Key Social Media Metrics to Track Today (All Explained)

Key social media metrics include brand mentions, brand sentiment, share of voice, reach, click-through-rate (CTR), return on investment (ROI), return on ad spend (ROAS), comments, likes, and shares,

Social media metrics are measurements that track your social media marketing performance. They can be quantitative (numbers) or quantitative (qualities). Use such metrics to know what content resonates with your audience and where to focus efforts to achieve your goals.

Think of social media metrics as grades on a report card. For instance, follower growth shows how many people you’ve attracted on a social media platform. If you had 1,000 followers in January, and gained 500 more in March, your follower growth has increased by 33.33% in three months.

Now, why do marketers track social media metrics? 

Marketers track social media marketing metrics to improve their strategies. These metrics measure the effectiveness of social media campaigns in driving business growth. For instance, you can track conversion rates and ROAS (return on ads spend) to prove your marketing efforts.

Measuring social media metrics also allows marketers to benchmark their performance against competitors.

This guide covers the best metrics to track for social media and how to use them to improve your marketing strategy.

Below are the metrics.

1. Social media performance/Engagement Metrics

Social media performance metrics show how people interact with your content. They tell you if users resonate with your posts and their favorite content types or formats. 

Social media engagement metrics include comments, likes, shares, and saves. 

Some metrics such as likes and impressions can be ‘vanity metrics’ because they usually don’t result in sales or conversions. But they help you measure the impact of your social media content. So, you can use them to adjust your content strategy.

Let’s break down social media engagement metrics further.

Comments 

Comments are people’s responses to your posts. They show deeper engagement than other metrics because they involve more time and intention.

Why/when they matter: Comments help you understand people’s thoughts on your content, brand, products, or services. They also measure your relationship with your followers. For instance, if you’ve built a cordial relationship with your followers, most of their comments will be positive.

Where to look for data: You’ll find comments below your posts on most social media platforms. Plus, other social apps have analytics dashboards (like the Meta Business Suite) that track comments. You can also measure these metrics using third-party tools like Hootsuite, Brand24, or SocialSprout.

Shares 

Shares, retweets, or reposts are the number of times your audience spreads your content. They show your content is so educative or entertaining that users also want others to benefit. 

Why/when they matter: Tracking shares tells you how far your content has reached. For instance, some people can share your TikTok content on their WhatsApp statuses.

Where to look for data: You’ll find the number of shares below each post on most platforms. You can also track them using social media analytics or listening tools like Brand24.

Likes and Reactions

Reactions show how people feel when engaging with your content. Most social media platforms have icons that people click to show users like, love, support, and feel sad or surprised after reading your post.

Why/when they matter: Reactions measure your audience’s sentiments toward your content. If they like your posts, that could mean your content is informative, inspiring, or entertaining.

Where to look for data: Check for reactions under each post. You can track reactions using the platform’s built-in analytics tool or use a third-party tool like Agorapulse, Brandwatch, or SocialPilot.

Engagement rate

An engagement rate is the average number of interactions your social media posts get per reach. You calculate this metric by dividing the total number of interactions by the total reach and then multiplying this by 100.

Here’s an example: One of your Instagram posts got 100 interactions (likes, comments, shares, or reactions) and has reached 2000 people. So, the engagement rate will be 5% as shown below:

You can also divide the total number of interactions per post by the total number of followers. But, this formula doesn’t factor in non-followers who also engage with your posts. That’s why it’s more reasonable to use the total reach per post.

Why/when they matter: Engagement rates help you measure the quality of your content. For instance, if you have over 1M followers, but only get engagement rates below 10%, this shows that your audience doesn’t resonate with your posts. They also influence how algorithms rank and display your content. For instance, algorithms will show your post to more people if it gets a high engagement rate, especially a few minutes after posting it.

Where to look for data: Use a tool like Hootsuite to calculate engagement rates on your posts.

2. Brand visibility and awareness metrics

Brand visibility and awareness metrics measure how much people recognize your brand online. They also track the people you’ve reached or attracted with time. They also help you manage your brand’s online reputation.

Examples of brand awareness metrics include brand mentions, reach, impressions and follower count.

Brand mentions

Brand mentions measure how often people discuss your brand online. These mentions could also include names related to your brand’s products or services. But users don’t necessarily have to tag your brand in their mentions.

Here’s an example:

Why/when they matter: Brand mentions measure people’s perceptions of your brand. Tracking them helps manage crises that could affect your brand’s reputation. Brand mentions matter when entering new markets or launching new products. You’ll want to know if you’re reaching the right people.

