The Social Playbook April edition: KPIs in marketing

The Social Playbook April edition: KPIs in marketing



In any field, analyzing performance is essential to understand growth and know what’s working. The same applies to marketing. Tracking and analyzing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) helps you make smarter, data-driven decisions instead of relying on guesswork.

Let’s explore the top KPIs in marketing that actually matter and how to use them effectively.

Top KPIs in marketing

Click-through rate (CTR)

CTR is the percentage of people who click on your ad and visit your website or app. It shows how compelling your creative and message are to the audience it reaches.


How to interpret
  1. High CTR: Your ad is attracting the right audience, and your creative is working well. The next step is to convert that interest into action (sign-ups or purchases).
  2. Low CTR: Your ad or creative isn’t compelling enough to get clicks. It could be due to weak messaging, unclear value, or targeting the wrong audience.
Benchmark
  1. Below 1%: Need to improve
  2. 1 - 3%: Good
  3. 3% and above: Strong
How to improve
  1. Use a strong visual hook. The first 2 seconds matter the most.
  2. Write CTAs that create curiosity or urgency, not just "Learn more"
  3. Test different formats like carousel, video, or static.

Conversion rate (CR)

CR is the percentage of people who complete a desired action after clicking your ad, such as signing up or making a purchase. It shows whether your ad is actually driving results.



How to interpret
  1. High rate: Your message, audience, and offer are aligned.
  2. Low rate: People may click your ads, but they aren't convinced enough to take action.
Benchmark
  1. Below 2%: Need to improve
  2. 2 - 5%: Good (varies by industry)
  3. 5% and above: Strong
How to improve
  1. Match your ad copy to your landing page.
  2. A/B test your CTA. For instance, "Start free trial" beats "Submit"
  3. Retarget warm audiences who have already visited your page

Return on ad spend (ROAS)

ROAS is the revenue earned for every dollar spent on ads. It indicates whether your ad spend is generating returns. This is one of the clearest measures of profitability.


How to interpret
  1. 1x ROAS = break-even
  2. Most brands aim for 3 - 5x, but this depends on profit margins.
  3. 2x ROAS can be profitable for high-margin products
Benchmark
  1. 3–4x (depending on margins): Good
How to improve
  1. Focus budget on top-converting audiences and cut the rest.
  2. Optimize landing pages and improve the post-click experience.
  3. Run retargeting campaigns and focus on high-performing ads.

Customer lifetime value (CLV)

CLV is the total revenue a customer brings over their entire relationship with your brand. It shows how valuable a customer is in the long run.



How to interpret
  1. High CLV: You have loyal customers and can afford to spend more to acquire them.
  2. Low CLV: Customers don’t return or don’t spend much
Benchmark
  1. CLV should be higher than CAC
  2. Ideal: CLV to CAC ratio = 3:1
How to improve
  1. Focus on retention, as keeping a customer is more cost-effective than acquiring a new one.
  2. Use upsell and cross-sell strategies.
  3. Build loyalty programs and reward repeat buyers.
  4. Stay connected through email, social media, and community building.

Cost per customer acquired (CAC)

CAC is how much you spend to acquire one new customer. This includes ad spend, tools, and other marketing costs. It shows how efficiently your marketing is working.



How to interpret
  1. High CAC: You’re spending too much to acquire each customer, which reduces profitability.
  2. Low CAC: You’re acquiring customers efficiently at a lower cost.
Benchmark
  1. Your CAC must be lower than the profit a customer brings in over time (CLTV), or your business model is at risk.
  2. Ideal: CAC to CLV ratio = 1:3 (Spend $1 → Earn $3 over time)
How to improve
  1. Experiment with different channels
  2. Retarget interested users instead of finding new ones
  3. Focus on high-performing channels

Engagement rate (ER)

ER shows how much people interact with your content (likes, comments, shares, saves). It tells you if your content is actually connecting with your audience.


How to interpret
  1. Higher ER: Your content resonates with your audience, and they actively engage with it.
  2. Lower ER: Your content may be seen (reach), but people aren’t engaging with it—they’re scrolling past.
Benchmark
Engagement rate varies by platform and audience size
  1. 1 - 3%: Average
  2.  3 - 6%: Good
  3.  6%+: Strong
How to improve
  1. Post when your audience is most active (use analytics or tools like SmartQ in Zoho Social)
  2. Ask questions, use polls, and give people a reason to respond
  3. Reply to comments quickly to boost interaction and signal activity
When you track the right KPIs, you stop guessing and start growing. Use these insights to refine your strategy and make every campaign count.

Stay tuned for the May edition of The Social Playbook.

    • Sticky Posts

    • The Social Playbook July edition: Storytelling in marketing

      Stories have been a part of our lives since we were kids. For many of us, our grandparents told us tales, and our parents used narratives to help us eat or sleep on time. Even before we realized it, we were naturally drawn to storytelling. Because anything

    • The Social Playbook June edition: Traditional marketing vs. AI-powered marketing

      Marketing has always been about understanding customers, creating meaningful content, and building strong relationships. While those goals remain the same, the way marketers achieve them has evolved significantly. Tasks that once required hours of manual

    • The Social Playbook May edition: 5 social media habits that affect growth

      Sometimes growth doesn’t slow down because of the algorithm. It happens because of small habits we keep repeating while creating content and managing brands online. A few may be outdated techniques, some may no longer work, and others may simply have

    • The Social Playbook April edition: KPIs in marketing

      In any field, analyzing performance is essential to understand growth and know what’s working. The same applies to marketing. Tracking and analyzing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) helps you make smarter, data-driven decisions instead of relying on

    • The Social Playbook March edition: Myth vs Facts

      We’ve all heard a lot of myths growing up. Some sound convincing, some feel believable, and over time they start to feel like facts. But the truth is, a myth is still a myth until it’s backed by real facts. Marketing is no different. Over time, many ideas

      • Recent Topics

      • Generate a link for Zoho Sign we can copy and use in a separate email

        Please consider adding functionality that would all a user to copy a reminder link so that we can include it in a personalized email instead of sending a Zoho reminder. Or, allow us to customize the reminder email. Use Case: We have clients we need to

      • Need help with importing expenses

        I'm using the template downloaded from the application. When I try to import my expenses, I get the message: Duplicate entry in the Expense Date column. Ensure it contains unique values. None of the rows will import. There are duplicate dates, but they

      • Notes - Reaction Buttons

        Using the native notes option within CRM is fine, it works and the RTF features are great, however, would it be possible - if there isnt already something in place, where we can add a reactions button, similar to teams/whatsapp to show that its been read

      • #12 Bringing In A Second Pair Of Hands

        Meera's studio became a two-person business in month five. Adding the second person took ten minutes. Working out why Meera herself was showing up as Staff took considerably longer. The Usual Way To Do This Covered in our published General FAQ, with the

      • How can I add a Custom Field (or Customer_name) to a picklist?

        Our workflow is Shopify-->SO -->Picklist-->Package-->Shipment. We would like to have the Picklist template to include a custom field "Customer_Notes" (we have created this field already). This way we get alerted when a customer has notes on their account.

      • Support Plan: Recuring Issue

        Hi Zoho Team, Could you please look into this recurring alert and provide clarification on why this restriction is still in place? This issue has become a bottleneck in our workflow, significantly limiting our automation capabilities. We are unable to

      • Header Line in Quote product rows

        I believe this is an essential feature that Zoho should provide us, when adding products we want the ability to add titles for our product, in quotes: The Solution/Category Title Product1 Product2..... and then it would show the sub-total of that title 

      • Widget Height were destroyed

        All widget heights in the Details Canvas view are broken. Moderation Update: This issue with widget heights in Client Script popups and flyouts has been resolved. Widgets should now display at their expected heights.

      • How to Fix the Corrupted Outlook 2019 .pst file on Windows safely?

