Social media platforms are more than just places to post selfies and memes—they’re where your brand’s visibility, reach, and audience connections are tested. In a world where every click, share, and comment can affect how people see your brand, it’s important to understand how to measure engagement.
Not all social media engagement metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) are created equal. Tracking the right ones will help you understand what your audience is saying and how they interact with your brand.
In this guide, you’ll learn why tracking social media engagement is crucial, which metrics matter, and how Bitly can help you track them all.
Why is it important to track social media engagement?
Social media channels serve as virtual storefronts, customer service desks, and, sometimes, the main stage for a brand’s performance. Engagement levels tell you whether your brand’s story and content resonate and if your virtual audience is genuinely interested in what you have to say.
However, the data can be misleading if you’re not tracking the right metrics. The right metrics offer quantitative data and provide qualitative insights. It’s the difference between knowing how many visited your virtual store and understanding how many left as devoted brand ambassadors.
Choose the right metrics, and you’ll be well on your way to building genuine connections and sustainable growth with your social media campaigns!
Social media engagement metrics
Diving into the world of social media metrics can feel daunting, with so many different tools, measurements, and KPIs to consider. However, each engagement metric offers a distinct perspective on how your audience interacts with your brand.
Let’s explore some of these crucial metrics that can give you a clearer picture of your online brand engagement.
1. Likes, comments, reactions, shares, etc.
At first glance, these might seem like basic social media benchmarks, but they pack a punch in terms of insights. The number of likes hints at how well your social media content is received, while comments often indicate deeper engagement or strong feelings—be it agreement, curiosity, or even disagreement.
Reactions, especially on Facebook pages or LinkedIn, give a quick emotional temperature check. On the other hand, shares and retweets are golden. When a user shares your social media posts, it’s like a digital word-of-mouth recommendation. A clear sign that they find your content engaging and worth sharing with their own circles.
2. Brand mentions
Whether tagged or not, brand mentions capture instances where users talk about your brand, reflecting its presence in everyday conversations. This metric is crucial because it’s not just about numbers—it’s about sentiment, context, and organic reach.
A surge in brand mentions can signify a successful campaign, a trending product, or even an emerging PR crisis. Monitoring this allows brands to tap into real-time feedback and gauge the temperature of their reputation. And, in the world of branding, reputation is everything.
3. Video views and video completion rate
Video views: This metric counts the number of times a video has been watched for a minimum amount of time, which varies across different platforms. For instance, on Facebook, a view is counted when a user watches a video for more than three seconds.
Video completion rate: This metric calculates the percentage of viewers who watched the video till the end.
Both metrics offer insight into the effectiveness of video content. While video views give an initial indication of content reach and initial interest, the view completion rate dives deeper into how compelling and engaging the content truly is.
A high number of views with a low completion rate might suggest that while the title or caption is eye-catching, the actual content may not hold viewers’ attention.
4. Engagement rate
Engagement rate is a powerful metric that combines various interactions, such as likes, comments, and shares, to give a holistic view of content performance.
Formula for engagement rate:
Engagement Rate = (Total Followers / Total Engagement) × 100
This metric is incredibly helpful because it shows how much engagement a post gets relative to the number of followers the brand has. For example, a post with thousands of likes might not actually be very engaging if the brand has a follower count in the millions.
Understanding this nuance helps brands figure out how well their content is really performing, regardless of how many people follow them.
5. Amplification rate
Amplification rate reflects how share-worthy your audience finds your content. It’s determined by the ratio of shares per post to the total number of followers.
Formula for amplification rate:
Amplification rate = (Total Followers / Shares per Post ) × 100
This metric is important because it shows how likely your content is to go viral. Likes and comments only reach people who already follow your brand, but shares reach new audiences and help your content spread organically.
Tracking amplification rate can help you find content that really resonates with your audience and motivates them to share it with their own followers.
Brand awareness metrics
Engagement metrics tell you how much people interact with your content, but brand awareness metrics tell you how far your brand is reaching. These metrics are important because they show how visible your brand is, which can lead to more engagement and conversions.
Here are some of the most important brand awareness metrics:
6. Reach
Reach represents the total number of people who have seen your post or ad on social media. It’s an unduplicated count, meaning if one person views a post five times, they’re still counted just once.
Reach is an important metric because it shows how many people have seen your content. Engagement measures how much people interact with your content, but reach focuses on how many people have seen it at all. It’s a good indicator of your brand awareness levels and how big your potential audience could be.
7. Impressions
Impressions are the total number of times your content has been shown on someone’s screen—regardless of whether or not they click on it. So, if one person sees your post twice, that’s two impressions.
