12 Social Media Metrics That Actually Matter

Have you set up a social media page for your business? Good! Posting daily? Great! But is that enough? Does that get you all the results you really want? Well, when big budgets are at stake, you just cannot ignore what really matters. No, we’re not talking about the likes and shares. Yes, they do matter, but they aren’t the only ones you should be tracking. So, what are those pivotal social media metrics every brand should track? We’ll tell you. 

Once we break down these metrics, we’ll also look at some tips and tricks to create content and designs that drive results. Ready to revisit your social media analytics reports from a new light? Let’s go! 

Tracking Metrics is Non-Negotiable: Here’s Why! 

• Data shows that social media users hop between 6.83 platforms per month on average. That gives a rough picture of the dwindling attention span and the competition businesses face. Therefore, tracking the right metrics gives you a clear picture of where your customers are and what kinds of posts they engage with on each platform. 
• Remember, you cannot manage what you don’t measure. You do not want to fly blind! The right social media metrics help you gauge the pulse of your audience and understand what kinds of posts bring them closer to your brand. 
• Ad spending on social media is on the rise. It is estimated to grow by about 9.37% each year in the period between 2025 and 2030. With ad spends increasing, you need to know which kinds of posts and campaigns bring in real returns – clicks, conversions, or sales. Without tracking these metrics, you are not optimizing your social media ad budget. 
• Your competitors are all on social media too. So there’s no time for guessing games. If you are not tracking the right metrics, you’re already a step behind. 
• Finally, social media can be a double-edged sword. You need to spot problems before they escalate. Bad reviews, poor engagement, or even a sudden spike in unfollows can all mean something is off. Tracking the right metrics helps you catch these red flags and resolve the underlying issues early before any real damage is done. 

That clarifies it – the best time to start tracking your business page’s social media metrics was yesterday! So, let’s break down the key social media metrics you should be watching right now to build smarter social media strategies. 

12 Social Media Metrics to Make Social Media Make Sense 

Engagement-Related Metrics 

These are the basic metrics most businesses track. They give you a picture of how people interact with your content. Therefore, these are signals of customer interest in your brand and the relevance of your content to your audience. 

1. Likes 

“Likes” are the most direct form of engagement supported on almost all social media platforms. Since they provide a simple way for customers to react to and appreciate a piece of content, these feel like the easiest to acquire. 

All major social media platforms display this parameter directly below or next to the content itself, and you can find them in the built-in analytics dashboard as well. 

In general, “likes” are considered vanity metrics, but they do matter because: 

• Engagement metrics like “likes” tell the algorithm that your content is interesting to the audience and hence increase its visibility to a wider audience. 
• In a way, “likes” act as social proof. When users see a post with a lot of “likes,” they are curious to find out what the post is about. 

KIMP Tips: 

Now the big question – how do you get more “likes” on your posts? 

• Create posts that are emotionally resonant with your target audience. 
• Make the post visually intriguing. From unique effects to interesting use of visual space and optical illusions, there are many ways to create posts that stand out and attract “likes”. 
• Feature faces – not cliched stock images of people shaking hands, but rather faces with genuine emotions that you wish to evoke in your audience. 

For example, here’s one of the most liked posts on Instagram. A few cues to take away from this post will be to invest in authenticity. Genuine, unscripted emotions and posts that make people feel all the feels are what bring those “likes.” 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Emilio Piano (@emilio.piano)

2. Comments  

“Likes” indicates the first reactions on posts – but the key is to go beyond the first impression and actually engage with them. Through “comments”. 

Beyond double-clicking on a post, if your audience takes a moment to interact with it, “comment” on it, this is a stronger signal to the algorithm that your post is not generic. That your post talks to your audience and not at them. 

The number of “comments” is another direct social media metric displayed right next to or below a post on most social media platforms. 

So why are “comments” important? 

• Comments are directly beneficial to brands since they help understand the types of questions and feedback customers and potential leads might have. 
• Responding to comments on time emphasizes your responsiveness. And your personalized comments depict your brand’s unique tone, thus reinforcing your brand’s unique personality. 

The comment here from Chili’s Grill & Bar is proof that comments can be a brand’s most powerful way to cut through the noise and show who they truly are. The comment here is quick-witted and personalized. Comments like these turn the simplest of posts into viral moments on social media, getting more people to notice your brand. 

