not mean that they are or aren’t willing to spend money, time, or energy on you.
But because it is such a wide-spread vanity metric…
If you want more likes, create relatable, sharable, and quick content.
Comments
This leads us to comments.
For some businesses, this is a good way to gauge interest in your offers.
But it’s a slippery slope, because you may just have fans (guilty!).
You may have people who are commenting on your stuff just because they support you.
And we love that!
But it also makes this not a great standalone metric.
So if you’re not getting a lot of comments, there’s no need to harp on that because it’s simply not that big of a deal.
Now, if you do want more comments, give your community a reason to want to respond.
Then leave a clear call to action giving them specific instructions for what to do.
Saves
Saves are tricky, too.
While it seems like saves seriously help out algorithm engagement…
Let’s be honest:
How many times do you go back and check your saved folders?
Zilch, right? No one does.
It does sound good in theory…
But don’t take saves to heart.
Again, though, saves can be a great way to increase your engagememet.
So if you want more saves, give your community a direct call to action and create content that people want to come back to.
Shares
This is how we get more eyes organically.
This is how you (politely) use your community to grow your community.
Shares are a great metric to track because if your content is getting shared, people are eating it the heckity heck up.
And you want that.
Similar to the other social media metric tips, if you want to get more shares:
- Create content people want to share
- Then tell them to share it
Shares help your community grow and it gets more eyes on your offers organically.
Your community tells their friends about you rather than getting pushed to you in an ad or algorithm.
Shares are personal. They build a unique connection.
Story Views
Your stories are a great place to exist as yourself in a very casual way throughout the day.
And it’s also a great place to sell your offers!
The people who watch your stories are already more engaged than your average follower.
Because of the intimacy stories prove, it’s a great place to:
- prime a little bit better
- give a little bit more information
- use different marketing techniques
Here are a few tips for using your stories:
- use polls
- use quizzes
- Use the question box
- Caption your videos on your stories
- Type out an info-dump caption
- ‘Add yours’ images to pre-made stories
Once you start using your stories regularly, pay attention to what people are tapping on or engaging with and give them more of that.
Direct Messages (DMs)
You should not be coaching, consulting, or teaching in your dm’s…
But it can be a great way to answer questions and push your offers.
Your direct messaging is a metric to follow if you want to be getting messages.
I’ve found, for both myself and clients, that ‘ready right now’ clients are only dm’ing to ask specific questions to solidify the deal for them.
Meaning, if you are getting questions in your dm’s, push to your offers!
If people are buying your offers via dm, use your dm as a sales tactic.
If you aren’t seeing a lot of dm’s flowing in…but your business hasn’t decreased in profit –
You do not need to worry about this metric.
And since I promised you a tip to improve your metrics:
If you want more dm’s, ask and tell your community to dm you!
Reach and impressions
Along with likes, these are both a cool vanity metric…
But they can sometimes be helpful to track if your content is growing, stagnating, or depleting.
I don’t recommend spending time trying to make your reach and your impressions grow and grow and grow….
Because if the people already in your network are not invested in buying, not already asking questions, not already getting help from you…
You need to prioritize engaging with your current community –
Not growing, growing, growing.
I like to think about this as a similar concept with money.
Let’s say you are stressing over the $1,000 in your bank account, and you’re like, “I just need $100,000 to feel okay.”
…but then you do nothing to work on your money habits with your $1,000, so you get $100,000 and are back to $1,000 by the end of the year.
Because the additional $90,000 never truly solved your money problem.
In the same vein, if you have 1,000 followers, and don’t know how to sell to them…
You won’t magically know how to sell simply because you went viral and now have an additional 90,000 followers.
Having said that, the more you post, the more you will see your reach and impressions rise.
Plus, the more you post, the better you will get at creating content that truly serves your community.
Sales
Ding, ding, ding!
We have reached the top of the ladder.
The most important metric to track for your business is your sales!
Are people buying your offers?
Beautiful, then none of these other metrics matter.
Are people not buying your offers?
Here’s where you need to clock in with more detail:
- Are your reach and impressions continuously growing? Learn how to write better sales content to turn these metrics into more payments.
- Are you getting dm’s with questions? Foster these relationships and ask why they haven’t invested in the offer you were both discussing.
- Are you seeing an increase in shares, saves, comments, and likes? Create more of this content with direct CTAs to enroll in your offers.
- Does nothing seem to be working? Book a social media audit here.
Social Media Marketing Metrics In Conclusion
In an underwhelming way, most social media metrics simply do not matter.
What does matter is the SALES you are seeing within your business.
You can use this social media marketing metrics and analytics guide to track what you want to prioritize within your business to bring in more consistent sales.
Because at the end of the day…
Likes, impressions, and saves don’t pay your bills…
Sales do.
If your business is making you money, you’re winning!
If it isn’t, let’s figure out why.
FAQ About Social Media Marketing Metrics
Q: How often should I be checking my social media metrics?
A: While it’s tempting to check your metrics daily, it’s more effective to review them monthly so you can spot your specific trends and patterns rather than getting caught up in daily fluctuations.
Q: Why are likes considered a vanity metric?
A: Likes are considered a vanity metric because they don’t directly translate to sales or meaningful engagement. They might make your posts look popular, but they don’t necessarily indicate that your audience is ready to buy.
Q: What should I do if my reach and impressions are growing, but my sales aren’t?
A: If your reach and impressions are growing but sales aren’t, you need to improve your sales content. Click here to learn how to sell like a copywriter so you can increase your sales.
Q: What if I need help with my social media strategy?
A: If you’re struggling with your social media strategy, book a social media audit here. In this audit, I’ll analyze the social media platform of your choice and tell you what to start doing, stop doing, and change up doing.
