First of all, I'll ask myself - What is the goal of Influencer Marketing? 1. Website visits? 2. Sales? 3. Brand awareness? Based on that I will measure my metrics. For example - If my goal is to generate sales for my business, in that case I will look at leads generated, quality of leads generated, and the Revenue. However, If I am doing this for branding, in that case I will open up my Search Console, and check if the brand searches have increased! There cannot be a generic answer to this question, rather it depends on the goal of the campaign. Brands can run several influencer campaigns with different objectives.

Looks like most of the other responders hit the nail on the head from a quantitative perspective, so let’s talk qualitative. How do you and the creator(s) feel about the partnership? Do they like the product? Was the process of working together a good one? Does everyone feel like the partnership “worked”? At times, metrics may tell one story, but the working relationship tells another. There have been times when performance has been fantastic, but working with the creator or manager was a nightmare… Those creators don’t always get asked back. There have also been times when performance wasn’t very strong, but the creator went above and beyond to build a relationship and show they love the brand…those creators stay top of mind.

When evaluating influencer performance, it is crucial to focus on the most relevant indicators. To get a clear picture of engagement, reach, and alignment with your objectives, here are the key data points to consider: Engagement (likes, comments, shares) shows how much an influencer’s audience interacts with the content, reflecting the authenticity and connection with followers. Compare an influencer's engagement rate against the industry benchmark or similar influencers in the niche. This shows how effective the influencer is at driving action (clicks, sign-ups, or sales). For performance-based campaigns, choose influencers with high conversion rates, especially for affiliate marketing or product launches.

When analyzing influencer performance data, focus on the most impactful data points such as engagement rate (likes, comments, shares), follower growth, and conversion metrics like clicks or sales attributed to the influencer. Prioritize data that aligns with your campaign goals, whether it's brand awareness, lead generation, or sales. Additionally, consider audience demographics and sentiment analysis to ensure the influencer is effectively reaching and resonating with the target audience.

We prioritize 3 key metrics: 1) Engagement Rate We look at likes, comments, and shares per post to gauge audience activity and the engagement rate to see if their audience is genuinely involved. 2) Conversion Metrics We check click-through rates, conversion rates, and sales generated from trackable links or discount codes 3) Authenticity Indicators We evaluate if comments are thoughtful or generic, indicating genuine or fake engagement. "Great post" doesn't cut it for us.

When analyzing influencer performance data, focus on the most impactful data points to measure success: Engagement Rate: Track likes, comments, shares, and saves to see how well the audience is interacting with the content. Reach and Impressions: Measure the total number of unique users exposed to the content to gauge visibility. Conversion Metrics: Analyze clicks, sign-ups, or purchases resulting from the campaign. Follower Growth: Check how much the influencer is growing your brand's audience over time. Audience Insights: Ensure the influencer’s audience aligns with your target demographic.

First match the metrics to your campaign objective. For awareness, focus on reach, views, and impressions. For engagement or consideration, look at likes, comments, shares, and saves. Next, conduct a sentiment analysis of the comments to gauge the audience's reaction. Lastly, measure the impact on your brand's social media accounts by tracking follower growth, website clicks, and conversions after the influencer's posts.

When analyzing influencer performance data, prioritize metrics like engagement rates, conversion rates, and audience demographics. These indicators provide deeper insights into the influencer's true impact on your brand.

Always keep in mind the campaign goals, as they will determine the metrics most important to you or your client. You can include the vanity metrics (likes, comments, shares, and saves), as they are used in calculating the engagement rate, CRT, etc, in case someone wants to confirm that the calculations are right, but try to go deeper in your analysis. Consider including sentiment analysis, identifying purchase intentions, brand recognition, and product appreciation. Report on negative comments, as they might reveal a different perspective. In general, try to find key learnings—something backed by data that can help you optimize the campaign.