The KPI Dilemma: Are Likes Leading You Astray?

“We hit 100,000 impressions last month!”
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Cool. But how many people actually bought something?

That’s the tension—the KPI dilemma most marketers eventually face. In a world obsessed with likes, shares, and reach, it’s easy to forget the one metric that matters most: results.

Let’s talk about the KPI trap. Because while high-level metrics look good on paper (and in your monthly deck), they can be misleading—especially when they don’t connect to revenue.

The Feel-Good Metrics That Fool Us

There’s nothing wrong with celebrating a viral post or a big spike in impressions. That kind of visibility can feel like progress. But when KPIs like likes, reach, and views become the main event—not a step in the journey—it’s time to pause and reassess.

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Vanity Metrics vs. Value Metrics

Let’s break it down:

• Likes = approval
  
  
• Reach = exposure
  
  
• Impressions = frequency
  
  
• Clicks = curiosity
  
  

They’re useful, but they don’t always correlate with conversions. You can go viral and still not sell a thing. We’ve seen it happen. Probably, so have you.

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Why the KPI Dilemma Is So Common

Marketing teams are often measured by what’s easiest to quantify and reach is easy to quantify. So is engagement, but impact?—that’s harder. It requires digging deeper and connecting the dots between brand awareness and buying behavior.

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When Metrics Mislead Strategy

Here’s where things go sideways:

• A campaign gets high reach, so the team repeats the same format… but sales stay flat.
  
  
• A post gets tons of likes, so the product team assumes demand… but carts stay empty.
  
  
• A video gets shared widely, so leadership calls it a win… but revenue doesn’t reflect it.
  
  

That’s the KPI dilemma in action. We focus on what’s immediately visible, not what’s actually valuable.

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Redefining Success: What KPIs Should Really Tell You

Not all KPIs are created equal. And not all campaigns need to drive revenue directly. Some build trust. Some build recognition. But the goal is always to build toward something measurable.

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The KPIs That Connect to Real Growth

Here are some examples of KPIs that deserve more of your attention:

• Customer acquisition cost (CAC)
  
  
• Conversion rate
  
  
• Email signups
  
  
• Sales-qualified leads (SQLs)
  
  
• Revenue per visitor
  
  
• Return on ad spend (ROAS)
  
  

These may not trend on social media—but they pay the bills.

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So, What Should You Be Reporting On?

You don’t have to throw away your social stats. They matter. But they’re only one piece of the picture. Reporting should be layered—tying short-term performance to long-term impact.

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A Smarter Framework

Try breaking your reporting into three tiers:

1. Attention KPIs: Are people seeing and noticing us?
   
   
2. Engagement KPIs: Are people interacting with us?
   
   
3. Outcome KPIs: Are people doing what we ultimately want—buying, booking, signing up?

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Don’t Let Vanity Metrics Steer the Ship

It’s tempting to chase what’s visible. We all love a good screenshot of “likes blowing up” in the group chat. But growth doesn’t always look like applause. Sometimes, it looks like a quiet uptick in qualified leads. A steady climb in average order value. A new stream of referrals.

Don’t let the wrong KPIs hold your strategy hostage. Look past the dopamine of vanity metrics—and lean into the data that actually drives revenue.

Because in the end, reach without results is just noise.

Need help aligning your KPIs with what actually moves the needle? We’d love to chat.

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