Unlock your full potential with influencer marketing metrics

Beyond vanity metrics: What metrics to measure on social media?

Reach and impressions are helpful metrics. But they don’t tell the whole story.

These basic metrics are often called "vanity metrics" because they are easy to obtain and readily available with free tools like Meta Business Suite.

Other social media metrics like follower growth are also often put in the box of vanity metrics. Yes, it's beneficial that more people engage with your social media channel, but it may not help you achieve your actual goals.  For example, if you want to increase conversions, 5,000 new followers may not be relevant.

Similarly, likes may seem encouraging, but they don’t mean much alone. After all, people spend an average of 143 minutes per day on social media — one like is only a single click and might be a fleeting reaction.

The metrics you track should directly connect to your goals. You should understand why you're collecting different types of data and what they mean. For example, if you want to increase sales, measure success through conversion metrics.

On the other hand, if you want to improve brand sentiment, engagement metrics — which include likes, comments, and shares on a social media post — would be helpful. You would also need to use social listening tools to assess the intent and meaning of comments.

Obtaining these deeper KPIs is the best way to evaluate campaigns, improve strategies, and drive long-term business outcomes. This results in more effective campaigns that you can better explain to stakeholders.

For many stakeholders, the most important metric for social media efforts is how much revenue is gained.

Tracking conversions: Key performance metrics for social media

It's difficult to connect the cause and effect when running influencer campaigns, and often, you'll need effective tracking software like Google Analytics or an influencer marketing platform such as Kolsquare.

The following social media metrics help you grasp the number of sales gained from an influencer or social media strategy.

Conversion rate

The conversion rate tracks the percentage of viewers who complete your desired action after engaging with social media content. It usually invites people to the next stage of the marketing funnel, which could be making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or downloading content. You can track conversions using UTM parameters and promo codes, which directly show how much revenue a creator generated.

Cost per action (CPA) or cost per click (CPC)

Cost per action (CPA) tells you exactly how much you're spending for each desired action a user takes. This social media metric helps you to figure out if you're making good use of your budget.

Other similar metrics to track include cost per click (CPC), which tells you the amount you spend to gain a click. Cost per mile (CPM) refers to the cost spent for 1,000 impressions. Cost per engagement (CPE) tells you how much you spend for every engagement. With all these metrics, lower numbers are better.

Earned media value (EMV)

Earned media value estimates how much the exposure generated by influencers or user-generated content would have cost through traditional marketing tactics.

It helps quantify the impact of unpaid mentions, shares, and tags that amplify your brand.

Return on investment (ROI)

ROI tells you whether your efforts are truly paying off. It’s a comparison of all profits against all costs. Some would argue that this is the true indicator of social media performance. It’s no surprise that 70% of brands measure the ROI of campaigns.

Long-term, sustainable growth brings the best overall returns. To keep building your brand through influencer marketing, you need to connect with the right people, strengthen your place in the conversation, and build your reputation.

Return on ad spend (ROAS)

ROAS is similar to ROI, but it only focuses on the ad spend (not the additional costs.) It measures the revenue generated for every pound spent on social media advertising. This metric helps you understand the direct financial return of your ad campaigns.

For instance, a ROAS of 5:1 means you earned £5 for every £1 spent. To calculate ROAS, divide the total revenue from your campaign by the total ad spend for the social media post. A high ROAS indicates efficient ad performance, while a low ROAS suggests the need to optimise targeting, creative, or budget allocation.

Customer lifetime value (CLV)

Are the customers gained from social media campaigns loyal? Do they build strong connections with your brand?

CLV measures the total revenue a customer provides over the entirety of their relationship with your brand. It helps determine the long-term value of customers brought in through social media channels, particularly those from influencer collaborations. If customers are likely to stick around as loyal customers for years, your overall ROI may be higher.

Measuring brand perception on social media

Quantitative data is useful for any social media strategy. It provides clear data such as the number of engagements, conversions, and impressions. However, understanding how people view your brand requires qualitative data.

Let's explore the different ways of analysing brand perception.

Brand sentiment

Brand sentiment tells you how people feel about your brand. This key metric helps you understand whether your audience views your brand positively, negatively, or neutrally. Positive sentiment often leads to long-term gains and is, therefore, highly advantageous.

