Vanity Metrics Are Lying to You

Every month, a lot of founders get a shiny marketing report full of big numbers. Impressions up 40%. Followers up 12%. Engagement "strong."

And then they look at the bank account and wonder why none of it shows up there.

The problem with feel-good numbers

Vanity metrics aren't useless, they're just not the point. They measure attention, not intent. A post can reach 50,000 people and produce zero qualified conversations.

What to track instead

• Qualified leads by source, not just total leads
• Cost per qualified lead (CPQL)
• Lead-to-call and call-to-close rates
• Pipeline value created by marketing each month
• Customer acquisition cost (CAC) against lifetime value (LTV)

The simple test

For every number in your report, ask: "If this went up, would revenue go up?" If the answer is "maybe," it belongs at the bottom of the report, not the top.

Prove it with your pipeline. Everything else is noise.