Meaningful marketing metrics

Why your marketing metrics don’t always tell the full story

At the start of a new year, quarter or month, many businesses revisit their numbers: has website traffic grown, did they reach their sales target, has their email list grown etc?

On the first of January 2025, I took screenshots of my LinkedIn and Instagram accounts. I wanted to make a note of how many followers I had on each account, as I knew one of my goals for 2025 was going to be to “grow my audience”. 

Before we go on, I know, I know – you shouldn’t really focus on vanity marketing metrics such as likes and followers, but when you are a small business, without a website (I didn’t launch the Prior Marketing & Co. website until mid 2025!), then these vanity metrics can be a starting point as an indicator of things like brand awareness and I saw this as an indicator of awareness that people knew I actually existed as a marketing consultant.

I knew this would be a challenge for me and my business, as driving awareness with little to no marketing budget can be tricky and posting my own content on social media is not my favourite thing to do. I’d rather network in a room filled with strangers or stand on stage and do a talk than post on social media, any day! 

But as I take a look at my LinkedIn and Instagram accounts at the start of 2026, I can see my growth has been much more than growing an audience.

Each account has grown by about 100 followers. Did I hit my target… nope, nowhere near! 

The numbers may not seem like a lot, but when looking at any numbers, or marketing and sales data it’s important to think about the meaning of those metrics in the first place. What are the levers? What is driving the numbers and results?

What’s the point of marketing metrics anyway?

Marketing metrics should help you measure the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and give you data that can help you make informed, strategic decisions.

For me, focusing on my audience would hopefully mean more awareness, more people to consider using my services and perhaps decide to work with me. When I looked at what was driving the numbers on my social accounts, I could see they were not  actually driven by posting content as such – I didn’t master reels on Instagram, invest in video and I certainly haven’t been consistent! Far from it. These numbers were driven mainly through the actions I have taken away from social media, such as networking.

My networking in 2025 has been intentional, targeted, strategic. I started to attend not just free networking, but paid for events too with decision makers in industries and sectors that I had experience in such as large venues and destinations. I went to marketing industry events and networked in new areas of the north east, not just Newcastle city centre, but also out in Northumberland. I also joined communities and networked online. I didn’t want to grow any audience, I wanted to grow an audience and community filled with those I could add value to.

Most of the new connections and followers I have on my social accounts are people I actually know, because I met them at events, in real life first and then we have continued our conversations afterwards, online. These connections are meaningful, they’ve led to collaborations, helpful advice, an introduction, a new event recommendation, referrals and so many other things.

My follower numbers on their own don’t really tell me anything about the “audience” I’ve actually started to grow. Less of an audience and more of a community with relationships that have been built throughout the year: the questions, conversations and support.

This insight has then led me to make more strategic decisions about my business and how to make even more meaningful connections and build better relationships going forward.

Focusing on the audience number gave me direction and guidance, but digging underneath the surface has given me clarity in what steps to take next.

Not all marketing metrics are measured equal or at all.

I’m a marketer, I love data, insights, tracking the numbers and know the importance of reporting on return on investment. 

But there are lots of marketing outcomes that are notoriously hard to measure: trust, emotional connection, perceptions – these are all important factors as to whether or not someone will buy from you, but are hard to track with basic data.

On each of my social profiles and bio, I noticed other indicators of growth, aside from the follower count.

At the start of the year neither of my accounts said:

• Marketing Coach

• Trustee

• Included links to my website and blog

• Showed links to work that I have collaborated on

Since launching Prior Marketing & Co. back in 2023 I have diversified my services, collaborated with others and expanded the marketing channels I use to hopefully build trust, credibility, offer more value and drive better awareness about what I do.

I made the decision to take these actions based on audience feedback or opportunities that came my way through conversations within my network.

The success of some of these actions may be seen in numbers, but some may be shown in other ways such as written feedback or word of mouth and some outcomes may not be seen for a long time!

Goodhart’s Law states “when a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good target.”, meaning the original goal can be undermined by systems or people trying to manipulate it to reach it.

For example you could have a target to build your email list by 1000 contacts, with the underlying objective to try and convert those on your list into customers. But if you’re just focussed on the number you could manipulate that growth by focussing on the wrong things e.g. growing the email list via competition entries to hit that 1000 contacts target. But it would be likely that those entering your competition are unlikely to convert into buying customers, so you end up hitting your target, but with poor quality contacts that won’t support your commercial or business objectives.

So it’s important not to take all marketing metrics at face value – dig deeper, what’s the story, what’s the narrative behind the numbers.

Growing my social following and network by 100 people might not seem like a lot, but it’s amazing what a small audience of entrepreneurial business leaders can do and they opportunities they can bring!

Marketing metrics and tracking: what’s the purpose behind the numbers?

So as you start to reflect on your 2025 numbers, don’t just think about the target, look a little deeper. Think, what’s the purpose of those numbers you are tracking or the targets you are about to set yourself for the year, quarter or event week ahead?

Deciding what to measure can be hard, but it should be linked to your business goals.

What gets measured gets managed…but only if it’s managed with purpose.

Need some help creating your marketing goals and knowing what to focus on to drive your business forward?

If you’re new here, hello, I’m Tania, a freelance marketing consultant and coach in Newcastle. I work with ambitious founders, start-ups, scaling brands and marketing teams across the UK.

After leading marketing teams for national brands and driving record numbers through the doors of some of the UK’s top 20 retail, leisure and hospitality destinations, I now use my 20 years of experience to provide freelance marketing support, consultancy and workshops.

If you’re looking for a marketing lead that can help you align your marketing activity to your business goals, give you a clear plan and keep you accountable, contact me today to book a call.