To measure brand sentiment, you'll need to collect and analyse all conversations around your brand across various platforms.

Here is a step-by-step guide for measuring brand sentiment effectively:

1. Collect brand mentions: Gather all tagged and untagged mentions of your brand. This can be done by monitoring social media channels to provide a comprehensive view of your brand's presence online.
2. Analyse sentiment: Determine whether each mention is positive, negative, or neutral. Context is crucial, as it can change the meaning of a sentence. Advanced sentiment analysis can detect nuances such as sarcasm and subtle emotions.
3. Calculate sentiment scores: Use the collected data to calculate an overall brand sentiment score. This reflects the balance between positive and negative mentions, giving you a clear picture of whether people are hyping or hating your brand.
4. Benchmark against competitors: Compare your results with competitors to understand your market position.
5. Respond to Feedback: Engage with both positive and negative feedback to show that you value customer opinions. Try responding with comments and clarifying any misunderstandings. However, think carefully here. It may be best to ignore the negative comments and start your next campaign armed with the feedback.

Overall, sentiment analysis goes deeper than likes and video views. It tells you how people are talking about your brand and their relationship with it. Sentiment analysis is a vital indicator of loyalty and reputation.

Brand awareness

Brand awareness is one of the most popular goals when running influencer campaigns. It reflects the number of social media users who notice and reference your brand. High awareness means your brand is more memorable.

Good indicators of brand awareness include the number of mentions, shares, and impressions across social media channels. This tells you how well your messaging sticks in consumers' minds, which is crucial for keeping top-of-mind with your target audience.

Encouraging user-generated content can also enhance awareness, organically sparking additional social media activity by your followers. A strong brand awareness means customers are more likely to think of your brand when they are ready to make a purchase.

Measuring influencer alignment

Influencer alignment is crucial for ensuring a brand's message is delivered authentically and resonates with the right audience. Marketing teams need to check that an influencer's content leaves a good impression.

As social marketing guru Neal Schaffer puts it, “Perhaps the biggest advantage of using influencers is that you have the opportunity to choose people who are part of your target market, or who appeal to your target market.”

So, checking whether your influencer campaigns resonated with your audience guides you on how to move forward.

User-generated content (UGC) metrics

User-generated content is posts that social media users share either organically or are paid to create. Here, it's useful to report on organic content. This tells you how customers are building communities and gives you content to repurpose.

Track the number of posts, mentions, or shares generated by your audience as part of a campaign. UGC metrics provide insight into how effectively your campaign inspires organic participation.

Virality rate

Virality rate measures how often your content is shared relative to its impressions. This metric indicates the content’s potential to spread organically and reach new audiences.

To calculate virality rate, divide the number of shares by the number of impressions, then multiply by 100 to get a percentage. This metric is particularly valuable today where "going viral" can exponentially increase a brand’s reach. Social media has the potential to change your story overnight and make you the brand every is talking about.

Advanced metrics: Share of voice data

The best influencer campaigns allow you to dominate conversations. These impactful influencers will put your brand at the forefront of your industry.

Share of voice tracks the number of times social media users mention your brand versus competing brands. It goes beyond just brand awareness. Share of voice also assesses customer engagements, assessing how frequently your brand name is seen and how customers interact with your content.

This datapoint is also crucial for comparing your brand visibility with competitors. It also tells you how the influencers you collaborate with are impacting the conversation.

Conversion quality: Measuring the value of social media conversions

Conversion metrics like the CTR are essential. But not all conversions are created equal.

Conversion quality goes beyond the quantity of conversions to assess the real value of the leads. This ensures that your campaigns are driving the right actions from the right audience.

Conversion quality is typically assessed using a combination of quantitative and qualitative metrics that assess the depth and long-term value of each conversion:

1. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)

CLV tracks the total revenue a customer is expected to generate over their relationship with your brand. High-quality conversions often come from customers with high CLV.

Calculate the average revenue generated per customer and compare it across segments acquired through different campaigns. If you find your influencer campaign is only bringing in short-term custom, you may need to tweak your approach.

2. Lead Scoring

This tactic scores leads based on factors such as demographic alignment, behaviours (time spent on the site), and intent (signing up for a demo, purchasing). Higher scores indicate better-quality conversions.