Where to look for data: Use a social media monitoring or analytics tool like BrandMentions to track brand mentions.

Reach

Reach shows unique users who’ve seen your content, but not necessarily interacted with it. Facebook measures your reach for both organic and sponsored posts. Plus, it considers reach from page or profile visits, tags, and check-ins.

Why/when it matters: Reach measures a brand’s online visibility. So, the higher the reach, the more followers you attract. Plus, it increases your chances to engage with your target audience or get more customers. Reach matters when you’re running brand awareness campaigns. You’ll want to know which platforms, content types, or marketing strategies work best for your brand.

Where to look for data: Measure your brand’s reach by checking the analytics dashboard on your social media platforms. For instance, LinkedIn shows overall reach per week and reach per individual post. You can also track it using a social media monitoring or analytics tool like Talkwalker, Brand24, and SproutSocial.

Impressions/Views

Impressions (views) measure the number of times your posts have been displayed to your audience. This metric is different from reach. For instance, if one person views your post thrice you’ll have three impressions and one reach. 

Why/when they matter: Impressions measure your brand’s visibility. So, higher impressions will indicate more visibility. Impressions matter during brand awareness campaigns and A/B testing for ads. Plus, you can use them to determine which platforms to invest more in.

Where to look for data: Check impressions on your social media platform’s analytics dashboard. You can also track them using social media analytics, monitoring, or listening tools. 

Follower count

Follower count shows the number of people who’ve followed your brand’s page or account on a social media platform. 

Why/when they matter:  A high following can help build trust with your target audience. They see your brand as credible or trustworthy.

Where to look for data: You can calculate the follower growth rate by subtracting the original number of followers from the new followers. Then, divide this figure by the original number of followers and multiply by 100.

Here’s an example: If you had 2000 Facebook followers in June, and got 2500 followers by the end of September, your follower growth rate will be as follows:

Alternatively, check the follower growth rate on the social media platform’s analytics dashboard. Here’s an example from LinkedIn:

Also, if you’re using a social media monitoring, listening, or analytics tool, you’ll find this data on your dashboard.

3. Audience metrics

Audience metrics help you understand your audience. They tell you what your audience loves and how they behave on social media. These include demographics (age, gender, or location) and psychographics (preferences, interests, and aspirations).

Let’s discuss them further below.

Audience size

Audience size includes all people who follow, like, or subscribe to your social media platforms (or content). It’s also the potential number of people who can engage with your content or buy your products. 

Why/when they matter: Audience size shows how much your brand has grown. You can also use it to estimate the number of people you can reach in social media campaigns. So it matters when you’re planning ad campaigns and making influencer or partnership decisions.

Where to look for data: Track audience size using social media analytics tools like Google Analytics and Talkwalker.

Audience demographics 

Audience demographics show the characteristics of your audience. They include their age, gender, location, employment status, education level, and marital status.

Why/when they matter: Audience demographics help you understand your audience and tailor your content to meet their needs. For instance, you’ll know what age groups interact more with your content and their favorite content formats. 

Audience demographics matter during campaign planning. You want to target and reach the right people. Plus, you’ll want to understand your audience when expanding into new markets.

Where to look for data: Most social platforms show audience demographics in their analytics dashboards. You can also track this metric on a social monitoring, listening, or analytics tool.

Audience psychographics 

Audience psychographics tell you more about your audience’s behavior, preferences, interests, and aspirations. They help you measure your audience’s loyalty and shifts in habits.

• Active times show your audience’s peak engagement hours. 
• Audience engagement helps you understand how your audience interacts with your content. 
• Audience interests and preferences tell you what content formats your audience loves. Plus, they show you what activities and brands your audience engages with.

Why/when they matter: Audience psychographics help you understand your audience deeply and create content that meets their needs and preferences. They matter when planning targeted campaigns and creating content strategies. For instance, you need to understand your audience’s peak activity hours to determine the best time to post your content.

Where to look for data: You’ll understand your audience’s psychographics by conducting polls or surveys. You can also analyze their interaction with your content or track analytics using tools like Talkwalker, Sprinklr, Brandwatch, and Awario.

4. Sentiment analysis metrics

Sentiment analysis metrics measure how people feel about your brand, products, or service. You can also use these metrics to measure people’s perceptions of your competitors or specific topics in your industry.