KIMP Tips: 

How do you create posts that attract more “comments”?

• Keep it conversational. When you break the ice, customers communicate with your brand. 
• Share opinion-based content that encourages users to share their perspectives.
• Use contests and giveaways to motivate customers to comment with their responses or tag their friends. 
• Finally, encourage healthy debates – they bring more comments and help understand your audience’s sentiments too. 

3. Saves 

“Saves”, also known as “Bookmarks” and “Collections” on different social media platforms, are the next most important type of social media metrics for engagement. Unlike a “like” that indicates a signal of approval or a “comment” that indicates a desire to talk to your brand, a “save” indicates a user’s intent to come back and revisit your post. This only happens when users find your post to be of long-term value. 

In other words, “saves” shows your expertise in a field. This parameter can easily be tracked through the built-in analytics dashboard on most channels. 

So why do “saves” matter? 

• Consider them value indicators. Posts with the most “saves” tell you what type of content or information your target audience is looking for, giving you an idea about the types of posts to consistently include in your content calendar. 
• Saved content means users are more likely to return to your page. Therefore, they bring repeat views and possibly even shares in the future. 

KIMP Tips: 

How can you encourage more saves?

• Use keyword analysis and search trends to understand what your target audience is looking for, the questions they need answered. 
• Invest in evergreen content in your niche. 
• Create carousels and downloadable files that pack valuable information in the form of tutorials and how-to guides. 
• Ensure that the visual hierarchy in your design helps your CTA stand out. 

4. Shares 

“Shares,” or “reshares,” or “reposts,” or “retweets” are when users find your post to be relatable or entertaining, or informative enough for them to share with their network. This is another strong social media metric indicative of engagement beyond your followers.

So, why do “shares” matter?

• When your post gets shared more, you reach more people through your existing followers.
• People often share your post with their friends and contacts they think will be interested in it. So, not a random reach but a relevant reach. 
• Summing up, more “shares” mean more organic growth in visibility for your brand.  

The key is to identify shareable moments that connect with your audience. Ellen DeGeneres’ viral Oscar Tweet with more than 2.6 million retweets is proof that exclusivity and relatability are some of the most valuable traits in a post that gets a lot of “shares”. 

KIMP Tips: 

Let’s now answer the billion-dollar question – how do you create posts that attract more “shares” and therefore boost your brand’s discoverability? 

• Focus on inspirational/motivational content with a positive and relatable message rather than a cliched message. 
• Leverage the right trends at the right time. 
• Use memes and other easy formats to create snackable content that appeals to diverse demographics. 
• Strengthen the emotional value of your post. Universal emotions like humor often boost “shares” significantly. 
• Finally, invest in shareable formats like downloadable PDFs and infographics.

5. Engagement rate

Engagement rate is one of those social media metrics you arrive at by combining the other evident metrics like reach, follows, and others. Depending on your goals, there are several ways to arrive at this detail. 

For instance, 

• Engagement Rate by Reach = (Total Engagements / Post Reach) * 100
• Engagement Rate by Followers = (Total Engagements / Total Followers) * 100
• Engagement Rate by Impressions = (Total Engagements / Total Impressions) * 100
• Engagement Rate by Views = Total Engagements on Video Post / Total Video Views) * 100 

Evidently, you can further delve into each based on each post or on a daily basis by taking into account the engagement in a day. To complement your understanding of these parameters, you can also calculate the cost of engagement as:

Cost Per Engagement = Total Amount Spent / Total Engagements 

So why do engagement rate metrics matter to brands? 

• This social media metric gives you context. For instance, your like count does not matter on its own, but it makes better sense when you compare it with the number of followers you have. 
• A better engagement rate means your content is healthy and is being received well. 

KIMP Tips: 

Let’s talk about a few tips to boost engagement rates:

• Time your posts well – post when your audience is most active. 
• Make the most of interactive features like polls and quizzes. 
• Share content that sparks emotion. 

Reach-Related Metrics 

Reach-related social media metrics are all about how many people actually see your content. This gives you a clear picture of how visible your brand is and how easily discoverable it is. If engagement-related metrics show how people interact, reach-related metrics show how far your message travels.

