Stop Chasing Viral: Here Are The Metrics That Matter
Listen, we totally get it. It’s easy to see a ton of views or a bunch of likes and assume your marketing is working, but these metrics only give a tiny glimpse into the giant picture that is digital marketing. Here are the metrics you should be tracking too.
Engagement:
This is every like, comment, save, and share wrapped up in a bow. This is a strong signal that shows your content was worth pausing for. A high engagement rate means your content is on the right track, and your target audience finds it relevant or interesting enough to pause.
How To Fix It:
In our last blog post (insert link to blog), we talked about the importance of making sure your content feels personal to your audience. If a user doesn’t feel like your content is for them, they’re more likely to scroll past without giving it a second thought. If you want to improve your engagement rates, make sure your content is relevant, unique, engaging, and tailored to your community. 64% of consumers are more likely to engage when communications feel personalized.
Shares:
Shares are one of the best indicators your content is landing with your audience. If someone is sharing your content with their peers, it means they found your content engaging, useful, relevant, or entertaining. This is a great sign your content is on the right track.
- An extra benefit of shares: Shares = free brand awareness. Users who share your content are doing the work for you, and sharing your brand to new consumers.
- An extra extra benefit of shares: The algorithm is likely to push content that has a high number of shares, meaning your content will appear on more feeds organically.
How To Fix It:
Low shares? It may be because your content feels too much like an ad, or because you’re not giving viewers a reason to share it. Think about why people share content. People share content that’s relatable, helpful, educational, supports a cause they care about, and that starts conversations. If your content isn’t any of those things, your audience probably won’t share it.
Video Views (specifically, view duration):
A view isn’t always a strong signal on its own. What matters more is how long people stick around.If you see low views, that means you didn’t hook your audience. If you’re seeing low view duration, that means you got your audience’s attention, but couldn’t keep it.
How To Fix It:
Start with a clear hook and keep earning attention throughout (think pace, value, sound effects, pattern interruptions, engaging visuals, etc) You want to continue to give your viewers a reason to watch all the way through.
Conversions:
This is the ultimate marker. Likes, shares, views are all great, but conversions are what prove your content is driving business results. A conversion is any desired action you’re aiming for, whether that’s a purchase, booking, email signup, form fill, etc. This shows us that your content is turning interest into action.
Click Through Rate:
This is the number of people who clicked your content or ad. CTR measures the “I want more” value of your content. This might sound similar to a conversion, but a CTR only measures clicks, it doesn’t measure how many people completed the goal after clicking. This is still highly valuable insight, as it shows your content is effectively driving customers to make the first step.
How To Fix Them:
I grouped these two together because they often go hand in hand. CTR is the first step towards a conversion. If you’re seeing a low CTR, it’s likely because viewers didn’t see the value in clicking your link. If you’re seeing a high CTR, but low conversions, it’s likely due to your website’s design and user experience. Consumers want a visually pleasing, well laid out website, and they want to be able to find what they need in seconds. If your website is outdated and disorganized, it could be costing you customers. Read more about the common website mistakes we see and how to fix them here.
At the end of the day, likes and views are only a small part of the story. When you dive deeper and look at metrics like these, you can stop guessing when it comes to your online strategy. Follow the data, double down on what works, and tweak what doesn’t. When you measure the right things, you can create content with purpose that drives real growth. If you want to learn more about metrics, here's a handy cheat sheet you can reference.