They include the following:

• Positive sentiments show that people like/love your brand, services, or products. For example, “Notion has been our go-to project management software.”
• Negative sentiments show there’s something people don’t like about your brand. For example, “I’m never going back to XYZ Restaurant. They have zero respect for customers!”
• Neutral sentiments don’t show people’s exact mood, so you wouldn’t know exactly if they like or dislike your brand. For example, “I subscribed to HubSpot’s newsletter.”
• Sentiment or polarity scores are ratings that show people’s emotional tone. They could be from 1-10 or 1-100. 
• Emotional analysis measures specific emotions like sadness, joy, anger, or satisfaction.

Why/when they matter: Sentiment analysis helps you spot crises or areas that need improvement. For example, you’ll spot customers’ dissatisfaction with your service. These metrics matter when auditing your customer service or in brand and crisis management. 

Where to look for data: You can manually track sentiments in conversations. Or use third-party tools like Talkwalker, Brand24, and SocialPilot.

5. Competitor metrics

Competitor metrics help you understand your competitors at a deeper level. They also let you benchmark your brand against competitors. 

Examples of competitor metrics include the share of voice, engagement rates, follower growth, and sentiments.

Share of voice

Share of voice (SOV) shows how often people mention your competitors in online conversations compared to your brand. 

Why/when they matter: SOV measures your brand’s health or dominance in your niche. This metric matters in the strategic positioning of your brand. You’ll want to ensure that your brand stands out from your competitors. It’s also important to track your SOV before and after launching campaigns to know who’s mentioning your brand. 

Where to look for data: Use a third-party social monitoring, listening, or analytics tool to track your brand’s share of voice. A tool like Local Viking will show you your GBP’s share of local voice (SolV). If it’s 100% it means that when people google that keyword in that location, they’ll always see your GBP. You can track your competitors to see their SolV as well.

Engagement rates

Your competitors’ engagement rates show the average number of interactions they get on their posts. As we discussed earlier, you can measure the ER using this formula: 

Why/when they matter: Engagement rates measure the effectiveness of your competitors’ content strategies. They show if people resonate with your competitors’ posts, and what content types perform best in your niche.

Where to look for data: Track competitors’ engagement rates using social media monitoring, listening, or analytics tools like Keyhole and RivalIQ.

Follower growth

Follower growth shows how fast your competitor’s audience is growing compared to yours.

Why/when they matter: Tracking your competitors’ follower growth provides insights into their audience. If they’re overlapping with your target audience, this will help you refine your buyer personas and tap into new markets. 

Where to look for data: Use social monitoring and analytics tools like Keyhole, Iconosquare, and Brandwatch.

Sentiments 

Sentiments show people’s feelings or perceptions of your competitors, their products, and (or) services.

Why/when they matter: Sentiment analysis on your competitors reveals gaps or opportunities. For instance, if customers complain about a competitor’s products, you can capitalize on their mistakes to launch a better product. Competitor sentiment analysis matters when you’re entering new markets or launching a new campaign.

Where to look for data: Use third-party tools like Sprinklr, RivalIQ, or Keyhole for competitor sentiment analysis.

6. Conversion metrics

Conversion metrics track how social media engagement leads people to take action. Examples include visiting your website, signing up for newsletters, and downloading digital products. So they measure if your social media efforts are helping you achieve your business goals.

Conversion metrics include click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, and Return on ad spend.

Click-through rates

Click-through rates (CTR) show the percentage of users who click links on your social media posts or ads.

Why/when they matter: CTRs determine if your content is compelling or persuasive. Plus, you’ll know if it builds trust and loyalty with your audience. CTRs matter when you’re proving ROI (return on investment) from social media or analyzing audience behavior.

Where to look for data: You can calculate CTR by dividing total clicks by the total impressions and then dividing this by 100: 

You’ll also find CTR data on your Meta Ads Manager, Google Analytics, and third-party tools like Buffer, Hubspot, and SproutSocial.

Conversion rates

Conversion rates measure the percentage of users who complete a desired action. For instance, how many people visited your website from a Facebook post? Or how many Instagram users bought your downloadable content strategy?

Why/when they matter: Conversion rates help you track your social media goals. For example, you’ll understand how many sales you generate from social media posts. This metric matters when you’re optimizing your campaigns and content strategies.

Where to look for data: Use this formula to calculate the conversion rate:

Like CTR, you can track conversion rates on your platform’s built-in ads manager, Google Analytics, or third-party tools.

Cost-per-click/conversion

Cost-per-click/conversion (CPC) measures how much you’re paying for one click/conversion from your ads.

Why/when they matter: CPC matters before and after running your ad campaigns. It helps you set more efficient budgets for your social media advertising campaigns.

Where to look for data: You can use this formula to calculate the CPC from your ads:

Additionally, ads tools like Facebook Ads Manager and Google Ads Manager will show you the CPC. 