6. Reach 

In simple words, “reach” indicates the number of unique users that have encountered your post. Depending on the platform you are analyzing, you might find details about individual post “reach” and “page reach” to understand whether you are reaching the right people. 

So, why is “reach” a critical metric? 

• Better “reach” means boosted brand awareness. The more unique eyes see your content, the more widely known your brand becomes. 
• In addition to this, “reach” is also pivotal for the awareness stage of the marketing funnel. 
• Most importantly, “reach” is a primary metric to track when it comes to understanding the effectiveness of paid ad campaigns. 

KIMP Tips: 

So, what are some effective ways to boost your “reach”?

• Identify what types of posts are prioritized on the platform of interest. For instance, carousels and short-form videos work well on Instagram, while posts with visual content like GIFs work well on X. Remember, the algorithms keep changing. 
• Share posts that encourage shares and saves, like checklists, tutorials, and inspirational content. 
• Use relevant hashtags, topics, labels, and keywords that help boost your post’s discoverability. 

For instance, Threads lets you add topic tags to ensure that your post is easily searchable. 

7. Impressions 

While “reach” indicates the unique users your post reaches, “impressions” takes into account even the instances where the same user sees your content multiple times. In short, this gives an absolute total of the number of times your post was viewed. 

“Impressions” is a metric you can find on most built-in analytics dashboards or through third-party analytics tools. 

So, why is “impressions” a key metric for brands? 

• More “impressions” means a better brand recall. The more times a user sees your content (even if they don’t engage each time), the more familiar your brand becomes to them. 
• If your goal is to reinforce a particular message, campaign, or product feature, high impressions are crucial.

KIMP Tips: 

How do you get your post’s “impressions” to increase? 

• Make the most of platform-native features like Reels stickers on Instagram. They help boost your post’s visibility. 
• Tag the right accounts and locations and add relevant keywords. 
• Post frequently. The more you post, the more opportunities your content has to be seen, naturally leading to higher impressions.

Need help with keeping up with the overwhelming content load? Get KIMP! 

8. Virality rate 

Virality rate is a powerful indicator of how effectively your content encourages word-of-mouth spread. In other words, it gives an idea of how often your content is shared by your audience relative to its visibility or reach.

The most common ways to calculate “virality rate” are: 

Virality Rate = (Total Number of Shares / Total Reach) * 100

Virality Rate = (Total Number of Shares / Total Impressions) * 100

Several popular third-party social media analytics tools make it easy to find the virality rate of your posts. 

Why is “virality rate” an important social media metric to track? 

• A high virality rate means that your content is consumed by and shared by the right audience. 
• Posts with a high virality rate are often the ones prioritized by algorithms. 

KIMP Tips: 

How can you boost the “virality rate” of your posts? 

• Create immense value for your audience. Answer their questions, address their pain points, and make them feel seen. 
• Make your infographics and videos engaging, easy-to-understand, and visually intriguing. 
• Include subtle CTAs telling why users should share your post. 

Direct Action Metrics 

Direct Action Metrics are all about getting your audience to take the next crucial step beyond social media. These numbers reveal if your content is effectively driving people to your website, landing pages, or other vital business destinations. If engagement shows interest on the platform, direct action measures the tangible impact of that interest on your business goals.

9. Link clicks/click-through rates 

“Link clicks” give an idea of the number of times users clicked on a specific link embedded in your social media post, story, or profile. This could be a link to your website, a product page, a blog post, or even a sign-up form. 

On the other hand, “click-through rate” (CTR) is the percentage of people who saw your content (impressions) and then clicked on the link within it.

CTR = (Number of Link Clicks / Impressions) * 100 

Platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook let you view the CTR on your analytics dashboard or you can use third-party tracking apps for the same. But why should you know about CTR? 

• CTR tells you if social media is an effective traffic driver to your website. 
• Higher CTR signals a higher interest in your post and an indication that users who came across your post were willing to take the next step. 

KIMP Tips: 

So, let’s talk about boosting “click-through rate”:

• Understand the different types of search intent and create the right post formats and types for each. 
• Use strong contrast and impactful visual elements to highlight the benefits and give people a reason to click. 

For instance, the post here from Semrush clearly highlights the value, thus instantly telling users why they should click on it. 

