Simple Social Media Metrics Every Small Business Owner Should Track
“How Do I Measure What’s Working and What’s Not?”
Analytics can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re already juggling all the other responsibilities of running a business. But understanding what’s working—and what’s not—is key to growing your audience, improving engagement, and turning content into actual results.
The good news? You don’t need to be a data expert. You just need to focus on a few core metrics that align with your goals.
Step 1: Get Clear on Your Content Goals
Before you dive into metrics, ask yourself:
What does “working” mean to me?
Are you trying to:
Build brand awareness?
Grow an engaged community?
Drive traffic to your website?
Generate leads or sales?
Your goal determines what you should pay attention to. Otherwise, you’ll chase vanity metrics that don’t actually help your business.
Step 2: Track the Right Metrics for Your Goal
Here’s a breakdown of what to track—based on what you’re trying to achieve:
Goal: Brand Awareness
Reach: How many people saw your content?
Impressions: How many total times it was shown?
Follower growth: Are new people finding and following you?
These numbers tell you whether your content is getting seen by more people.
Goal: Engagement & Community
Likes, comments, shares, saves: Are people interacting with your content?
DMs and replies: Are you sparking conversations?
Story views and responses: Are people sticking around and engaging?
If people are responding and interacting, your content is resonating.
Goal: Website Traffic or Leads
Link clicks: Are people clicking through to learn more?
Bio link visits: Are they interested in your next step?
Conversions: Are they signing up, buying, or booking?
Pair this with Google Analytics or your website dashboard to track where your traffic is coming from.
Step 3: Track Trends—Not Just Individual Posts
Don’t panic if one post flops. Look at trends over time. Are your numbers going up or down? Are certain types of posts performing better than others?
Ask:
What posts got the most saves or shares?
What CTAs led to DMs or comments?
When did I get the most profile visits?
That data helps you double down on what’s working.
Step 4: Review Monthly, Not Daily
Checking metrics every day can be discouraging. Instead, do a quick review each month:
Top 3 performing posts
Worst 1–2 performing posts
What got the most engagement or clicks
What led to leads or conversions (if trackable)
From there, refine your content strategy—post more of what worked, tweak or drop what didn’t.
Bottom Line: You Don’t Need All the Data—Just the Right Data
You’re not just creating content to stay busy. You’re building a brand, nurturing trust, and growing a business. A simple monthly check-in with the right metrics will help you stay focused—and make better decisions without the overwhelm.
