7 social media metrics clients must understand

To justify investment and make decisions, clients must understand the metrics that connect social activity to business outcomes. Not every metric carries equal weight; this article explains seven essential indicators and how to interpret them.

The seven key metrics

1. Reach — Unique accounts that saw the post. It measures visibility.
   
   
2. Impressions — Total times content was displayed; useful for tracking frequency.
   
   
3. Engagement Rate — (likes + comments + shares) ÷ reach. It gauges content relevance and resonance.
   
   
4. CTR (Click-Through Rate) — Clicks on links ÷ impressions. Connects social content to site traffic.
   
   
5. Conversions from social — Business-valuable actions (purchases, leads) attributed to social channels; the primary business KPI.
   
   
6. Cost per conversion (CPA) — Advertising cost divided by conversions from that channel; the financial bridge between marketing and finance.
   
   
7. Sentiment & mentions — Qualitative indicators of brand reputation and early warnings of issues.

How to present these metrics to clients

• Distinguish performance metrics (CTR, CPA) from engagement metrics (likes, shares).
  
  
• Show the funnel: impressions → CTR → site traffic → conversions.
  
  
• Focus on 1–2 KPIs per campaign (e.g., CPA for performance campaigns; engagement rate for content campaigns).

Rather than overwhelming clients with data, present metrics that answer their core question: “Is this investment generating more customers or revenue?” That clarity leads to better decisions and sustained investment.

Would the team like a monthly report template that highlights these seven metrics and includes recommended actions?