        There are multiple reasons to get corrupted PST files (due to a power failure, system crash, or forced shutdown) and several other reasons. If You are using this ScanePST.EXE Microsoft inbuilt recovery tool, it only supports the minor corruption issue

      • GrassHopper VOIP Integration

        Does Zoho Plan to integrate with Grasshopper to allow the Telephony hookup in Zoho Desk?  If not, Can this be passed along for consideration 

      • 👍 Zoho CRM's Notes now gets Reactions and a new look

        Moderation update: Currently available in the following DC's CA, AU, CN, UAE, JP, SA - All Editions EU - Free, Standard and Professional Hello everyone, Notes help users capture important updates, collaborate with teammates, and maintain context for records.

      • Zoho Extensions 101: Building extensions for Zoho People

        Hello developers! Welcome to our new video series on building extensions for Zoho People! If you're new to extension development or looking for guidance on building extensions for Zoho People, you're in the right place. We've curated a series of videos

      • Add @Mention Notifications in Zoho Cliq for Zoho Project Mentions

        Hello Zoho Projects Team, We hope you are doing well. We would like to submit a feature request regarding "Projects Bot" Cliq bot notifications for @mentions inside Zoho Projects comments (Tasks and Issues). Current Behavior: At the moment, when someone

      • Can't connect to POP and SMTP over VPN

        I use Thunderbird to access Zoho Mail via POP and SMTP. I have configured an app-specific password for Thunderbird to use. Everything is properly configured and works correctly — until I enable my VPN. I'm using a paid commercial VPN service (Mullvad).

      • Outgoing Mail Blocked – Suspicious Login Activity (Need Clarification and Solution)

        Hello, I’m currently facing an issue where my Zoho Mail account has been blocked due to “suspicious login activity,” and outgoing emails are restricted. Here are the details shown: Block type: Outgoing mail blocked Reason: Suspicious login activity A

      • Online Payment Fees

        We don't take many online credit card payments so the merchant service provider (PayPal) charges us the 2.9% fee for processing the amount. I would like the ability for the fee to be automatically added to the total amount for "ease of payment". We'd

      • O SalesIQ aceita números do Whatsapp Business com coextistência?

        Tenho uma equipe com vários vendedores e cada um deles tem um celular corporativo usando o Whatsapp Business para se comunicar com os clientes. Estamos no plano Zoho One e esses mesmos vendedores também usam o SalesIQ para atender os leads que vem do

      • Merge Tickets Directly from Contact Page in Zoho Desk

        Dear Zoho Desk Support Team, We are writing to request a new feature that would allow users to easily merge tickets directly from the contact page in Zoho Desk. Currently, the only option to merge tickets is from the Tickets list view page, which can

      • Losing description after merging tickets

        Hello, We merge tickets when they are about the same topic from the same client. It happens sometimes. We recently noticed that after the merger only the description from the master ticket is left in a thread. And the slave-ticket description is erased.

      • Any update on much requested feature, to delete attachments without deleting the e-mail body?

        People have been requesting the ability to delete e-mail attachments without deleting the e-mail for more than ten years now. The latest I see is marked "Working On It" and a year ago it was supposedly being added, see here: https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/community/topic/is-there-a-way-to-delete-mail-attachments-without-deleting-the-text

      • Undo/redo when composing Mail

        Where is the undo/redo button when composing mail? I've new to Zoho, I've looked, I've searched and can't find it. What am I missing?

      • Mail menu bar items missing in Inbox and folders

        Last night some shortcuts such as Move to Folder, Archive, Delete, Mark as spam, and others, disappeared from my Mail menu bar, along with items in the vertical three dots extension such as Mark as read, Flag as, Mark as unread, etc. What I now have instead

      • ERROR CODE :554 - Your access to this mail system has been rejected due to poor reputation of a domain used in message transfer

        This message was created automatically by mail delivery software. A message that you sent could not be delivered to one or more of its recipients. This is a permanent error. *****, ERROR CODE :554 - Your access to this mail system has been rejected due

      • Sent items with shared folders

        Hello, this is in some way in between a problem and an idea.  When sharing folders (which is actually not any close to a shared mailbox...) the person which the folder has been shared with can access that folder and can send emails when delegation is

      • What's New in Zoho Inventory | July & August 2026

        Hello users, The July and August 2026 releases bring a range of new features and improvements across the product. From the Nigeria Edition and Super Admin enhancements to Sri Lanka IRD-compliant invoicing, Loyalty Program Management, and improvements

      • E-mail com problema

        Não estou recebendo e-mail desde Janeiro. Algo desconfigurou e eu não consigo resolver. Podem ajudar? Aguardo. Wagner Della Aversana Whats 55 11 985119899

      • Account Blocked due to Suspicious Activity.

