A KPI, or key performance indicator, is a number you agree to watch because it shows whether a goal is on track. A KPI ties directly to an outcome you care about, like leads, sales or brand awareness.
Good social media KPIs follow the goal. For awareness, track reach and impressions. For engagement, track engagement rate and saves. For traffic, track link clicks and click-through rate. For revenue, track conversions and return on investment.
Pick three to five KPIs, set a target and a time frame, and review them on a regular schedule. Setupe's analytics pulls results from every channel into one view, so you can check your KPIs without exporting data from each platform.
Questions about KPI
What is the difference between a KPI and a metric?
A metric is any number you can measure, such as likes or followers. A KPI is a metric you have chosen because it shows progress toward a specific goal. All KPIs are metrics, but most metrics are not KPIs.
What are the most common social media KPIs?
Popular social media KPIs include reach, impressions, engagement rate, follower growth rate, click-through rate, conversions and return on investment. The right mix depends on whether your goal is awareness, engagement, website traffic or sales.
How many KPIs should you track?
Most teams do best with three to five KPIs per goal. Tracking too many makes it hard to see what matters and act on it. Keep the list short, review it monthly and swap out KPIs that no longer guide decisions.
