The 3 Metrics That Actually Matter for Social Media Growth

When it comes to social media, it’s easy to get caught up in numbers. Follower counts, likes, and impressions may look exciting, but they don’t always reflect real business growth.

If you want to know whether your social media is truly working, focus on the metrics that measure connection, action, and results. Here are the three that matter most.

1. Engagement Rate

Engagement rate shows how well your content resonates with your audience. Instead of looking at raw likes or comments, engagement rate measures interaction relative to your audience size.

A high engagement rate means your content is building connection and sparking conversation, two essential steps before someone becomes a client.

2. Website Traffic Driven from Social

Social media shouldn’t just keep people on the platform, it should encourage them to take the next step toward your business. Tracking how much traffic comes to your website from social posts, stories, or links shows whether your content is moving people closer to booking, buying, or joining your list.

When social media strategy is aligned, your content acts as a bridge between attention and action.

3. Conversion Rate

Traffic is valuable, but conversion is where growth happens. Conversions look different for every business: newsletter sign-ups, discovery calls booked, or direct purchases.

Measuring how many people take meaningful action after coming from social media helps you understand true ROI. This is where you see how social supports revenue, not just visibility.

The Bottom Line

Not every metric deserves your attention. The ones that matter most… engagement rate, traffic driven, and conversion rate, show whether your social media is creating connection and driving real business growth.

At Drift Social, these are the metrics we track for every client. Because when social media is rooted in strategy, it doesn’t just look good, it works.

Learn more about our Social Media Management or explore the Alignment Intensive to get started with strategy that supports growth.