The key social media metrics to track for success

These are the only social media metrics you need to know as a marketer to ensure you’re on your way to success.
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If you’re a social media marketer you need to be on top of social media metrics. Find out what they are and how they can help in our complete guide.

If you’re putting a lot of time and energy into creating social media posts, then you’ll want to know if your content is working just as hard for you in return, and that’s where social media metrics come in.

Last year, 83% of marketers in a Hootsuite survey reported having some level of confidence in the return on investment (ROI) of social media, up from 68% the year before. This confidence level no doubt stems from the ability to accurately report social media metrics and prove their campaigns are working.

With so many social media metrics to choose from, it’s best to pick the ones that align with your specific goals, and objectives. In this guide we’ll explore all the social media metrics to track for success no matter which platforms you use.

What are social media metrics?

Social media metrics track and analyse your social media performance. By using a range of measures you can assess the effectiveness of your social media strategies, campaigns, and content.

Social media metrics use a wide range of data points and provide insights into audience behaviour and preferences, so you can optimise your content, and strategy for maximum impact.

By analysing your social media metrics regularly, you can measure social media ROI, identify areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions to achieve the results you want in your business.

Simplilearn states that buyers go through five different stages of the journey on social media, from awareness to advocacy, and social media metrics can be used to track every single stage so you always know how effective your content is.

five stages of social media buyers journey

The social media metrics to track 

Awareness

  • Reach
  • Impressions
  • Follower growth rate
  • Brand mentions
  • Share of voice

 

Engagement

  • Likes, comments, and shares
  • Engagement rate
  • Video engagement
  • CTA responses

 

Conversion

  • Click-through rate (CTR)
  • Bounce rate
  • Cost per click (CPC)
  • Conversion rate

 

ROI

  • Cost per acquisition (CPA)
  • Revenue generated
  • Social media traffic

 

Customer Care

  • Response time
  • Response rate
  • Customer satisfaction (CSAT)
  • Customer retention rate
  • Conversation volume

Social media metrics – awareness

Here’s are the social media metrics terms you need to know if you want to work out if your campaign is increasing brand awareness:

  • Reach reach measures the number of unique people who have seen your content on social media
  • Impressions  impressions refer to the number of times your content has been displayed on social media, including multiple views by the same user. 
  • Follower growth rate follower growth rate tracks the number of new followers you gain on social media over a specific period
  • Brand mentions brand mentions measure the number of times your brand is mentioned on social media by users, including both direct mentions, and indirect references
  • Share of voice  share of voice compares your brand’s social media mentions to those of your competitors

Social media metrics – engagement 

These are the things you need to measure in order to work out if your content is sparking engagement: 

  • Likes, comments, and shares likes, comments, and shares help you measure how many people are interacting with your content
  • Engagement rate engagement rate measures the percentage of people who engage with your content relative to the total number of people who see it
  • Video engagement  if you use video content on social media you can track metrics such as views, watch time, and completion rate
  • CTA responses – this metric shows how engaged your audience is by the number of call to actions that were completed (poll responses or votes for example)

Social media metrics – conversion

The terms listed below are used to measure the effectiveness of your social media campaign when it comes to achieving your goals, i.e. newsletter sign-ups, downloads, and sales, etc:

  • Click-through rate (CTR) CTR helps you understand how effectively your social media content is driving traffic to your website
  • Bounce rate bounce rate measures the percentage of people who visited your website from social media and left without taking any action
  • Cost per click (CPC) CPC measures the cost of each click on a social media ad or post to determine if your social media campaigns are generating a good return on investment
  • Conversion rate conversion rate measures the percentage of people who took an action (making a purchase or filling out a form for example) after clicking on a link in your social media post

Social media metrics – ROI

Return on investment or ROI,  is a metric used to work out the benefits of your investment, i.e. what do you get back for all the time, money, and effort you put into your social media campaign? The following will help you work it out: 

  • Cost per acquisition (CPA) CPA measures the cost of acquiring a new customer or lead through your social media campaigns
  • Revenue generated tracking the revenue generated from your social media campaigns can help you understand the direct impact of your social media on turnover
  • Social media traffic the amount of traffic that your social media accounts are driving to your website can help you understand the value of your channels in generating leads, and sales

