Yes, 10k followers is an exciting achievement (which you should absolutely celebrate) – BUT it’s not necessarily the best way to measure if your social media efforts are working… especially if you’re an interior designer and your goal is to book more design clients.
The same goes for that one post that went viral, or the time you got 100+ likes on a post. All good achievements, but likes and follows alone are not the metrics you should be looking at when you’re determining if your social media strategy is working (or not).
Why? While having a post go viral might feel good, a high amount of likes and follows doesn’t mean anything if it isn’t ultimately affecting the bottom line of your business. Your goal on social media isn’t to be a content creator (and keep people on the app) – it’s to get your followers OFF the platform and motivate them to inquire and work with you.
Which means that some of those vanity metrics aren’t the best way to judge if your content is contributing to that bottom-line goal. Other KPIs – that we’ll get into in this post – might not be as flashy, but are much more important to attracting quality leads.
Psstt: some of these links are affiliate links, meaning that if you sign up I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you (and some of them will even save you some $$$!). I would never recommend these platforms and programs if I didn’t use them + believe in them wholeheartedly!
What Are Social Media KPIs?
KPIs = Key performance indicators. Specially, measurable values that show you how effectively you’re achieving your goals. Social media KPIs are just KPIs specific to your social media.
Think of KPIs as your social media report card!! You’re measuring how well your social media efforts are actually contributing to your interior design business goals.
There are four main categories of KPIs you should look at:
- Engagement KPIs measure how actively your audience interacts with your content. Think comments, shares, saves, story replies, etc.
- Conversion KPIs track how many social media followers take desired actions (inquire about services, book consultations, or download your design guide.
- Traffic KPIs show how much traffic (and how effectively that traffic is driven) goes to your website or portfolio – this includes everyone, whether they convert or not.
- Technically, audience growth KPIs would include tracking your follower count, but it’s also the quality and relevance of your growing follower base (aka not just the quantity).
The KPIs You Can (and Should) Track as an Interior Designer
The exact KPIs will depend on what your goals are, but these KPIs are pretty standard for interior designers. This isn’t an all-encompassing list on what you can and can’t track, but it’s a great starting point!
Here are some of the metrics that matter:
#1. Inquiry Rate From Social Media
This is your golden metric. Track how many potential clients (leads) reach out to you directly from your social media platform each month. Whether they DM you, use your contact form, or mention they found you on Instagram during a consultation call — it all counts.
How to track it: Ask every new lead how they found you and keep a spreadsheet (or Notion database) or note in your CRM (Dubsado has a specific section for this, which is just another reason I love the platform).
Now, just because leads aren’t mentioning they found you through social media (say, Instagram) doesn’t mean your social media isn’t working for you. Perhaps your website or hearing you on a podcast is what ultimately converted them, but your social efforts contributed and helped them build trust with you. All of your marketing works together!
#2. Website Traffic from Social Platforms
Your social media should be driving qualified traffic to your website, where potential clients can see your full portfolio, read testimonials, and learn about your process.
How to track it: Use Google Analytics to see which social platforms are sending you the most website visitors and which pages they’re viewing. Take it up a notch and use UTMs to see exactly when and where they’re clicking from the platform to your website!!
#3. Content Saves & Shares
Instagram and Facebook Stories often have higher engagement rates than feed posts, and they’re perfect for showing who you are as a human and behind-the-scenes content that builds trust with potential clients.
Why this matters more than likes: A like is passive. A save or share shows more intent and value!!
How to Track Your Social Media Performance (The Easy Way)
Yes, you should stay on top of your social media analytics, but don’t let it overwhelm you!! Instead of looking at your metrics and KPIs daily (or even weekly), try to check and track them month over month with a more in-depth look every quarter.
Not ready for the pressure of doing it all yourself? Join SMM on Speed Dial, my membership for interior designers, and get access to our signature metrics tracker as well as quarterly account reviews for nsight into how your Instagram account and strategy are performing. Click here to learn more.
And remember, your social media success isn’t defined by how many people double-tap your posts. 1,000 engaged followers who love your design style and are in your target market are infinitely more valuable than 10,000 followers who will never hire an interior designer <3
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