Social Media Metrics That Actually Matter
Posting beautiful photos and stories on social media is important, but how do you know if it’s really working to motivate your guests? Are your posts inspiring people to book a tour, explore your website, or share your content?
To answer those questions, it helps to look beyond likes and follows. Social media metrics can show you what content is getting attention, where your audience is coming from, and what’s actually leading to bookings or inquiries.
You don’t need fancy tools to get started; most social platforms (like Facebook and Instagram) have built-in analytics, and tools like Meta Business Suite, Hootsuite, or Sprout Social can give you additional detail. And, when connected with Google Analytics 4 (GA4), you’ll start to see the full picture of what’s working for your visitors online.
No matter what tools you use, there’s a common set of measurements that can help you keep track of what’s working and what’s not.
Here are the key metrics tourism businesses should pay attention to on social media:
Total Followers
This tells you how many people are following your account. It’s a good sign of general interest, but doesn’t tell the full story. You want more than just numbers; you want engaged followers who care about your experiences.
Total Engagements
Total engagement includes likes, comments, shares, and saves, any interaction with your content. A higher number of engagements means your content is connecting with people. When looking at total engagement, be sure to check these numbers in your analytics dashboard, not just on the post itself, to get the full picture.
Reach and Impressions
Impressions and reach are closely related and often get confused, but they measure slightly different things.
Impressions refer to how many times your content was displayed, even if it was shown to the same person more than once. Reach, on the other hand, measures how many individual people saw your content.
To give you an example, if a visitor sees your post three times, that counts as three impressions but only one for reach.
- Reach = How many unique people saw your post.
- Impressions = How many total times your post was seen (one person may have multiple impressions).
Together, these metrics can help you understand how far your content is reaching and how many times the same people are seeing it.
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Tip: If your reach is high but engagement is low, it might be time to tweak your content.
Link Clicks
This is one of the most important metrics for tourism businesses, as it shows how many people are clicking from your social media posts to your website, where they can learn more, book, or get in touch. Use your social media analytics alongside GA4 to track this traffic and see which posts are driving results.
Keep in mind that the numbers you see in your social platform (like Meta) may not exactly match what you see in Google Analytics. A small difference, usually up to 10%, is completely normal.
To encourage more clicks, make sure your posts, bio and stories include a clear call to action (CTA) like “Book now,” “Learn more,” or “Plan your visit,” and don’t forget to add the link.
Engagement Rate
Engagement rate shows how many people are interacting with your posts, things like likes, comments, shares, or clicks, compared to how many people saw the post. It’s a helpful way to see what kind of content your audience enjoys the most.
It’s usually calculated by dividing the total number of interactions by the number of followers.
For example:
- Total Followers on Facebook: 8,000
- Total Engagements on a Post: 1,200
- Engagement Rate = 1,200 ÷ 8,000 = 15%
A higher engagement rate means your content is connecting well with your audience.
Follower Growth Rate
Follower growth rate helps you see if your content is reaching new people and growing your audience over time. It shows how fast your follower count is increasing, which can be a good sign that your posts and promotions are working.
To calculate it, take the number of new followers you gained in a month and divide it by the number of followers you had at the start of that month.
For example, if you started with 1,000 followers and gained 100 new ones, your growth rate would be 10%.
Tracking this monthly can help you understand what’s helping you grow—and when things may need adjusting.
UTM Tracking
Sometimes it’s not enough to know that someone came to your website from social media—you want to know what specifically brought them there. Was it a story, a reel, or a regular post? Was it part of a special campaign or just an everyday update? That’s where UTM tracking comes in.
Put simply, UTM links are unique URLS you can create that include extra details, like the platform, the type of post, and the campaign name. These details show up in Google Analytics so you can see exactly where your traffic is coming from and which content is getting results.
Here’s what a UTM link might look like: www.yourwebsite.com/?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=reel&utm_campaign=summer_tours
In this case, you’d be able to see that visitors came from an Instagram Reel promoting your summer tours.
By creating a different UTM link for each type of post (like reels, stories, or carousels), you can compare them and learn what’s performing best. This helps you spend your time and effort on the content that’s actually driving clicks, bookings, or signups.
Tools like Google’s free Campaign URL Builder can help you easily create UTM links in just a few seconds.
What’s Next?
Now that you know which social media metrics actually matter, the next step is putting that knowledge to work. It’s not just about watching the numbers; it’s about using them to make better content, stronger connections, and smarter decisions.
Start by asking yourself:
- What kind of content is my audience enjoying or engaging with the most?
Are people clicking through to my website or booking page? - Which social posts are falling flat, and which ones are standing out?
- What patterns am I seeing over time?
Use the insights that come up to:
- Share more of the content your audience wants to see
- Adjust your photos, captions, or timing for better performance
- Grow your followers with purpose, not just numbers
- Make confident choices about where and how often to post
The more you understand what’s working, the easier it becomes to focus your time and energy and get real results. Social media doesn’t have to be a guessing game. With the right tools and a bit of consistency, you’ll be able to tell your story in a way that connects and converts.
Last updated: June, 2025