Return on ads spend (ROAS)

Return on ad spend (ROAS) tracks the revenue you get from every dollar you invest in your ad campaigns. 

Why/when they matter: ROAS determines if your ad campaigns are profitable and effective.  It’s pointless to invest in a campaign that doesn’t bring any revenue (and profits for that matter). ROAS is important when planning campaign budgets and measuring ROI from the campaigns.

Where to look for data: To calculate the ROAS, divide the total revenue from the ads by the total cost of the ads:

For example, if you made 2,000 USD from a campaign where you spent 400 USD on the ads, your ROAS is 5.0 (2000 ÷ 400). So, you got 5 USD from every 1 USD spent on the ads campaign.

You can also get this data from Ad managers on your socials, Google Ads, or third-party tools like Agorapulse, Hootsuite, and Hubspot.

7. Customer experience metrics

Customer experience metrics show how your customers think of your brand’s services. They determine if customers are happy, sad, satisfied, or unsatisfied with your brand.

Some examples include customer satisfaction cost (CSAT), net promoter score (NPS), and response rate.

Customer satisfaction score (CSAT)

CSAT measures how happy or satisfied customers are with your brand’s services or products. You derive this score from customer reviews, using quantitative (e.g. a scale of 1-10) or qualitative (e.g. “very satisfied” or “unsatisfied”) surveys. 

Why/when it matters: CSAT gives you immediate customer feedback, helping you spot gaps in your products or services. It also helps you improve customer support, building customer trust and loyalty. CSAT matters after customer interactions (e.g. a call), purchases, delivery, or onboarding of new clients. 

Where to look for data: Once you’ve collected customer reviews, use this formula to calculate the CSAT: 

Track CSAT using CRM  and marketing tools like Hubspot. You can also use tools like FreshDesk or Google Forms. Some social media platforms also allow customer messages.

Net promoter score (NPS)

NPS measures customer’s willingness to recommend your brand to others. This metric is based on this question, “On a scale of 0–10, how likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?” 

Here’s an example from Jumia, an e-commerce brand.

Why/when it matters: The NPS lets you group customers into three:

• Promoters (9-10) are loyal fans who’ll recommend your brand to others.
• Passives (7-8) are satisfied customers, but they’re not excited about promoting your brand. You can also lose them to competitors.
• Detractors (0-6) are unsatisfied or unhappy customers who can ruin your brand’s reputation. They spread negative messages about your brand.

You can use the NPS to find influencers or advocates to boost your brand. The NPS also matters after product launches or support services.

Where to look for data: Calculate the NPS using this formula: 

(% of Promoters – % of Detractors)

You can also use survey platforms like SurveyMonkey or CRM and Helpdesk tools like Zoho and Zandesk. Alternatively, track NPS using review platforms like G2 or social monitoring tools like Brandwatch.

Response rate and time

Response rate is how fast your brand responds to customer messages or inquiries on social media. You calculate it by dividing the number of responses made over the total number of inquiries and multiplying this by 100.

Response time is how quickly your team replies to customer queries in minutes, hours, or days.

Why/when it matters: Tracking response rate and time helps you spot gaps in customer service or support. Customers will be happier and more satisfied if you increase your response rate. Plus, fast replies will prevent crises, improving your brand’s reputation and customer loyalty.

Where to look for data: Track response rate and time using Meta Business suite or third-party tools like Zendesk, Intercom, or Hootsuite.

How to Improve Your Marketing Strategy with Social Media Metrics

The Dos: 

Set clear goals

Use SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) goals to define what success means to your brand.

What do you want to achieve?

• Brand awareness or visibility
• More followers, subscribers, or customers
• Improve brand reputation
• Boost customer service and more

Track the right metrics 

Measure social media metrics that align with your overall business goals. Plus, prioritize actionable metrics (like conversion rates) over vanity metrics (e.g. likes and followers). Tracking the most important metrics for social media will save you from being overwhelmed by unnecessary data.

Also, choose a reliable social media analytics tool. It will offer actionable information to help you make smart decisions.

Set benchmarks

Compare your performance against competitors and industry benchmarks. It will help you spot gaps and opportunities. Plus, you get inspiration on how to improve your content and social media marketing strategies.

Use insights to guide your decisions

You’ll get helpful information from tracking social media metrics. Don’t leave it at that. Use these insights to guide your decisions. For instance, adjust your content strategy to accommodate your audience’s needs or preferences.

Monitor metrics regularly and adjust your strategy accordingly

Track metrics regularly for continuous improvement. For instance, if you notice high engagement on videos, adjust your strategy to accommodate more videos.