The best way to evaluate the potential of leads is to use a CRM or marketing automation tools,

3. Purchase frequency

This is the number of times a converted user makes repeat purchases. High-quality conversions often come from customers who engage with the brand repeatedly. It's similar to lifetime value.

Measure it by analysing repeat transactions in your CRM or e-commerce platform to identify trends by source.

4. Average order value (AOV)

High-quality conversions often result in high order values. Tracking AOV from social media conversions helps gauge the financial impact of your campaigns.

The best way to calculate AOV is to divide total revenue by the number of purchases within a specific campaign or platform.

5. Customer engagement post-conversion

High-quality conversions are often followed by active engagement with your brand, such as email opens, social media interactions, or loyalty program sign-ups. You can use analytics tools, including creative analytics, to track post-conversion behaviours and segment audiences based on engagement levels.

6. Churn rate of acquired customers

Churn refers to shoppers who don't return to your brand. High churn rates often indicate lower-quality conversions. This means that your brand didn't fully align with the customer or build a relationship.

Measure it by analysing the retention rate of customers acquired through specific campaigns or platforms.

7. Alignment with business goals

Not all conversions are equally valuable, depending on your objectives. For instance, a B2B brand might prioritise high-quality leads over product sales, while a retail brand might focus on direct purchases.

Discern the level of alignment by defining conversion goals and assessing how closely acquired conversions match these objectives.

How to improve conversion quality

Ensuring high conversion quality is essential for maximising the effectiveness of your campaigns. While quantity is important, focusing on the relevance and long-term value of your conversions can lead to better business outcomes.

Here are some key strategies to improve the quality of your conversions:

Refine targeting

One of the most effective ways to attract high-quality conversions is through precise targeting. Use audience segmentation tools to break down your audience into specific groups based on demographics, interests, or behaviours. Additionally, leverage lookalike audiences to find new users who share similar traits with your existing high-value customers. This approach helps ensure your ads reach people who are more likely to take meaningful actions.

Optimise content

The messaging and visuals in your campaigns play a critical role in attracting the right audience. Ensure your content speaks directly to high-intent users by addressing their specific needs, challenges, or aspirations. Focus on creating clear and compelling calls-to-action (CTAs) that guide users toward your desired outcomes. Regularly, A/B tests different formats, content styles, and designs to identify what resonates most with your target audience.

Track the funnel

Understanding the user journey is key to improving conversion quality. Monitor each stage of your sales or marketing funnel to identify where users drop off. Use tools such as heatmaps, analytics, and session recordings to pinpoint potential barriers, such as unclear CTAs, slow-loading pages, or complicated checkout processes. Addressing these issues can help retain high-quality leads and improve the overall user experience.

Analyse influencer fit

It’s important to ensure their audience aligns closely with your target demographic and purchasing behaviours. This ensures the conversions they generate are both relevant and valuable for your brand.

The power of social listening metrics in influencer marketing

Social listening tells you how people are talking about your brand and industry online.

It provides valuable insights into audience sentiment, brand perception, and emerging trends through the analysis of real-time conversations on social platforms. It identifies which influencers truly resonate with your audience, allowing you to analyse your share of voice by assessing metrics such as EMV, audience size, and engagement.

Social listening helps with many parts of an influencer campaign:

• awareness of trending topics
• impactful influencer identification
• reduces advertising costs with better targeting
• real-time reputation monitoring
• address negative comments faster to improve public perception

Brands can identify influential individuals discussing relevant topics to create more effective partnerships that enhance their ROI.

Effective and easy social listening tracking with tools

Conducting social listening and getting it right is time-consuming. In fact, 57% of brands rely on tools to guide their influencer marketing campaigns.

To measure social listening, brands should first define clear objectives, such as brand positioning, campaign performance, or identifying sales opportunities. Next, determine your data sources by selecting the most relevant social networks and digital media.

Kolsquare’s social listening module streamlines the process by enabling brands to:

• Track competitors' social media activities across various metrics.
• Identify the influencers competing brands are activating and when they're most active.
• Analyse which types of content resonate most with audiences.
• Access global data or zoom in on specific geographic locations.
• Measure their brand’s share of voice within the market.

You can transform these insights into strategic decisions that inform strategies and improve your reputation.

