Why Views Don’t Equal Value: Rethinking Video Metrics

Most companies measure video success with views, likes, and shares — but these vanity metrics tell you nothing about whether your content is actually driving revenue.

I’m going to say something that might sting a little: that video your team spent weeks producing? The one that got 10,000 views and a bunch of thumbs-up on LinkedIn? You have no idea if it actually worked.

I know that’s blunt. But after years of working with Sales, Marketing, and Training leaders on video content, I’ve seen this pattern play out over and over. A company invests real time and real dollars into video. The content looks great. It gets engagement. Everyone feels good about it. And then someone in leadership asks the question nobody can answer:

"What was the return on that investment?"

Silence.

What Are Vanity Metrics, and Why Do We Keep Using Them?

Vanity metrics are the numbers that look impressive in a report but don’t connect to business outcomes. For video, that’s usually:

•       Views — Someone scrolled past your video. Maybe they watched 3 seconds. Maybe they didn’t.

•       Likes — A thumbs-up is nice. It’s also meaningless to your bottom line.

•       Shares — Great for reach. Tells you nothing about whether it moved someone closer to buying.

•       Impressions — Your video appeared on a screen somewhere. That’s it. That’s the whole metric.

Don’t get me wrong — these numbers aren’t useless. They tell you something about awareness and reach. But if you walk into a budget meeting and your best argument for continuing video investment is "we got a lot of views," you’re going to have a hard time.

The real problem isn’t that these metrics exist. It’s that for most companies, they’re the only metrics. And that’s because nobody set up the infrastructure to measure what actually matters.

So What Should You Be Measuring Instead?

The metrics that matter are the ones that connect video content to your buyer’s journey and, ultimately, to revenue. That means tracking things like:

•       Did the viewer take a next step? — Did they visit your website, download something, or book a call after watching?

•       Where does the video sit in the funnel? — Is it an awareness piece, a consideration piece, or a decision-stage closer? Each has different success criteria.

•       Can you attribute pipeline or revenue? — Can you trace a deal back to a video touchpoint? This is the holy grail, and it’s absolutely possible with the right tracking in place.

•       What’s the cost per result? — Not cost per view. Cost per lead, cost per opportunity, cost per closed deal that a video influenced.

This is what ROI tracking for video actually looks like. It’s not a dashboard full of vanity numbers. It’s a clear picture of how your video content is contributing to revenue — in real dollars.

Why Don’t More Companies Track Video ROI This Way?

Honestly? Because most video production companies can’t do it. They’re great at making videos. They’re not set up to install conversion tracking, build attribution models, or deliver monthly reports that show revenue impact.

That’s just not their business.

And most marketing teams don’t have the bandwidth or the technical setup to do it themselves. So the video gets made, it gets posted, the vanity metrics roll in, and everyone moves on to the next project hoping this one “worked.”

It’s not a people problem. It’s an infrastructure problem. The tracking has to be built into the strategy from the beginning — not bolted on after the fact. You need to know what you’re measuring before you shoot a single frame.

How We Think About It Differently at Maverick Marketing

When I started Maverick Marketing, I was focused on production — helping people create great video content. And that’s still a huge part of what we do. But I kept running into the same conversation: "The videos look amazing, but my boss wants to know if they’re working."

That’s what led me to partner with Film & Content, a UK-based consultancy that’s spent 15+ years building ROI tracking methodologies for video.

Their approach has been trusted by Fortune 500 brands, and it’s built around one simple idea: every video should be tied to your buyer’s journey with tracking that connects performance to pipeline and revenue.

Now, every engagement at Maverick Marketing starts with strategy — not a camera.

We map content to your buyer’s journey, forecast the ROI before we produce anything, and install tracking from day one. When we deliver monthly reports, they don’t say "you got 10,000 views." They say "this video contributed to $47,000 in pipeline this month."

That’s a conversation you can bring to leadership.

What Can You Do Right Now?

If you’re currently measuring video with vanity metrics, don’t panic. You’re in good company — most companies are in the same boat. But here are three things you can start thinking about today:

1. Ask yourself what “success” actually means for each video. Not in general — for each specific piece of content. Is it supposed to generate awareness? Drive consideration? Close deals? The answer changes what you should measure.

2. Look at what tracking you have in place right now. Can you connect a video view to a website visit? To a form fill? To a deal in your CRM? If not, that’s the gap to close.

3. Stop reporting on views as your primary metric. If views are the first number in your video report, you’re leading with the least meaningful data point. Flip the script — lead with outcomes, mention reach at the end.

If you want help figuring out what a real ROI tracking setup looks like for your video content, I’m happy to talk it through. We offer a free 30-minute discovery call where we’ll look at your current video strategy and show you what’s possible when you move beyond vanity metrics.

Book a free discovery call here.

Your videos deserve better than views. Let’s prove what they’re actually worth.

— Jim England, Founder, Maverick Marketing