Social media metrics – customer care

A happy customer is a returning one, so it pays to look after them. Use the following to see how you measure up when it comes to customer care:

  • Response time response time measures how quickly your business responds to customer enquiries and complaints on social media
  • Response rate Response rate measures the percentage of customer enquiries and complaints that are responded to on social media
  • Customer satisfaction (CSAT) CSAT measures how satisfied customers are with your customer service on social media
  • Customer retention rate retention rate measures how effective your social media campaigns are at retaining existing customers, and encouraging repeat purchases
  • Conversation volume conversation volume can help you understand the level of customer engagement and likeability on your social media channels

Social media metrics tools

With so many tools available to help you measure your social media metrics it can be difficult knowing which to use. To make it a little easier for you, here’s our roundup of some of the most popular social media metrics tools around:

  • Google Analytics Google Analytics is a free analytics tool that can be used to track social media metrics including referral traffic, engagement, and conversion rates
  • Hootsuite Insights Hootsuite Insights is a social media analytics tool that provides real-time monitoring and reporting on social media activity, engagement, and reach across multiple platforms.
  • Buffer Analyze  Buffer Analyze is a social media analytics tool that provides insights into audience engagement, follower growth, and post performance across social media platforms
  • Sprout Social Sprout Social is a social media management and analytics tool that provides insights into social media performance including social listening
  • SEMrush SEMrush is a marketing analytics tool that provides insights into website traffic, social media engagement, and competitor analysis

If you’re running influencer campaigns then look no further than Vamp. Through our platform you’ll get real-time insights and social media metrics with the ability to deep dive into data for a specific channel or creator.

Tracking social media metrics – best practices 

We’re almost at the end of our guide to social media metrics, but we want to leave you with our top best practice ideas for tracking social media metrics: 

  1.   Define your goals think about what you want to achieve with your social media strategy. Are you looking to increase brand awareness, drive website traffic, generate leads, or boost sales?
  2.   Focus on relevant metrics focus on the metrics that matter most to your business. If your goal is to increase engagement, you could track likes, comments, and shares metrics. But if your goal is to drive website traffic, you could focus on click-through rates
  3.   Track metrics over time social media metrics can fluctuate day-to-day, so track them over time to identify trends and patterns. Set up a regular reporting schedule to help you identify what’s working well and what needs improvement.
  4. Use metrics to shape your strategy use your insights to make data-driven decisions about what content to post and which platforms to focus on

Social media metrics & reporting FAQs

How do I determine the best tools for tracking specific social media metrics for my business?

Selecting the right tools depends on your platform focus and business objectives. For general tracking, tools like Google Analytics, Hootsuite, or Sprout Social provide comprehensive insights across multiple platforms.

If you’re focused on specific metrics, platform-native tools such as TikTok Analytics, Meta Business Suite, or YouTube Studio offer tailored metrics. Start by identifying which KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are most critical to your business, and choose a tool that can track these efficiently while offering scalability for future growth.

What is the recommended frequency for reviewing and adjusting social media strategies based on the tracked metrics?

The ideal frequency depends on the campaign length and goals. For ongoing campaigns, it’s best to review metrics weekly or bi-weekly to identify quick wins or underperforming areas. For shorter campaigns or time-sensitive events, daily reviews might be necessary.

Quarterly reviews are useful for deeper insights and long-term strategy adjustments, allowing businesses to assess trends and make data-driven decisions. Ensure that regular reviews are scheduled to allow for agile optimisations based on performance.

How can I benchmark my social media performance metrics against competitors or industry standards?

Benchmarking requires both internal analysis and external comparisons. Tools like SocialBakers, Rival IQ, or Sprout Social’s Benchmark feature help compare your metrics against competitors and industry averages.

You can also refer to industry reports from platforms like HubSpot or Statista to gauge standards across your sector. Keep in mind that benchmarks vary widely by industry, platform, and audience, so tailor your comparison to companies with a similar follower base and business model for a meaningful analysis.

Free reporting template

Want to plan an influencer campaign with data driven insights and reliable social media metrics? Get started with Vamp

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