---
id: "prereq-social-media-metrics"
type: "prereq"
source_timestamps: ["§ Connectedness: From Metrics to Mutuality"]
tags: ["analytics"]
related: ["concept-connectedness", "question-measuring-connectedness"]
reason: "Required to grasp the contrast between a brand's traditional measurement of 'reach' and the deeper concept of 'connectedness.'"
sources: ["attention"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-attention"
originDay: 4
articleStem: "hbr-foci-65-influencer-marketing-trust"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2025/12/how-to-do-influencer-marketing-that-customers-actually-trust"
sourceTitle: "How to Do Influencer Marketing That Customers Actually Trust"
---
# Social Media Metrics

**Prerequisite knowledge.** Familiarity with top-level social media metrics: **likes, shares, follower counts, and impressions.**

**Why it's needed.** The source deliberately **contrasts** these broadcast/reach metrics with deeper community engagement. Without understanding what "reach" conventionally measures, you can't appreciate the argument that it is a poor proxy for [[concept-connectedness|Connectedness]] — nor the unresolved challenge of measuring the deeper dimension (see [[question-measuring-connectedness]]).