Marketing KPIs Every Wellness Founder Should Track
Let's talk about why marketing metrics matter when it comes to your wellness business. (Don't worry, I'm not going to drown you in numbers and jargon). Marketing KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are simply the numbers that show how well your marketing strategies are performing.
As a passionate health practitioner, you might think numbers are at odds with your authentic approach. But these metrics are essentially the vital signs of your marketing efforts. They show you what's working, what's not, and where you can improve to reach more people with your offerings. Think of them as the before-and-after measurements of your business's growth journey – they show your progress and help you adjust your strategy to reach your goals faster.
To build a solid foundation (without getting stuck down an analytics rabbit hole!), let's look at the basic metrics you should be tracking to get started.
Website Metrics
Your website is your digital home base. These metrics will help you understand how people are interacting with your site. The best tool for tracking website metrics is Google Analytics, but if you're just getting started, some platforms (like Squarespace) offer basic built in analytics that will give you these metrics. So, if Google Analytics feels overwhelming, just start with what you have!
1. Website Traffic
Think of your website visitors as people walking into your physical wellness space. You want to know how many are coming in, right? That's what these metrics tell you.
Unique Visitors: This is the number of individual people visiting your site. If a client visits your site 5 times, they count as 1 unique visitor.
Page Views: This is the total number of pages viewed across your site. If that same client views 5 pages, that's 5 pageviews.
Why it matters: More visitors generally means more potential clients. If these numbers are growing, you're likely on the right track.
2. Conversion Rate
This is the percentage of visitors who take a desired action on your site. It could be signing up for your newsletter, booking a consultation, or making a purchase.
Why it matters: A high conversion rate means your website is effectively turning visitors into leads or customers. If it's low, you might need to adjust your offers or how you're presenting them.
3. Top Performing Pages
These are the pages on your site getting the most traffic or conversions.
Why it matters: Knowing your top pages helps you understand what content resonates with your audience. You'll also want to keep these pages updated frequently and use them as inspiration for creating more content that your audience values.
Organic Search Metrics
On a similar note, organic search metrics tell you how well your website is showing up in search engines, primarily Google. You can track this information by connecting your website to Google Search Console. Or, as with other website metrics, some platforms will have basic search metrics available as well.
1. Google Impressions
This is the number of times your website appears in Google search results.
Why it matters: More impressions mean more opportunities for people to find you and become a client.
2. Clicks from Google
This is how many times people actually click on your website in search results.
Why it matters: Clicks show that your search result was enticing enough for someone to want to learn more. It indicates that your content title and meta description are effective.
3. Top Performing Pages in Search
Similar to your website's top pages, but specifically for search traffic.
Why it matters: These pages are your SEO high performers. They're bringing in organic traffic, so keep them updated and use them as a model for new content.
Email Marketing Metrics
Email remains one of the most effective marketing channels, especially for building relationships with your wellness community! You can typically track these metrics within your email marketing platform (we use and recommend Flodesk).
Here's what to focus on when it comes to your email marketing:
1. Open Rate
This is the percentage of people who open your emails.
Why it matters: If people aren't opening your emails, they're not seeing your message. Low open rates might mean you need to work on your subject lines or sending times.
2. Click-Through Rate (CTR)
This is the percentage of people who click on a link in your email.
Why it matters: CTR shows how engaging your email content is. If people are clicking, it means they're interested in what you're offering.
3. Email Conversion Rate
This is the percentage of people who take a desired action (like making a purchase) after clicking a link in your email.
Why it matters: This shows how effective your emails are at driving actual results for your business. It's the bottom line of your email efforts.
Social Media Metrics
As a health professional, social media is a fantastic tool for building a community and showcasing your expertise. But it's easy to get caught up in metrics that don't matter as much as you think (i.e. follower count). Your social metrics can typically be tracked right in the platforms you're using (our clients typically focus on Instagram and the business analytics are pretty intuitive).
Here's what to track on your socials:
1. Engagement Rate
This includes likes, comments, shares, and any other interactions with your posts.
Why it matters: Engagement shows that your content is actually resonating with your audience. There's a reason I encourage clients to track this metric rather than follower count—because it doesn't matter how many followers you have if no one is paying attention.
2. Click-Through Rate on Social Media Posts
This is the percentage of people who click on a link in your social media posts (or head to your link in bio).
Why it matters: It shows that your content is compelling enough for people to want to learn more. It's turning casual viewers into potential clients.
3. Social Media Conversion Rate
This is the percentage of people who take a desired action after clicking through from social media.
Why it matters: This shows how effective your social media efforts are at driving real results for your business (AKA helping you sign clients and make more money!).
Using Metrics to Refine Your Marketing Strategy
Now that we've covered what to track, let's discuss how to actually use this information. First, I suggest setting aside time monthly to review your numbers. It's just like checking your progress during a fitness journey—you want to track progress, but not get fixated on the daily fluctuations. I know we all like to see immediate progress, but I'll be honest—growth takes time! And no one's progress is 100% growing all the time.
The first few months of tracking your numbers might feel slow moving and that's okay. You might feel tempted to compare yourself to other businesses who seem to be growing faster. But the truth is, you have no idea what's going on behind-the-scenes of anyone else's business. That's why collecting these metrics and having patience is so important!
So with that in mind, here's what to do with all this data:
Identify trends: Are your email open rates higher on certain days of the week? Do certain types of social media posts consistently get more engagement?
Focus on what's working: For example, if your mindfulness posts or 10 minute workouts are performing really well, consider expanding on that theme.
Experiment and test: Try different approaches and see how they affect your metrics. Maybe your audience prefers long-form content over quick tips?
Set goals: Rather than setting arbitrary goals like hitting 10k followers by the end of the year, use your current metrics as a baseline and set realistic goals for improvement. (Hint: focus on what you CAN control, like posting consistently, rather than what you can't directly control, like people following your account).
I know we've covered a lot when it comes to KPI's, but remember, tracking these metrics isn't about getting lost in the numbers—it comes down to understanding how to better serve your audience and grow your wellness business. Start small. If you're brand new to tracking KPI's, just choose a few metrics that align with your current goals and begin tracking those. As you get more comfortable, you can expand what you're measuring.
I'd love to know what metrics you're already tracking, if any! Let me know in the comments where you're at with tracking KPI's and any questions you might have about getting started!
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