Back to Blog
Analytics

Social Media Analytics: The Metrics That Actually Drive Revenue

Marcus Rivera
Jan 27, 2026
8 min read

Most marketers are drowning in data but starving for insights. Social media platforms offer dozens of metrics, but only a handful actually correlate with business outcomes. This guide cuts through the noise and focuses on the metrics that matter.

Vanity Metrics vs. Actionable Metrics

Follower count, likes, and impressions feel good to report but rarely tell the full story. A post with 10,000 impressions and zero clicks to your website did not drive any business value. Instead, focus on metrics that connect directly to your goals.

The Metrics That Actually Matter

Engagement Rate

Calculated as (total engagements / reach) x 100, engagement rate tells you how compelling your content is to people who actually see it. A high engagement rate signals that your content resonates, which also signals to algorithms to show it to more people.

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

If your goal is to drive traffic to your website, CTR is your north star metric. Track it per post, per platform, and per content type to understand what drives the most qualified traffic.

Conversion Rate from Social

The ultimate metric. Of the people who click through from social media, how many take the desired action (sign up, purchase, download)? Set up proper UTM tracking and connect your social analytics with Google Analytics to measure this accurately.

Share of Voice

How much of the industry conversation are you capturing vs. your competitors? This metric helps you understand your brand awareness and market position in the social landscape.

Building a Reporting Cadence

Review your metrics weekly for tactical adjustments and monthly for strategic decisions. SocialHub's analytics dashboard makes this easy with automated reports that highlight trends, anomalies, and opportunities across all your platforms.

Share this article: