HubSpot, GA4, and Beyond: What Marketers Really Track to Prove Social ROI

When it comes to tracking social media management, vanity metrics are easy to chase—but harder to justify. For today’s marketing leaders, it’s no longer enough to count likes or rack up impressions. The real question to ask if you want to track social media is: How does this campaign move the needle?

We asked founders, CMOs, and marketing experts what tools they use to track social media results, which KPIs actually matter, and how they tie social activity back to sales. The answers offer a blueprint for results-driven strategy in a noisy digital world.

HubSpot, GA4, Looker Studio Drive Social Success

We use HubSpot CRM, GA4, and Looker Studio to track every social campaign from first click to closed deal. HubSpot shows us which posts actually bring in qualified leads. GA4 helps us see what those visitors do on the site, such as what they read, how long they stay. Looker pulls everything together in one view so we’re not piecing it together manually.

The KPIs I focus on most are lead conversion rate, assisted conversions, cost per lead (for paid), and how much qualified pipeline is influenced by social. We also break things down by content type and persona so we know what’s bringing in high-intent leads, not just traffic.

For example, we once had a LinkedIn post that didn’t get many likes, but it led to a deal worth $30k. That means more to me than 10,000 impressions with no outcome.

Every metric we track ties back to pipeline. If content doesn’t move someone closer to a real sales conversation, we stop doing it. That’s what keeps our social strategy focused and results-driven.

Nirmal Gyanwali, Founder & CMO, WP Creative

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HubSpot, Looker Studio Guide Campaign Strategy

We don’t rely on just one tool, but most of our tracking runs through a mix of HubSpot and Looker Studio. The real focus isn’t the software, though it’s on understanding what we actually want from the campaign. Are we pushing for awareness, and leads, or just testing messaging?

When it comes to KPIs, we try to avoid getting caught up in likes or reach unless there’s context behind it. The numbers we care about most are:

  • Click-through rates (tells us if our hook is working)
  • Engagement-to-click ratio (to see if people are just scrolling or interested)
  • Lead quality which we only judge once they’re in the CRM
  • And the time it takes from first touch to actual movement in the pipeline

One thing we’ve found helpful is filtering LinkedIn campaign data by job titles. It sounds simple, but it helps us know if the right people are even seeing the ads. It’s better to have five relevant people engage than 500 random clicks.

Bottom line if a campaign isn’t helping build the pipeline, we go back and rethink the angle, audience, or timing. That’s how we stay honest about what’s working.

Vikrant Bhalodia, Head of Marketing & People Ops, WeblineIndia

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HubSpot Tracks Click-To-Conversion For Growth

As the owner and President of Green Lion Search, a Texas-based recruiting firm, I rely on HubSpot to measure the performance of our social media campaigns. The software is fantastic for small- and medium-sized businesses looking for flexible CRM solutions that can grow with them.

One thing I really like about HubSpot is how easy it is to track our click-to-conversion rate—specifically, how many people who click through a LinkedIn post end up filling out a contact form, booking a call, or joining our talent network.

This is by far our most valuable KPI.

It’s easy to get caught up in likes or impressions, but unless those actions lead to real engagement with our business, they’re just noise. Tracking click-to-conversion allows me to directly tie content performance to lead generation, which is the heartbeat of our firm’s growth strategy. If a post brings visibility but no action, it’s a cue to adjust messaging, targeting, or the call to action. When a post converts, we double down on that style and topic.

The result is a steady content stream that is focused and ROI-driven.

Michael Moran, Owner and President, Green Lion Search

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Layered Tools Offer 360-Degree Campaign Insights

I’m a big fan of layering tools to get a 360deg view of campaign performance. At the core, I use native platform analytics (Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok) to track early indicators like CTR, CPM, saves, shares, and thumb-stopping engagement. But that’s just the surface.

Once traffic hits our ecosystem, I switch to GA4 and Amplitude to measure deeper funnel metrics—sessions by campaign, event flow, and attribution paths. If the goal is lead gen or sales, I’ll connect the dots via HubSpot or a CDP like Segment, mapping source-to-sale journeys to measure real revenue contribution. That’s where the fluff ends and the business case begins.

As for KPIs, I’m always tying campaign metrics back to CAC, LTV, and payback period. A pretty engagement rate means nothing if it doesn’t convert to pipeline. So the ultimate success metric? How fast and profitably that campaign drives real growth—measured in dollars, not likes.

John Mac, Serial Entrepreneur, UNIBATT

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Sprout Social Tracks Conversion Pathways Effectively

Social media measurement isn’t my direct expertise, but I work closely with marketers who live and breathe this stuff.

What I’ve observed is that their teams using Sprout Social combined with customer journey tracking. The most impactful KPIs I’ve seen aren’t about reach or impressions but conversion pathways—tracking how someone moves from social discovery to event registration to becoming a customer.

For a recent virtual summit, we measured content resonance through saved content ratios and sharing behaviors rather than simple likes. I think what matters most is longevity of engagement—how social interactions sustain community building between events.

Social success isn’t about flashy numbers but about creating relationships that persist beyond the initial click.

Michelle Garrison, Event Tech and AI Strategist, We & Goliath

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Sprout Social, Agorapulse, Keyhole Measure Engagement

To measure social media campaigns, I use tools like Sprout Social, Agorapulse, and Keyhole. These platforms offer comprehensive monitoring, scheduling, influencer tracking, and detailed analytics dashboards that help visualize engagement, reach, sentiment, and conversions in real time.

Key KPIs I focus on include:

  • Engagement metrics: likes, comments, shares, reactions-indicating audience interaction and content resonance.
  • Reach and impressions: how many people see the content, essential for brand awareness goals.
  • Click-through rate (CTR) and conversion rate: measuring how social traffic drives website visits, leads, or sales, directly tying social efforts to business outcomes.
  • Sentiment analysis and share of voice: to gauge brand perception and competitive positioning.

These KPIs align with business goals by linking social activity to revenue growth, customer acquisition, or brand equity. For example, higher engagement can signal stronger customer loyalty, while conversion metrics demonstrate tangible ROI. Integrating social data with CRM and sales systems ensures clear attribution and justifies marketing spend.

Amir Husen, Content Writer & Associate, ICS Legal

Want to track social media succcess? Contact Mandel Marketing

Measuring social media success isn’t about choosing the flashiest platform or the trendiest metric—it’s about clarity. Whether you’re using HubSpot, GA4, Sprout Social, or Looker Studio, the common thread is tying every effort back to business outcomes.

The smartest marketers align their metrics with the funnel and build strategies around what actually converts. If your content doesn’t move someone toward action, it’s time to revise the playbook. Because in the end, real results speak louder than reach. Contact Mandel Marketing today for help with your marketing strategy.