It’s well-established that for any brand and industry, it’s absolutely essential to understand social media metrics on popular platforms. Being online is indeed perfect for connecting with the audience, sharing industry insights, and positioning a brand as a thought leader.
But just posting content isn’t enough anymore. To really make an impact, the content put online must be spot on. And how to know what’s working and what could be improved on the company’s social media presence?
That’s exactly where social media metrics come in. First and foremost, it’s crucial to know which numbers are important to the business and what the company wants to achieve with its social media presence.
With that in mind, it’s possible to ensure that social media efforts are not just seen, but also engage the right people, driving meaningful results for the business.
Must-know Social Media metrics
Likes, Shares, and Comments (Engagement rate)
These basic social media metrics are the bread and butter to understand engagement. These numbers indicate if the audience is interested in the content, but it goes beyond that.
In 2024, social media platforms use advanced algorithms as “smart curators,” meticulously matching content with audiences who share similar interests, which leads to the expansion of the post’s reach.
LinkedIn, for example, prioritises meaningful interactions. Yes, the platform does consider the number of likes and shares as important social media metrics. However, it’s the quality of engagement that really matters. Thoughtful interaction and active discussions in the comments section are considered more valuable.
Number of followers
Many consider the number of followers a “vanity metric,” which is “an analytics item that can be measured but is not a signifier of real return on investment.”
This is because a large follower count is a social media metric that doesn’t necessarily affect your bottom line (for instance, translating into website traffic or a sales boost.)
Regardless of that, do not ignore the number of followers altogether: audience size is part of a larger context and fuels other aspects of a digital marketing strategy.
In the security industry, where trust is crucial, a growing follower base is a social media metric that can signal that more people are coming to see the brand as a reliable source of information.
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
CTR measures the percentage of people who clicked on the post to access additional content, compared to the number of users who saw it but took no action. A high CTR is a social media metric that indicates the content is compelling enough to drive traffic to a website or landing page, possibly generating leads and conversions.
Conversion Rate
Conversion rate walks hand in hand with CTR. The click-through rate measures the number of users who actually click on the embedded link.
Conversion rate goes one step further: it’s the percentage of social media interactions that lead to a desired action, such as making a purchase, downloading a resource, or sending the company a message. This social media metric is one of the most important on social media, as it shows the ROI of your digital marketing efforts.
Cost-per-click (CPC) and Cost-per-thousand impressions (CPM)
Cost-per-click (CPC) and cost-per-thousand impressions (CPM) are the most important social media metrics for paid advertising. They serve distinct purposes depending on the campaign goals.
CPC measures how much an advertiser pays when someone clicks on paid content. It’s essentially paying for engagement, ensuring that the budget is spent on users who take direct action by clicking through to learn more about your offering. Note that those clicks may or may not necessarily lead to conversion.
Another important paid social metric is CPM, which stands for cost-per-thousand-impressions. CPM is the amount you pay every thousand times the ad is shown, regardless of whether users interact with it. CPM is a social media metric mostly used for campaigns aiming to boost brand recognition and visibility.
How to use social media metrics to improve digital marketing strategy
Social media metrics are crucial tools for refining your digital marketing strategy. These numbers show how the content resonates with the audience, allowing you to make adjustments according to the overall marketing goals.
With the social media metrics on hand, it’s easier to improve the content plan, decide where to allocate the digital marketing budget, and even tweak the overall PR strategy. The more you rely on data, the more effective the social media efforts will become.
Where to go from here
With people spending over two hours on social media daily, having a social media presence and tracking social media metrics is the best way to be where potential customers are.
Each industry allocates resources according to its goals and the demographics it focuses on. Investing in TikTok, for example, may not be a smart move for the security industry, as almost 40% of TikTok users are between the ages of 18 and 24, However, with the growing dominance of cloud-based solutions it may well be worth considering in the future as system integrators begin to employ younger IT savvy engineers and sales staff.
With clear marketing objectives and analysing social media metrics, you can make informed decisions that elevate the marketing strategy, driving the results that matter most to the company.
Whatever the goals are, there must be a well-thought plan for using social media platforms—and that starts with understanding and regularly tracking the right metrics.