Book a free demo today!

The role of demographic data in tailoring influencer campaigns

Social listening is a great way to find influencers who are sharing impactful social media posts. But you also need demographic data about influencers' audiences. It's crucial to ensure that your social media strategy targets the right people.

Instead of focusing solely on influencers with large followings, choose those whose audience aligns with your target market. These influencers will save you money in the long run, as you can rely on them to develop impactful and relevant content. The customers they bring are more likely to get your brand and stay loyal.

Collecting key demographic factors such as age, gender, location, income, and interests, you can tailor campaigns to resonate more deeply with potential customers.

When campaigns are tailored to specific demographics, they tend to drive higher engagement and conversion rates. This is because the content feels more authentic and relevant to the audience, increasing the chances of meaningful interactions and purchases.

Free demographic tools: How to analyse social media metrics?

Tools like Kolsquare’s Chrome extension offer marketers free access to in-depth audience insights. This includes essential metrics like engagement rates, audience growth, and demographic information such as location and gender.

Simply download the extension, sign up for a free account, log in, and start browsing influencers on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. The extension works as a sidebar, providing you with data as you browse.

Start analysing influencer audiences from your browser today!

What is the 50/30/20 rule for social media?

The 50/30/20 rule gives a framework for running different types of campaigns. It tells you how much you should focus on each approach.

Here's a breakdown of the 50.30/20 rule:

• 50% value-driven content: Educational, entertaining, or informative posts that engage the audience. This could be tutorials explaining how your products work.
• 30% promotional content: Posts that promote products, services, or brand messaging. This content is more direct, with clear copy and persuasive language.
• 20% shared content: Content from other sources, such as user-generated content.

The 50/30/20 rule is effective because it ensures a balanced marketing strategy that keeps your audience engaged without overwhelming them with promotional messages.

Focusing on value-driven content builds trust and credibility, while promotional content drives conversions. On the other hand, shared content adds diversity and social proof, reinforcing your brand's position within the industry. Together, these social media posts combine to give shoppers a clear understanding of product benefits and brand values.

While this can be a helpful framework, it's not a law. Your approach must be tailored to your overall marketing strategy and goals. To manage these diverse content strategies seamlessly across multiple touchpoints, an omnichannel customer engagement platform can unify interactions, personalize messaging, and ensure consistent brand experiences that strengthen customer relationships.

Putting it all together: How to comprehensively measure social media marketing performance?

Phew, that's a lot of data. Marketing teams need a comprehensive approach to run a data-driven social media strategy. But it's hard to keep track. So let's create a simple checklist.

Here is a list of social media metrics, their formulae, and how you can track them:

• Return on investment: ROI tells you how many customers and sales were generated from the campaign in comparison to the amount spent. It can be calculated using data from your financial reports and social media analytics platforms like Google Analytics, Facebook Ads Manager, or any social media management tool that tracks conversions and spend.
• Conversion rate: The conversion rate of an ad is how many people who viewed the post or video took the next action. It's a simple formula: just minus the number of Track conversion rates using Google Analytics, social media platforms, and promo codes.
• Click-through rate: The CTR tells you the total number of clicks on the link in your post. It usually measures the web traffic generated from the post. Many social media platforms provide this data.
• Follower growth: Examining your follower growth and the influencers you work with on social media profiles can give you broad insights into how an ad is performing. Simply observe changes in social media platforms' native tools. However, followers don't necessarily translate into customers.
• Brand sentiment: Sentiment analysis can be performed using social listening tools like Kolsquare, which provides custom reports that analyse mentions, comments, and reviews across social media and the web. It's a good idea to track brand sentiment because it keeps your eye on the big picture. How are people feeling about your brand?
• Cost per action (CPA): CPA data is available from social media ad platforms such as Facebook Ads Manager, which provides detailed reports on the cost of user actions like clicks, sign-ups, or purchases.
• Cost per click (CPC): A similar metric to CPA, cost per click tells you how much you spent to earn a click on a link. For example, how much did it cost to generate website traffic?  
• Cost per mile (CPM): This metric tells you how much you spent to gain 1,000 impressions. The "mile" in CPM is based on the Latin for "thousand."
• Engagement rate: This is an important metric that tells you how impacted social media users are by your content. It's a useful formula that compares the number of interactions per post with the influencer's follower count. Engagement rate metrics are available directly from social media platforms and third-party tools like Kolsquare, which aggregate and calculate engagement metrics.
• Influencer alignment: This metric tells you how well an influencer's ads align with your brand, enhancing the authenticity and impact of the collaboration. Influencer alignment is best assessed using a combination of quantitative and qualitative data from influencer management platforms, which provide insights into influencer demographics, content style, and audience overlap.
• Reach and impressions: Reach and impression data is typically available from social media platforms’ native analytics tools and third-party social media management tools. It tells you how many posts or video views you received.
• Brand awareness: Awareness has long been a focus for marketing teams hoping to assess how well-known their brand is. On social media, brand awareness can be measured using a combination of reach and impression data from social media analytics, as well as brand mention tracking through social listening tools like Kolsquare.
• Response time: Engaging with users who respond to your influencer marketing helps strengthen relationships and build community. Response time measures how quickly your brand responds to messages, comments, or inquiries on social media. A faster response time enhances customer satisfaction, builds trust, and strengthens brand loyalty. Platforms like Facebook even display your average response time to users.