The Don’ts: 

Get stuck in analysis paralysis

Don’t overanalyze or overthink social media metrics that you’re unable to take action. Focus on metrics that matter and are aligned with your goals. Also, limit the time you need to analyze the metrics before taking action. Progress beats perfection.

Rely on one platform’s data

Compare data from different platforms or use various analytics tools to get the bigger picture. For instance, one content type will perform better on Facebook than on TikTok. Use these comparisons to inform your content strategy. 

Ignore negative trends 

Avoid ignoring or deleting negative comments or reviews. Instead, respond and improve on what’s lacking. Also, don’t overlook patterns like drops in engagement or shifts in sentiments. These trends can harm your brand’s reputation.

Plus, try to understand the reason behind the trends. For example, if a post goes viral, does it mean people love your content?

Overgeneralize metrics

Don’t make general conclusions from your data. For instance, you shouldn’t think that your audience shares the same interests or behaviors because they belong to the same age group. Instead, combine demographics with psychographics, and segment your audience accordingly.

Forget human connections

Don’t spend all your time analyzing analytics that you forget real human connections. Reply to your customers’ messages and interact with their posts.

FAQs

What are social media metrics?

Social media metrics are measurements that tell you what’s working and what’s not on your socials. They could be numbers, rates, or qualities that show how effective your social media strategy is.

You can group social media metrics into categories based on what you want to measure or the social media platform you’re analyzing.

Here are the key types of social media metrics:

• Brand awareness metrics
• Engagement metrics
• Audience metrics
• Competitor metrics
• Conversion metrics and more

Examples of social media metrics include:

• Brand mentions
• Brand sentiment
• Share of voice
• Comments, likes, and shares 
• Reach
• Impressions
• Return on investment (ROI)
• Return on ads spend (ROAS)
• Click-through rate

Why is it important to track social media metrics?

Tracking social media metrics is important because it informs your decisions. You’ll know what’s working and what’s not. Plus, you’ll be sure that your marketing efforts align with your business goals.

Here’s how you benefit from tracking social media metrics:

• Understanding your audience
• Measuring social media performance
• Comparing your strategy and performance against competitors and industry benchmarks
• Staying aligned with your business goals
• Improving your content and marketing strategies
• Managing and improving your brand’s reputation
• Improving customer experience, satisfaction, and loyalty
• Improving your ROI

How do you measure social media success?

You measure social media success by tracking key metrics that matter to your brand. 

Here’s how to do it:

• Identify your goals and KPIs (key performance indicators)
• Choose the social media measurement metrics to track and choose the right analytics tool
• Segment your metrics 
• Monitor each category and compare results
• Analyze and interpret the results
• Use the insights to inform your decisions

What is the best social media analytics tool for tracking metrics?

Facelift Data Studio (formerly Quintly) is the best social media analytics tool for tracking metrics. It offers deep insights into metrics like audience demographics and social media performance.

Other top social media analytics tools include:

• Socialinsider
• Keyhole
• Exolyt
• Iconosquare
• Agorapulse
• SocialStatus
• Storyclash

Note: The best social media analytics tool should match your goals, needs, and budget.

How to measure awareness on social media?

Measure awareness on social media by tracking metrics that reflect brand visibility. Tracking awareness metrics helps you understand if people recognize your brand online. Plus, you’ll understand how they interact with your content.

Here are metrics to track to measure awareness on social media:

• Brand mentions and mentions volume
• Reach
• Impressions
• Follower growth

What is reach vs impressions vs engagement?

Reach, impressions, and engagement measure brand awareness and social media performance.

Reach is the total number of unique users who see your content. And it’s measured once. For instance, if 100 people view your content 4 times each, the total reach remains 100.

Impressions are the total number of times people see your content. So, this metric measures repeat views. For example, if 100 people view your post 4 times each, the total impressions will be 400.

Engagement shows how people respond or react to your content. It includes metrics such as comments, likes (reactions), shares, and saves.

What are user engagement metrics in social media?

User engagement metrics in social media measure how people interact with your posts. They help you understand if your content resonates with your target audience. Plus, you identify what content types or formats your audience loves.

Examples of user engagement metrics include:

• Comments are people’s thoughts or opinions on your posts.
• Reactions or likes show how your posts make people feel.
• Shares, retweets, or reposts show how users spread your content on or across platforms.
• Clicks measure how users click on links on your posts.
• Engagement rates measure the percentage of users who interact with your content.
• Video views or watch time measure how many people watched your video content and how long they took.