        Hello, Trying to get access to my account, I have found this message above in the subject of this message. I am unable to log back to my account (see err. mess. below.) and thus cannot get rif of this following the Zoho procedure : I followed the step

      • SAML authentication in Zoho Mail: Simplify and secure your organization's login management

        Managing login credentials across multiple web applications can be challenging for organizations with a large number of users. Without a centralized authentication system, users are required to maintain separate passwords for each application, increasing

      • How to prepare a balance sheet for a company that has no operations yet?

        .

      • Can't create new account in zoho email

        Hello, i'm trying to create some free accounts to my customers... and since yesterday i can't create a new account, what is wrong? why i can't create free account? Thank You

      • Name autocomplete

        Hi, During searching emails the web tool does not always propose the auto-completion of the saved emails. As a result I either have to go to contacts and look up the exact email, or the exact full name including the middle name and any dots, which is

      • Introducing Incentives for Zoho CRM: Build, automate, and track sales commissions

        Dear Customers, We are here with an amazing news! We built a direct solution to help manage your commission provisioning activity in your business. From creating commission plans to issuing payouts, this application leverages your sales reps’ performance

      • Specific ListView Canvas on Canvas Home Page Always Loads Most Recent ListView, Not the One Specified

        I had mentioned this to ZOHO, but I mainly wanted to see if others in the Community are also facing this problem. I created a Canvas ListView for a Custom Module, and then created a Canvas Home page (technically on a tab item, but I'm not sure if that

      • Reminder Settings - Time Tracker

        On the time tracker in Reminder Settings I created a reminder according to the Zoho manual. But a manager asked me to change the message that goes in the email. Is it possible to change the message? I didn't find that in the Zoho manual. Another question: I configured to receive the reminder everyone who logged in less than 40 hours. Does Zoho consider less than 40 hours of the current week or the whole month? Another situation, I put it so that I and another specific user would receive the notification,

      • Create a single record from multiple images with ICR

        Hello all, Zia's Intelligent Character Recognition can now create a single record from multiple images based on the configured ICR rule. Users can upload up to three images at once, such as an ID, a passport, and a business card, and Zia will extract

      • SPF failure in android app

        I have no domain. I am not admin of anything. All I want to do is send an email from a zohomail.eu address, using the Zoho android app, with all settings as default. I do not use Office 365, or EOP, or Outlook, and I have no domain or domain registrar.

      • Zoho Books | Product updates | August 2026

        Hello users, July has been an exciting month for Zoho Books! This month, we're excited to introduce HTML PDF Templates, Placeholders as Pills, expanded approval workflows for Sales Returns and Journals, and significant compliance updates across the India,

      • Page Not Found error - 404 error

        Hello, I am a first time user of zoho sites.I just published my website dentistinminneapolis.com but its giving me a 404 error.Please look into it ASAP and help with the problem.

      • What's New in Zoho POS - September 2026

        Hello everyone, Welcome to Zoho POS’s monthly update, where we share our latest feature updates, enhancements, events, and more. Let’s take a look at how September went. Global Edition of Zoho POS for Retail is here On September 28, 2026, we launched

      • New in Cadences: WhatsApp follow-ups, upgraded limits, and options for add-ons

        Hello everyone, We're rolling out two key updates to help you engage better and scale smarter with Cadences in Zoho CRM. Reach customers on WhatsApp, directly from Cadences Previously, Cadences have enabled you to automate follow-ups through emails, calls,

      • Next Page