Engagement Is a Trap

How to Measure Real Social Media Success

Aug 19, 2025

The Library 📜 at the 🪄Business Witch Academy💸 is an edutainment series published by The Business Witch Academy which blends the magic of storytelling, the potent learning potential of humor and interactive components with tried and true business concepts and strategies to make learning how to maximize your business revenue fun, relatable, easy and affordable. This publication exists because of the paid support of readers like you. If you find value in what I’m doing here, please show your support by shopping in the store, buying a Library Membership (and getting all the full access, free downloads and other perks that come with it) or working with me directly via Live Support.

🛠 Shop Books & Courses | 📜 Get Library Card | 🔮Live Support | 🪄 Tip the Oracle

Generated with the assistance of Night Café AI exclusively for Cheryl Evans, Business Witch Academy

How to Measure Social Media Engagement Effectively (and When You Shouldn’t)

Engagement metrics — likes, shares, and comments — are the go-to for gauging success in social media content marketing. Most platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn offer built-in analytics to track these numbers, and third-party tools like Hootsuite or Buffer can provide more in-depth insights.

But is engagement the best measure of your success?

Here’s the catch: Not all target audiences are equally inclined to interact with your posts. Some demographics, often referred to as “lurkers,” consume content but rarely hit the like button or leave a comment. If your audience falls into this category, measuring success based solely on engagement metrics could lead you astray.

So, what should you do?

Broaden Your Metrics:

Track Reach: How many people are actually seeing your content?
Monitor Click-Through Rates: Are users clicking on your links or call-to-action buttons?
Measure Conversions: Is your content driving the actions that matter, like sales, sign-ups, or downloads?

Focus on Context:

For audiences prone to lurking, engagement metrics may be less critical. Instead, pay attention to:

Website traffic from social channels.
How long users stay on your linked content (e.g., blog posts or videos).
Direct feedback you receive in private messages or emails, even if it doesn’t show publicly.

Engagement is just one piece of the puzzle. For the best results, align your metrics with your ultimate goals, whether that’s brand awareness, lead generation, or direct sales. After all, silent supporters can still be highly valuable to your business.

💀 Are you sick of grinding yourself into dust with traditional business advice?
🛠 Want strategic, sustainable growth without the overwhelm?
🔥 Need clarity, automation, and high-impact action plans to reclaim your time?
🔮 Value authenticity and out-of-the-box thinking in business?

At the Business Witch Academy we are bringing action to inspiration and turning dreams into reality for freelancers, solo-preneurs, and new start-ups by ditching the hustle culture lies and teaching business owners like you how to reclaim your time, scale your operations, and find success in ways so easy, it feels like MAGIC.

It’s the support of readers like you, that keep our doors open & the magic flowing!

Here’s how:

🛠 Shop Tools | 🔓 Get Full Access | 🔮 Talk to Cheryl | 🪄 Sustain the Magic

Frequently Asked Questions about Social Media Engagement Metrics

What metrics should I use to measure the success of my social media marketing?
Focus on metrics like reach, impressions, engagement (likes, shares, comments), and conversions tied to your business goals.
How do I know if my audience is engaging with my content in a meaningful way?
Meaningful engagement includes thoughtful comments, questions, and shares that indicate your content resonates and sparks interaction.
What does “engagement” actually mean on social media platforms?
Engagement refers to actions like likes, comments, shares, saves, and clicks that show people are interacting with your content.
What is the impact of “lurkers” on my social media strategy?
Lurkers, who consume content without interacting, can inflate your reach and impressions but may distort engagement-based success metrics.
How do I measure the effectiveness of my content if my target audience doesn’t interact?
Track alternative metrics like website traffic, email sign-ups, or sales driven by social media to gauge effectiveness beyond engagement.

🧹Struggling to Figure Out What’s Working?

If you’re still struggling to figure out what’s working or not working in your marketing, book a startegy session with me and we’ll look at your metrics and strategy together.

Book a consult and give yourself the gift of not having to think about it anymore