But those statistics demonstrate performance if you look at the right ones. Likes, shares, and page views aren’t the metrics you’re looking for (at least in isolation). In our guide, we’ll look at 11 social metrics to track in 2021 and why they’re better than vanity metrics.

Why are social media metrics important?

Social media metrics indicate what works and what doesn’t when it comes to your social media campaign. You need to be posting content that is valuable and relevant to your customers to navigate to your website and engage with your page on a regular basis.

Whether you’re using organic or paid social, there’s data to analyse and if paid social is part of your marketing strategy, that includes metrics like ROI (return on investment), CPL (cost per lead) and CPA (cost per acquisition). After all, you need to know how effective your budget spending is.

If you aren’t tracking metrics related to these actions, you’re not going to know which posts are performing better than others.

What’s the problem with vanity metrics?

A vanity metric is something that looks good, and in turn, makes you feel good, but does not give you any real information about how your business is performing. Vanity metrics aren’t suitable for evidence of necessary improvements. These include:

• Followers
• Pageviews
• Likes/faves
• Retweets
• Total downloads

There’s nothing inherently wrong with vanity metrics but you shouldn’t make wholesale changes to a strategy based on, say, a change in follower count or retweets without looking at the underlying metrics. Vanity metrics are often the result of more important metrics in the background.

Metrics you need to track

With that in mind, here is our list of metrics you should be tracking.

Engagement

Engagement shows how substantive a social media following is, rather than looking at follower counts. Since engagement is a broad metric to follow, there are smaller metrics you can analyse such as:

• Amplification rate – the average number of shares per post
• Applause rate – the average number of approving actions your post receives in a given period (likes, thumbs-ups, faves, et al.)
• Conversation rate – the number of conversations per post, whether they’re comments or replies (depending on the platform)
• Engagement rate – the average number of engagement actions per post (a broader version of the applause rate as it also includes disapproving actions like angry faces on Facebook)

By looking at these specific metrics, you can see how active your followers are. You might find that a smaller follower base has more engagement than a larger one and that would be a testament to your content.

Reach

Your post reach tells you how many people have seen a post since you originally posted it. Since the timing and the content impact your reach, it is an actionable metric to follow. It will help you to understand when your audience is online and figure out what your audience finds valuable.

Here are some of the more specific reach metrics:

• Audience growth rate – the number of new audience members divided by the total audience members
• CPM – Cost per thousand ad impressions, used in paid social (Facebook Ads, Twitter Ads, Etsy Ads)
• Post Reach – the number of people who have seen a post

As well as your post reach, there is your potential reach. This measures the number of people that could see your post during a reporting period. Understanding this is important because you always need to be trying to get a broader audience. Knowing your potential reach will allow you to look at your progress and figure out how far you’ve come, what is working, and what needs changing.

For example, if a follower shared your post, 2-5% of their followers would factor into your potential reach. You can track this by using a brand monitoring tool which will show you the number of brand mentions.

Conversions

Conversion metrics will show you how effective your social engagement is for your marketing campaign. Your conversion rate is the first metric you need to analyse. The higher your conversion rate, the more valuable your content is to your audience.

In order to measure conversions, you need to use conversion tracking which comes in the form of a Facebook pixel for Facebook. Read our article on Facebook pixels to find out more.

Then you’ve got what is called the click-through rate (CTR), which is how often people are clicking on the call-to-action (CTA). CTR is specifically related to the link that brings the audience to a landing page and is not to be confused with other engagement such as likes or comments.

It’s easy to track, and when done accurately, will show you how your offer is doing with the target audience. So, to track you need to divide the number of clicks by the number of impressions (and multiply by 100 for the percentage).

You’ve also got cost-per-click (CPC) which is how much you pay for ad clicks on your sponsored social media post. Focus on your CPC as it will help you to figure out if your investment is smart or if you are wasting money on something that isn’t working. The only way to track this is through your platform’s ad manager. 

Finally, you need to be looking at your bounce rate, the number of people who click on the link in a post, to then leave your website quickly without taking any kind of action. If your social media campaigns are meeting the right audience, then your bounce rate will be lower for social media than it will for other sources as it will be driving higher levels of high-quality traffic to your site. If you want to track this, you’ve got to set up Google Analytics, head to the acquisition tab, go to all traffic for channels, and then click on bounce rate.

Influence

You want to know who is talking about your brand, what they are saying, and how much of an impact they are having. Several tools measure this, but the common takeaway is that audience size does not directly relate to influence. The fact that someone has a lot of followers or friends doesn’t mean that they are having any impact or making referrals.

Past actions can help to estimate how influential someone will be in the future. Tools like BuzzSumo can find content ideas and identify influencers. Then, you can use this information to figure out whom you should reach out to when you are starting a new campaign.