Audience Growth-Related Metrics 

Moving to the next layer in social media analytics, audience growth metrics help you understand how fast (or slow) your follower base is growing on that platform in the picture. Most importantly, these metrics show whether you are attracting the right kind of audience. 

10. Follower growth rate 

In simple words, follower growth rate refers to the rate at which your follower count is increasing over a period of time. It’s not just about the current number of followers but also about how rapidly that number is changing. 

One of the simplest ways to calculate this will be: 

Follower Growth Rate = ((New Followers at End of Period – New Followers at Beginning of Period) / Followers at Beginning of Period) * 100

Evidently, you can easily calculate this based on the most commonly available social media metrics displayed on most built-in analytics suites. Or using third-party analytics tools. 

Why does follower growth rate matter? 

• A visibly growing follower count acts as social proof, suggesting that your brand is popular, reputable, and worth following.
• Comparing your follower growth rate to competitors helps you understand your relative performance in the market. 

KIMP Tips: 

So, here are a few quick tips to boost follower growth rate: 

• Consistently share high-quality content – both in terms of copy and visuals. 
• Leverage trending audio, formats, and hashtags for an increase in reach and, therefore, a potential increase in followers too. 
• Cross-promote your social media channels. Use the traction you receive on one platform to drive more followers to your pages on the other platforms. 

11. Churn rate 

Now, this is one social media metric many social media managers might dread because it indicates the loss of followers. Put simply, it is the rate at which you are losing followers on your page. 

A simple way to understand this will be: 

Churn Rate = (Number of Followers Lost in Period / Total Followers at Beginning of Period) * 100 

Many social media analytics tools are better at calculating churn rate directly or at least providing the “followers lost” data more easily than native platforms, offering historical trends and comparisons. 

Why is this a crucial metric to monitor? 

• A high churn rate means that your content is no longer resonating with your existing followers. Therefore, this indicates that it’s time to shift gears and look for new content strategies. 
• Consistent unfollows can be a subtle sign that your brand’s perception is shifting negatively. 

KIMP Tips: 

Given that this is a pivotal parameter, here’s how you keep the “churn rate” down: 

• Focus on consistency – stay true to what your audience followed you for. 
• Regularly engage with your audience. Lack of response can also be a trigger for unfollows. 
• Find ways to keep your audience hooked. If your content gets too boring or does not create significant value, your followers might not have anything to look forward to. 

Brand Health & Conversations Metrics 

Likes and follows are great, but they are often for momentary marketing victories. Good use of social media will be to venture beyond this – to use it to understand how people really feel about your brand. 

12. Brand mentions 

As the name indicates, this social media metric depicts how often your brand is mentioned on social media. Whether someone tags you directly or just types your name in a post, comment, or caption. So, these can come in the form of direct mentions and indirect mentions. 

While direct mentions are often available in your notifications tab on most platforms, indirect mentions are hard to track without third-party tools. Social listening tools like BrandWatch, TalkWalker, and SproutSocial come in handy to track brand mentions. 

Why is this a valuable metric to track? 

• High brand mentions usually signal buzz, awareness, and brand relevance.
• Low mentions? It could mean your brand isn’t cutting through the noise. 

In a recent campaign, KFC introduced something called the “Finger Lickin’ Fork”, an exclusive piece of silverware designed for use with rice bowls. This was reportedly in response to several social media discussions around how messy rice bowls can be. 

This campaign alone indicates how tracking brand mentions helps you stay on top of trends and create something exciting for your customers. 

KIMP Tips: 

What are some effective ways to boost brand mentions? 

• Take a stance on an industry-relevant topic or create posts that spark conversations. 
• Create unique and memorable hashtags that people remember and use when discussing your brand. 
• Run contests and online challenges that draw more people in. 
• Proactively engage in relevant conversations. 
• Give a shoutout when you come across a customer story that mentions you. 

Ready to Unlock the Power of Social Media? Get KIMP! 

Understanding and meticulously tracking these essential social media metrics is no longer optional. It’s about making informed decisions, creating meaningful content, and building a brand people trust. But great content needs great design to stand out in a crowded space. 

That’s where unlimited design services like KIMP come in! 

Whether you’re trying to boost likes, drive clicks, or spark conversations, KIMP’s unlimited design subscriptions give your social media the edge it needs, fast, consistent, and on-brand visuals, whenever you need them.

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