What are social media KPIs?
Definition: Social media KPIs
Social media KPIs (key performance indicators) are measurable key figures that you can use to evaluate the success of your social media activities.
In short: 👉 KPIs show you whether your social media strategy is working or not.
Important:
No KPI without a goal. No insight without a KPI.
Why social media KPIs are important
Many accounts post regularly but don't measure anything meaningful. The result: actionism.
Social media KPIs for companies are important because they:
In other words: 👉 Without KPIs, you don't know whether your efforts are justified.
If you want to delve deeper: The basic article on social media analytics complements this KPI overview perfectly (internal link).
The most important social media KPIs at a glance
Social media key figures overview
Not every key figure is automatically a KPI. Relevance is crucial.
The most important social media KPIs can be roughly divided into five categories:
Reach & Visibility
Engagement & interactions
growth
Traffic & Conversions
Content Performance
1. reach & impressions
Reach
Shows how many unique users have seen your content.
Impressions
Shows how often content was played out in total - including multiple views.
👉 Difference between reach and impressionsReach = people Impressions = contacts
This difference is often misinterpreted and is one of the basics of any social media performance measurement. (see internal article Reach vs. impressions)
2. engagement & interactions
Interactions
Raw data. No KPI yet.
Engagement Rate
One of the best-known social media KPIs in marketing.
It puts interactions in relation to:
Reach or
number of followers
Why is it important? Because it shows how relevant your content is for your target group.
You can find a clear explanation of the engagement rate in the linked deep dive article (internal link).
3. follower growth
Follower growth
Shows whether your account is growing - or stagnating.
Relevant are:
Growth rate
Quality of followers
Development over time
Attention:
KPIs only work in combination.
4. click rate & conversions
Click-through rate (CTR)
Measures how many users click on a link.
Relevant for:
Social media marketing
campaigns
landing pages
Conversion rate
Shows how many clicks lead to a desired action:
Registration
Purchase
Download
These KPIs are central if you want to measure social media success - not just attention.
5. content performance
Content performance as a KPI
Compares content with each other:
Goal: 👉 Recognize which content really works
This is where social media gut feeling separates from data analysis.
Social media KPIs in a marketing context
Social media KPIs marketing vs. vanity metrics
Not every high number is good.
Vanity metrics:
Likes without context
Reach without a goal
Views without engagement
Real KPIs in social media marketing:
Engagement rate
CTR
Conversion rate
Growth rate
Marketing KPIs are always goal-oriented, never cosmetic.
Social media KPIs by platform
Social media KPIs differ according to platform
Instagram
Reach
Saves
Engagement Rate
Reels-Watchtime
TikTok
Watchtime
Completion Rate
Shares
Content Performance
LinkedIn
Facebook
Reach (severely limited)
Clicks
Group interactions
A KPI is never platform-neutral.
Social media KPIs for companies
Companies need other KPIs than creators.
Typical social media KPIs for companies:
Likes are not a business model.
Social media KPIs examples (simplified)
Example:
Goal: More website traffic → KPI: Click rate → Supporting KPIs: Reach, CTR
Goal: Brand loyalty → KPI: Engagement rate → Supporting KPIs: Comments, Saves
KPIs are always goal-dependent.
Dashboards & reporting
Social media KPIs dashboard
A good dashboard:
Too many KPIs = no insight.
Social media reporting is the translation of numbers into decisions (internal link recommended).
Common mistakes with social media KPIs
Measuring all KPIs at the same time
KPIs without target definition
Compare platforms
Looking at individual values in isolation
KPIs only work in the context of a social media strategy
FAQ - Frequently asked questions about social media KPIs
What are social media KPIs?
Measurable key figures that you use to evaluate the success of your social media activities.
Which social media KPIs are important?
Engagement rate, reach, impressions, follower growth, CTR and conversion rate - depending on the goal.
Which social media KPIs are the most important?
The ones that directly match your goal. Everything else is an afterthought.
Are likes a KPI?
No. Likes are raw data, not a KPI.
What is the difference between reach and impressions?
Reach = number of people, impressions = number of impressions.
Do I need a KPI dashboard?
Yes - but only with selected key figures.
Conclusion: Social media KPIs are not an end in themselves
Social media KPIs are not reporting toys or ego boosts. They are tools to make reality visible.
Those who use KPIs correctly
reduces effort
improves content
makes better decisions
If you ignore them, you are posting blind.