A few more of the most important social media metrics

We've covered many of the most crucial metrics, but this is marketing! There's always more data to dive into. Let's explore it.

Insights from surveys and polls

Surveying your audience on social media is an effective way to gather insights, understand customer preferences, and refine your strategies. Social media platforms make it easy to engage your audience through tools like polls, surveys, and reward-based participation. By including targeted questions and incentivising responses, brands can gain valuable data while boosting engagement.

Methods of social media surveying

There are a few different ways to ask questions on social media without being invasive.

First, there are polls. Polls are short, interactive questions with multiple-choice answers.

Platforms like Instagram Stories, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook allow you to post polls directly to your feed or stories. It's easily accessible for shoppers and non-invasive.

Here are the best practices for social media polls:

• Keep questions concise and engaging
• Limit options to 2-4 choices
• Use polls for quick feedback, such as product preferences or event timing
• Keep it conversational and fun
• Share and engage with responses

For example, you could ask:

“Which product feature excites you most? 🛍️

A) New designs
B) Improved quality
C) Discounts”

Second, there are surveys. These are longer forms for gathering detailed feedback.

Here are the best practices for surveys:

• • Offer incentives, such as discounts, free trials, or exclusive content, to encourage participation
  • Use targeted ads or direct messages to ensure your survey reaches the right audience
  • Use open-ended questions
  • Share responses

For example you could add a link in an Instagram bio: “Share your thoughts with us and receive 10% off your next purchase! Complete this quick survey: [Link in bio]”

Customer satisfaction score (CSAT)

Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT) can be attained from surveys. It's a key metric for evaluating how happy your customers are with your brand’s social media interactions, products, or services. It’s one of the most straightforward ways to gauge customer experience and pinpoint areas for improvement.

CSAT is typically measured by asking customers a simple question, such as: "How satisfied were you with your experience?" Customers respond using a scale, usually ranging from 1 to 5, where:

• 1 = Very Dissatisfied
• 5 = Very Satisfied

The CSAT score is calculated as the percentage of positive responses (4s and 5s) out of the total responses.

CSAT data can tell you how your content is really performing, which provides the following benefits:

• Real-time feedback: CSAT surveys can be embedded in social media touchpoints, such as direct messages or customer service interactions, allowing you to gather instant feedback.
• Measures interaction quality: For brands that use social media for customer service, CSAT reveals how effective and satisfying your responses are in resolving customer issues.
• Improves customer loyalty: A high CSAT score indicates happy customers, which often translates into higher loyalty and word-of-mouth promotion.
• Identifies pain points: Low scores highlight areas where your team or process may need improvement, whether it’s response time, tone, or resolution effectiveness.

But remember to follow best practices, such as:

• Ask at the right moment: Trigger CSAT surveys immediately after a service interaction or purchase.
• Keep it simple: Limit the survey to one or two quick questions to encourage participation.
• Act on feedback: Use low scores as opportunities to follow up with dissatisfied customers and resolve their issues.
• Monitor trends: Track CSAT scores over time to measure the impact of process improvements or new strategies.