Summary

In summary, you need to be tracking all of these social media metrics that we have mentioned if you want to manage your social media campaign effectively. Every single metric will help contribute to the overall effectiveness of the campaign. It will give you the data you need to change things when they aren’t working as well as showing you what is going well and allowing you to increase the positive side. By tracking and measuring each of these metrics, you are giving your business the opportunity to succeed with customers on social media when you launch a new campaign.

Also, beware of vanity metrics because even though they feel good, they are doing more harm than you know to the overall health of your business. 

In this article, you’ll find out how to become a Microsoft Ads expert with Microsoft Advertising certification and free training.

We’re big Microsoft advocates at Adzooma. In fact, if you’re new to Microsoft, we’ll give you $125 of search advertising spend for free when you sign up with $25.

But for now, let’s get on with the article.

What is Microsoft Ads Certification?

Microsoft’s Certified Professional program helps business owners grow their businesses and individuals wanting to improve the management of their Microsoft Ads campaigns.

Gaining a Microsoft Ads certification can help:

• Build up a CV
• Show authority and trust
• Improve a business profile
• Demonstrate up-to-date knowledge and online advertising skills

The various courses all conform to a particular theme and contains modules that pertain to that theme. The modules include links to articles that cover the topics in detail. If you prefer you can download Microsoft’s study guide with all the information covered in the modules.

In terms of the certification exam, you can complete it in your own time and the pass score is 80%. On completion, you receive an official certificate.

Benefits of certification

Microsoft Ads certification can benefit individuals and businesses by improving ad campaigns so that they are more relevant, successful and cost-effective.

The courses cover all of the terminology and concepts involved in running a successful Microsoft ad campaign so that individuals are well qualified to operate on the platform. Furthermore, certification adds a degree of professionalism to your business or enterprise.

Arguably the biggest advantage of the Certified Professional program is that it’s free. It suits anyone wanting to improve the performance of their Microsoft Ads, break into a new market, or improve their qualifications.

Becoming professionally certified means that you’re able to list a company on Bing and set up a Microsoft Ad campaign that is optimised and targeted at high-quality segmented audience. You will also know how to use the best bidding strategies and automation to optimise your budget.

And you will know how to monitor your campaigns to optimise them for best performance.

The information contained in the courses and the study guide could be learned independently using online resources but with the official free courses available, it makes sense to consider the Microsoft Ads Certification.

How to get started

Getting started with Microsoft Ads Certification is straightforward. Go to the Microsoft Ads website and open an account. You will gain access to the complete list of courses that include introductory courses in PPC, courses in bids, budgeting, and billing, and how to optimise a campaign using copywriting skills and techniques.

The courses are taught in modules that adhere to the specific theme of the course. If the theme of the course is Ad type, for instance, each module within it will refer in some way to these processes.

Other themes and modules include:

• Reporting
  • The power of Microsoft Advertising reporting
• Syndication
  • Introduction to the Microsoft Advertising Partner Network (Syndication)
• Ad Types
  • Expanded Text Ads reports and optimization
• Broad Match
  • Building and measuring success with broad match
• Audience targeting
  • Create and apply Remarketing audience lists
• Dynamic search ads
  • Dynamic search ads – the what, why & how

The modules are self-taught at your own pace and are taught using comprehensive articles in each topic. You have an unlimited amount of time to complete the final exam and must achieve a score of over 80% to pass.

On completion, you will receive a Certified Professional badge, placement in Microsoft’s member directory, a printable certificate.

Free course availability

The internet is full of free courses that vary in the quality of their content, their accreditation, and their cost. Some platforms, such as Udemy, Codecademy, and Coursera, offer a wide range of courses.

Typically, a free course doesn’t come with an end-of-course certificate, but for a nominal fee, the course providers may provide one, giving individuals the chance to display their achievements.

Due to marketing efforts, this model seems to work well for most course providers and students undertaking study. It is less common to discover a course that is free, accredited, and certified.

The Microsoft Ads Certification Course is a rare example of an online course that offers in-depth learning from an accredited institution. Regardless of your business or personal goal, Microsoft is offering you the chance to generate more revenue for your business or advance your career with their free course availability.

Is it worth getting certified?

The Microsoft Advertising Certified Professional program is for businesses and individuals who wish to learn more about Microsoft Ads and Bing. Businesses can benefit significantly by taking advantage of a smaller search engine market, and less competition to grow the businesses.

Individuals can learn the techniques needed to grow a business in this way and either put their new-found knowledge to use or improve their career prospects with certification.

What Microsoft Ad Certification offers is not only the pragmatic knowledge needed to understand and deploy effective marketing strategies but career progression in your chosen field as and when you need it.

There is no need to spend time studying pointless topics; everything in the Microsoft course helps users work towards a particular aim.

