Measure what matters, not what flatters

The flood of data generated by social media means that companies have an abundance of metrics they can measure, but often less clarity about what these metrics actually mean for business performance.

This confusion can lead to a misplaced emphasis on metrics that flatter rather than inform: the aptly named “vanity metrics”.

What are vanity metrics?

Vanity metrics include social media likes, impressions, shares, follower counts and views. These metrics are labelled “vanity metrics” because they measure social media performance at a surface level only.

Whilst they look impressive on a dashboard, they often don’t correlate with tangible business impact. This can create a misleading picture of success and divert attention away from tracking data that demonstrates real strategic value.

The illusion of success

Since these metrics are highly visible, they become tempting to prioritise. As a result, companies often celebrate increases in likes, impressions or followers without taking the time to understand whether these numbers translate into positive business impact. Teams can become focused on making these metrics look good, rather than asking whether they actually help them to achieve their business objectives.

A common example is a company celebrating follower growth, only to see no corresponding increase in sales. Often, the new audience sits outside the company’s serviceable market and is therefore unlikely to become a customer. For example, a bakery based in Staffordshire gaining an audience in another country is unlikely to see higher sales because those followers cannot realistically become customers. In this case, the metric looks positive, but it does not reflect real commercial value.

Vanity metrics vs conversion metrics

In contrast to vanity metrics, conversion metrics measure real business results: when a customer converts. A conversion happens when an audience member takes the desired action that achieves a specific objective, such as visiting a website, downloading content, registering for an event or making a purchase.

These conversion metrics help to track whether social media activity is successfully contributing to business objectives, rather than simply generating attention. For this reason, they should be linked to clear strategic goals and SMART objectives. This means that measurement reflects whether the implemented tactics have achieved what the business intended.

Selecting the right metrics

With so many metrics available, selecting the right ones can be difficult. There is no universal set of metrics that works for every business. Instead, measurement should start with the strategic goals of the business.

First, companies should identify what they are trying to achieve and then translate that goal into measurable objectives. The metrics should then reflect those objectives. For example, if the goal is to increase website sales, the objective could be increasing website sales originating from Facebook. The metric would then be the number of website sales originating from Facebook.

Challenges in measuring conversions

Measuring conversions is not straightforward as it can be difficult to determine attribution. Assuming that all sales or actions during a campaign period result from social media is rarely accurate, as many factors influence customer behaviour.

Instead, it’s important to find accurate ways of tracking whether a specific social media activity caused a particular outcome. For example, you can create specific UTM codes to track the source, medium, campaign, term or content provides clear evidence of impact using a free site like bitly.com.

So, are vanity metrics all bad?

No. Vanity metrics are not inherently bad. When viewed in isolation, they can be misleading, but they still play a valuable role in social media measurement. They can help organisations understand what content resonates with audiences and provide insights into the preferences and behaviours of their target audience.

These insights are valuable information to inform content strategy and support long-term relationship building with customers over social media. Over time, consistent and relevant social media activity can help build familiarity and trust, which supports longer-term goals such as loyalty and advocacy. In this sense, vanity metrics can contribute to business results in the long-term but only when used alongside metrics that measure real business impact.

Measure what matters

Achieving real business results from social media means moving beyond vanity metrics and focussing on measurement that aligns with your strategic goals.

If you want to make your social media activities more purposeful and aligned with your business goals, get in touch with our marketing team on 01782 618324 / info@starbots-creative.co.uk or take at our marketing services here.