Reach tells you how many people have seen your content, while impressions show how often your content is being seen.
If you have a lot of impressions relative to your reach, that means your content is being shown to the same people over and over again. This can be a good thing if you’re trying to build brand awareness, but it could also mean you need to broaden your audience or diversify your content to keep people engaged and interested.
8. Share of voice (SOV)
Share of voice (SOV) is a way to measure how much attention your brand gets compared to your competitors. It’s the percentage of total mentions your brand gets compared to the combined mentions of your competitors in the same industry or niche.
To calculate SOV, use the formula:
Share of voice (SOV) = (Total Industry Mentions / Your Brand’s Mentions) × 100
Share of voice is a key metric because it shows how often people talk about your brand. A high share of voice means you’re dominating the conversation or are well-known in your industry.
Tracking this metric can help you understand where your brand stands in the industry and how to improve your position.
9. Audience growth rate
Audience growth rate measures how fast a brand’s following increases over a specific period.
To calculate audience growth rate, use the formula:
Audience growth rate = (Starting Followers / New Followers Gained) × 100
This metric tells you how well your brand is doing in terms of follower growth. If it’s going up, that means people like your content and are following you. If it’s going down, that means you might need to change your content or how you’re promoting it.
It’s important to keep track of this metric to ensure your brand stays strong.
Conversion metrics
Engagement and brand awareness metrics are great for understanding how people interact with your brand and how well-known your brand is. But the real question is: are these interactions leading to anything that actually benefits your business?
That’s where conversion metrics come in. Conversion metrics are the bridge between interactions and actions, like website visits, subscription sign-ups, and purchases. They’re the ultimate way to measure how well your social media marketing is working.
10. Click-through rate (CTR)
Click-through rate, often abbreviated as CTR, represents the percentage of users who click on a link embedded in your post compared to the total number who’ve seen the post. It directly measures your content’s effectiveness in compelling users to take the next step.
CTR is essential because it’s an early-stage conversion metric. Before a user becomes a customer or subscriber, they usually click through to learn more. A high CTR indicates that your content, messaging, or call-to-action resonates with your audience, nudging them closer to your intended goal.
11. Referral traffic
Referral traffic pertains to visitors who land on your website or platform through direct links from social networks rather than through a search engine or direct URL. It reveals the volume of users your social media channels funnel to your main platform.
Referral traffic is important to measure because it tells you exactly how well your social media efforts drive users to your primary platform. Plus, these users are often more engaged or interested since they actively choose to learn more after interacting with a post.
12. Conversion rate
Conversion rate measures the percentage of users who take a desired action after interacting with your content. It could be anything from signing up for a newsletter to downloading an e-book to completing a purchase.
Conversion rate is significant because it directly affects return on investment (ROI). Other metrics might show interest or engagement, but conversion rate shows how many people are taking actions that actually benefit your business. It’s a clear measure of how well your content and social media strategy are turning interest into action.
What tool measures social media engagement?
Meet Bitly, a powerhouse in the realm of social media performance metrics. While you’re probably familiar with its URL-shortening capabilities, Bitly’s functions go much deeper. Consider it your go-to toolkit for gauging the pulse of social media engagement.
Here’s the rundown of its social media analytics tools:
- Deep dive analytics: With Bitly, you’re not just tracking clicks. You get a complete view of where they came from, the time of day they were clicked, and even the device type used. This level of detail can help brands refine their social media marketing strategy based on where and when their audience is most engaged.
- Branded links: Instead of generic short links, Bitly empowers brands to create customized, branded links. These boost brand recognition and improve click-through rates, as users are more likely to click on links they trust.
- Link-in-bio tool: For social platforms like Instagram, where every space counts, the Link-in-bio is a game-changer. Bitly’s tool allows brands to maximize this space, offering multiple engagement opportunities within a single trackable link.
- Real-time data: In the digital age, things move fast. Bitly provides real-time analytics so brands can pivot on the fly. If a particular post is getting traction, you’ll know instantly and can allocate resources accordingly.
When it comes to engagement metrics, it’s not just about counting clicks—it’s about understanding them. With Bitly, you get a robust tool that gives you powerful insights so you can take your social media engagement to the next level.
Track your social media engagement seamlessly with Bitly
After exploring the ins and outs of social media engagement, one thing is for sure: effective measurement is key. But it doesn’t have to be complicated.
Bitly makes it easy with intuitive tools that help you understand the depth and breadth of your engagement. Beyond just numbers, Bitly provides insights that ensure your connection with your audience is genuine, informed, and impactful.
Ready to elevate your tracking game? Discover the best Bitly plan for you today and turn your social media metrics into actionable insights.