Gaining Microsoft certification in any form is likely to dramatically boost your careers prospects and give you a solid grounding in contemporary digital technology.

And don’t forget, exclusively with Adzooma, you can get $125 in Microsoft ad credits for just $25 when you sign up for a new Microsoft Advertising account.

But it’s not all cat videos and dancing memes. Companies are starting to see the benefits of adding video marketing to their digital marketing strategies and combining their efforts with other channels, namely social media and content marketing.

And unless you do it yourself, you’ll need a video marketing agency to help you make the most of things.

What does a video marketing agency do?

Video marketing agencies use video content to help users understand the medium and a client’s business goals. They are in charge of shooting, editing, and finding the best avenues to help your video reach the market that you’re trying to communicate to.

Marketing is all about conveying the message of a brand, product, or service in the most effective and convincing way possible and many consider video to be the most engaging medium of all.

So let’s look at the 7 best video marketing agencies.

1. White Box Media

Location: Virginia, USA

White Box Media describes themselves as a “turnkey solution for your digital marketing, video production, & PPC needs” thanks to a wide range of offered services including:

• Commercial-grade filming and video production
• SEO
• Website design
• Data analysis
• Copywriting
• Graphic design
• Photography
• Email marketing

White Box Media Company provides complete custom solutions for small- to medium-sized businesses through a myriad of offerings. Whether your company needs creative video production and photography or full-scale marketing and graphic design, you’re in good hands—our proprietary, uniquely tailored approach ensures that the team who does your marketing is the same team who creates your content.

2. Content Creatures

Location: London

At Content Creatures, they gravitate towards people who think differently with fresh ideas and unique perspective. This helps the agency create their best work with animated videos.

Some of their focuses include:

• Character animation
• Explainer videos
• Internal comms
• Social media marketing videos
• Brand animation

Previous clients include Pfizer, HSBC, ITV, and the BBC.

3. Sphere Agency

Location: Bangkok, Thailand

The greatest strength of Sphere Agency is using multiple mediums to help establish and communicate a clear brand identity that makes its clients as recognizable as possible.

Through Sphere Agency, the team focuses on making connections that drive sales and creating content that matters. Their work includes video marketing across a wide range of industries, including:

• Photography
• Fashion
• Beauty
• Automotive
• Engineering

Their services include creative content and brand storytelling for both promotional and commercial reasons, as well as tightly produced, how-to demo videos that go beyond the average to make some truly engaging content. Clients include Konica Minolta, Uniqlo, Carrier, and Meko Clinic.

4. Arren Marketing

Location: Birmingham

Arren Marketing is a digital agency based in Birmingham, UK that focuses web design and development, social media and online advertising but also offers video marketing services. They employ an insight-led approach to digital marketing and have the skills and expertise to create more engaging and goal-driven content.

Established in 2015, Arren blossomed from a Google project where the directors collaborated to help businesses improve their digital skills. They saw the need for “no-nonsense, data driven marketing” SMBs (small-to-medium businesses) and the concept of Arren marketing was born.

Here’s what they had to say:

When working with a client we spend time getting to know the business and its goals. As a creative digital agency we pride ourselves on delivering original and imaginative concepts for both design and content.

We work with a variety of businesses in different sectors to develop websites and marketing campaigns with a difference. Our ambitious team of designers and content creators enjoy the challenge of helping businesses make the most of the web.

5. Reach

Locations: 34 locations across the UK

Reach offers a variety of advertising solutions including video marketing. They know businesses see the benefit of using video to engage with customers, and offer workable strategies.

One of their defining features is their incredible reach (hence the name).

At Reach we don’t just make great video for you and hand it back, we deliver it to over 40 million unique users who visit our regional news websites every day.

From a single video to a complete campaign, we can build a package that includes online sponsored content or leverage our huge social audience.

6. Intimation

Location: Dunbar (Scotland), Newcastle

Intimation can help you communicate with your audience through the medium of video marketing.

One of their case studies involved a karting centre in Scotland.

They pitched the idea of an “action packed, adrenaline fueled (sic) lap of the track in real time” following the carts as they race around the track. Mixing track and aerial footage with motion graphics, Intimation showed the difference between the carts with careful planning, production and editing all done in-house.

7. HEARTLENT Group

Location: New York

For those who want a deep marketing experience, HEARTLENT Group is an agency that focuses specifically on telling stories, promoting products, and present clients’ services with passion for their customers. This includes:

• Digital content
• Marketing strategy
• Social campaigns
• Video production (short and long form)

Previous clients include Bleacher Report, CBS, ESPN, and NBC.

Honourable mentions

Besides that illustrious list of video marketing and production agencies, we also recommend the following:

• Trinity Video
• Brafton
• Apricot Video Marketing
• Crafted
• NoGood
• Sandwich Video

Do you need a video marketing agency?

