We know data is overwhelming. Dashboards. Reports. Graphs. It can all start to feel like you need a PhD just to understand if your latest campaign was a win or a flop. But not all metrics are created equal. At GreaterThan, we help our clients stop chasing vanity stats and start focusing on what truly moves the needle.

In this blog, we’re cutting through the clutter and showing you which 5 marketing metrics are worth your attention—and which 3 you can leave behind.

Let’s Start With the Good Stuff: The 5 Metrics That Matter

1. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

This metric tells you how much it costs to get a new customer. If your CAC is too high, your marketing strategy might be eating into your profits instead of boosting them.

Why it matters: It helps you measure the efficiency of your marketing spend. A healthy CAC means you’re getting more value than you’re putting in.

What to track: (Marketing Expenses + Sales Expenses) / the number of new customers over the same time period.

2. Customer Lifetime Value (LTV)

LTV estimates how much revenue a customer will generate over the course of their relationship with your business.

Why it matters: Knowing your LTV helps you make smarter budgeting decisions. If your LTV is significantly higher than your CAC, you’re in a good place.

Fun fact: According to HubSpot, increasing customer retention rates by just 5% can boost profits by 25% to 95%. (Barron, 2022)

3. Conversion Rate

Forget how many people saw your ad. What really matters is how many of them took the next step—whether that’s signing up, buying, or booking a call.

Why it matters: This metric reveals how effective your campaigns and landing pages really are. A high conversion rate = compelling content and clear calls to action.

Pro tip: Use A/B testing regularly to improve this number.

4. Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)

ROAS is your go-to metric for understanding how effectively your advertising budget is working. It tells you how much revenue you earn for every dollar spent on advertising.

Why it matters: ROAS gives you a crystal-clear view of campaign performance. Unlike broader marketing ROI, ROAS zooms in specifically on paid advertising, making it ideal for tracking digital campaigns like Google Ads, Meta Ads, or TikTok promotions.

How to calculate it: Revenue from Ads / Cost of Ads

GreaterThan tip: Set different ROAS benchmarks based on your goals—brand awareness campaigns might have lower ROAS but build long-term growth, while direct response ads should yield higher returns quickly.

5. Engagement Rate

Yes, we said stop obsessing over vanity metrics, but engagement isn’t just a feel-good stat—it’s a window into audience interest and intent.

Why it matters: Engagement shows how well your content resonates. If your followers are liking, sharing, or commenting, you’ve got their attention—and that’s step one to conversion.

How to calculate it: [(Total number of likes, comments, shares, & saves / total number of accounts reach during the same time period) x 100]

Now for the Ones You Can Chill About

1. Page Views

It’s cool to see your blog post hit a big number, but page views alone don’t tell you much. Did the visitor stick around? Did they take action?

Why it’s overrated: High traffic means nothing if it’s not converting. Focus on bounce rate, session duration, and conversion paths instead.

2. Follower Count

We get it. Watching your follower count climb feels like a win. But if those followers aren’t engaging or converting, what’s the point?

Why it’s overrated: Quality > quantity. A smaller, engaged audience beats a massive ghost town every time.

Reality check: According to Sprout Social, engagement rate is a better indicator of success than follower count, (Goulet, 2024).

3. Email Open Rate

We love a good subject line, but open rates are becoming less reliable thanks to privacy changes like Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection.

Why it’s overrated: Open rate is no longer the gold standard for email performance. Focus on click-through rate and conversion instead.

Stop Chasing Vanity Metrics, Start Growing Smarter

At GreaterThan, we turn data into growth by building marketing strategies that convert views into sales. We focus on the KPIs that drive revenue—so you stop wasting time on metrics that don’t move your business forward.

In your free one-hour strategy session, we’ll audit your current marketing efforts and give you a clear, actionable roadmap to elevate your results.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• Evaluate your current strategy across paid, organic, and brand channels
• Identify your top-performing marketing channels (and where you’re leaving money on the table)
• Uncover hidden opportunities to increase ROI and drive conversions
• Spot inefficiencies and gaps that may be costing you leads and revenue
• Recommend quick wins and long-term priorities for smarter execution
• Align your marketing goals with business outcomes, not just activity metrics

Book your free strategy session today and get clarity on where to focus for real growth.