Published: July 2026
Reading time: 6 minutes
Category: LinkedIn
Likes are great, but they don’t always tell you whether LinkedIn is helping your business grow.
One of the sectors we work with most is construction, alongside engineering and energy.
When we first start working with a new client, one thing I notice time and time again is that they’re often measuring the wrong things on LinkedIn.
The monthly report might show that followers have increased and posts are receiving likes, but when I ask how LinkedIn is supporting the wider business, the answer isn’t always clear.
The truth is that LinkedIn should be doing much more than generating engagement.
It should be helping your business build its reputation, attract the right people, support recruitment and create opportunities for future work.
That’s why there are three metrics I always encourage construction businesses to pay close attention to.
1. Reach – Are the right people seeing your content?
Reach is one of the first things I look at.
But I’m not interested in reaching everyone.
I’d much rather see your content reaching project managers, procurement teams, engineers, consultants, directors and decision-makers than picking up thousands of impressions from people who are unlikely to ever become customers.
Quality is far more important than quantity.
Ask yourself:
- Is our reach increasing month by month?
- Are we attracting the audience we actually want to work with?
- Are more people from our target sectors engaging with our content?
- If the answer is yes, you’re moving in the right direction.
2. Engagement – Remember that not everyone engages publicly
LinkedIn continues to reward content that encourages people to spend time reading, clicking and interacting, so engagement is still an important metric.
However, it’s important to remember that engagement isn’t just about likes and comments.
Some people will:
- Read your post from start to finish.
- Visit your company page.
- Click through to your website.
- Look at your team members’ profiles.
- Save your post to read later.
- Keep returning to your content over several months.
- They may never leave a visible comment.
In fact, some of our largest LinkedIn management clients were exactly that.
They never liked our content.
They rarely commented.
They simply kept reading until the time was right to get in touch.
That’s why I often talk about silent engagement.
Some of the most valuable people in your audience are watching what you share without ever making themselves known.
Don’t assume a post has failed just because it hasn’t received lots of reactions.
3. Website traffic and enquiries – This is where LinkedIn starts supporting your business goals
LinkedIn should contribute to your wider marketing strategy.
One of the most useful things you can measure is what happens after someone leaves LinkedIn.
For example:
- Which posts are driving people to your website?
- Which pages are they visiting
- Are they spending time reading your case studies or service pages?
- Are they downloading resources?
- Are they completing an enquiry form?
- It’s also worth asking every new enquiry how they found your business.
You might be surprised how many people say they’ve been following your content for months before deciding to get in touch.
Those conversations often tell you much more than the number of likes underneath a post.
Don’t let vanity metrics distract you
Follower numbers and likes are nice to see.
They can indicate that your content is resonating with people.
But on their own, they don’t tell you whether LinkedIn is helping your business achieve its goals.
The construction businesses seeing the strongest results from LinkedIn aren’t chasing vanity metrics.
They’re looking at the data that shows whether they’re attracting the right audience, building trust and creating commercial opportunities over time.
That’s where LinkedIn delivers real value.
Zoe’s Tip
When reviewing your LinkedIn performance each month, don’t just ask:
“Which post got the most likes?”
Also ask:
- Which post attracted the right audience?
- Which post generated conversations?
- Which post sent people to our website?
- Which post supported our wider business objectives?
- Those answers will tell you far more about whether your LinkedIn strategy is working.
Final thoughts
Construction projects aren’t won overnight, and neither is trust.
LinkedIn works in much the same way.
Every post is another opportunity to demonstrate your expertise, showcase your projects and stay visible with the people who may need your services in the future.
If you’re only measuring likes and follower numbers, there’s a good chance you’re missing the bigger picture.
Focus on the metrics that support your business goals, and you’ll gain a much clearer understanding of the value LinkedIn is creating.
Need help measuring the success of your LinkedIn strategy?
We work with construction, engineering and energy businesses across the UK, helping them create LinkedIn strategies that support business development, recruitment and brand awareness.
If you’d like to see some recent case studies from businesses in your sector, get in touch. We’d be happy to share them.