There is a wide range of ways that a video marketing agency can help your organization reach its goals. They are not simply there to shoot and launch advertising campaigns, though they can help with that as well. If you’re looking to increase engagement, then video content introducing your brand is a great way to do that.

Informative and helpful video content can create brand trust and loyalty. Video content giving a closer look at company culture and values can help you create a distinct brand voice. Furthermore, video content can be used in all manner of mediums, from your website to your social media and beyond. If you have something to communicate with your audience, video can be an effective way to do it.

Which video marketing agency you choose depends largely on your needs. Have an idea of what goals you want to reach and take a look at the services of each. You may see that each brand offers a specialized approach that fits your goals. Just make sure that, when you do want video content, you turn to a video marketing agency to ensure what you produce has a professional sheen to it.

If 7 agencies aren’t enough, why not look through the Adzooma Marketplace for more of the best video marketing agencies from around the world for budgets that suit all types of businesses.

Email marketing and PPC is a great example. They work well together and there are several ways to use each one to the other’s advantage. Here are 6 reasons why they are a match made in heaven.

1. Use PPC to build your email list

No matter how large your list of email subscribers, if you’re not continuing to build it, you will eventually run out of people to send to. There are ways to acquire email lists, but many contacts will not meet your targeting criteria and will inevitably unsubscribe. That’s where PPC can help retain quality contacts.

By using networks like Google Ads, you can use audience targeting based on search queries, find users relevant to your business, and drive them through to your website. You can capture their email addresses in several ways:

• Send them to a landing page with an offer such as a free trial, a whitepaper download or an invitation to sign up for future updates. All they need to do to receive it is give you a few basic details.
• Alternatively, if they click straight through to the purchasing process, not only have you gained a new customer, but you also have the opportunity to capture their details at this stage and transfer them across to your email marketing activities.

2. Upload email lists to target PPC audiences

Not only can PPC be used to increase your email list, but the opposite is also true. You can now use your email list to expand your PPC audience. One of the most exciting new features of Google Ads, introduced last year, is Customer Match.

Customer Match allows users to upload pre-existing emails lists, and show their audience PPC ads specifically customized for them. As long as they have a Google account linked with their email address, you can segment and target customers and prospects based on any criteria you choose and then adapt your messaging accordingly.

3. Test email offers with PPC

When creating content for your email marketing, it’s hard to know what will work and what will be ignored. You can use some form of A/B testing to segment your email list and test different formats, designs and offers. You can also analyze the success of various emails to see what worked and what didn’t.

But there is a way to get a better idea of the effectiveness of an email offer before you send it, by testing it through PPC in advance. Using calls-to-action (CTAs), offers and visuals on a PPC landing page is a brilliant way to test them before sending them out to email lists. Run different formats in unison and see what receives the most click-throughs.

4. Trial your PPC creatives on email first

We discussed setting goals in our PPC roadmap article not long ago. One of the criteria was creatives – the images and creatives that go along with display ads. But images can go a long way in emails as well and one way to test the effectiveness of your display ad creatives is to trial them on email first.

By testing them in email promotions, you can get a rough baseline of how your ads will perform. Split testing and segmentation are recommended here as well, to get the best estimate for success. You want the best CTR for your ads after all.

5. Prevent email overload with PPC remarketing

One of the biggest mistakes email marketers make is to overwhelm their audiences with too many emails. You want to stay in regular communication and keep your brand in their mind, but what you don’t want is to outstay your welcome. Clogging an inbox is the best way to get recipients to unsubscribe or move you to their junk mail folder. You need to find other ways of reaching them.

Running PPC remarketing campaigns to your email lists allows you to stay fresh in their minds while they are browsing the internet, without being intrusive. The more someone sees your ads, the more likely they are to convert. By being omnipresent across email and Google, you increase conversions without alienating any of your audience, and you can send fewer emails with comparable results.

6. Improve Gmail Sponsored Promotions using your email marketing performance

Gmail Sponsored Promotions (GSP) are targeted ads that appear in a user’s Gmail inbox, resembling an unread email. The ad copy resembles the subject line of an email, and when clicked on, the ad expands to reveal content similar to a visual email. In light of this, your email marketing performance can be incredibly useful in informing your GSP strategy. Look at the emails that have had the highest open rates and click-through rates. By analyzing subject lines and offers that have been demonstrably effective with your subscribers, you can craft similar ad copy to boost your GSP success.

Conclusion

Cross-functionality can strengthen your overall marketing performance. PPC and email marketing, if used in collaboration, can have a perfectly symbiotic relationship in which one boosts the performance of the other, and vice versa. The right combination can result in more precise targeting, larger audiences, higher click-through rates and more conversions.

If you are still operating according to islands of knowledge, this is the time to open up communication and take a more holistic approach to your marketing.