Why Instagram Likes Don’t Matter (and What Wedding Vendors Should Track Instead)

Written By Hayley Biggs

Barely Any Likes, £34,597.44 in Sales.

The real reason your Instagram engagement is not your bottom line

Right. Let’s start with a confession:
My most-liked post in the past three months got 231 likes. And yes – that was with paid ads.

The rest was somewhere between 20 and 50 likes. A polite golf clap from the algorithm, if you will.

And yet, in that very same three-month period, my business brought in £34,597.44.

Read that again.

Not thirty quid and a Greggs sausage roll.
Thirty-four grand. Nearly thirty-five.

This isn’t a humble brag. Actually, it’s a full-body cringe to even say it out loud.

Talking about money in public still makes me want to crawl under a weighted blanket and binge-watch “Four in a Bed.”

But when I was starting out, I lived for posts like this. I’d cling to them like a life raft in a sea of algorithm chaos. Because they made me believe.

So I’m sharing it for you, the wedding vendor quietly panicking that your last post only got 17 likes and a comment from your mum.

You’re not doing it wrong. You’re just focusing on the wrong metrics.

Let’s discuss.

Why likes feel so damn good (but mean very little)

Let’s address the dopamine in the room.
You post. You get likes. You feel validated. Your brain does a little happy dance. Because that heart icon is an instant hit of digital serotonin.

But do you know what a “like” actually means?
It means someone saw your wedding post, paused for 1.3 seconds, and their thumb reflexively double-tapped because:

  • The wedding photo was cute

  • The quote sounded vaguely inspirational

  • You used a trending sound

  • You added a bride who looked sensational

  • You posted a throwback from Mykonos and they miss the sun

Likes are easy.
They’re low-commitment.
And they rarely mean someone is ready to part with thousands for your wedding services.

Let’s be clear likes don’t mean they’re ready to book your wedding services.

They don’t even mean they read the caption. (Yes, that thing you poured your soul into at 11:47pm with a side of cold tea.)

So if likes don’t equate to sales…
What does?

Metrics That Actually Matter (aka, the ones that pay the bills)

Let’s talk strategy, because while likes are the icing, I’m here for the entire damn cake.

Here’s what I track instead:

1. Website Clicks (aka: “They were interested enough to leave the app”)

This is the digital equivalent of someone walking into your shop. If they’ve clicked from Instagram to your website, that’s a real sign of intent.

You can track this:

  • On Instagram Insights under "Website Taps"

  • Through Google Analytics (hook up your IG link to a tracked URL)

  • With tools like Bitly or Linktree’s built-in analytics

What it tells you:
They were intrigued. Curious. Possibly planning a late-night stalking session through your FAQ page. They’re now in your world.

2. Time on Page (aka: “They didn’t bounce faster than a bad Tinder date”)

Using Google Analytics, you can see how long people are actually staying on your site.

If the average time on your service page is 30 seconds, there’s a problem. If it’s 2-3 minutes? They’re reading. They’re absorbing. They’re picturing themselves booking you.

What to watch:

  • Time spent on your most important sales pages

  • Exit rate (are they bouncing before they get to your call-to-action?)

  • Which pages people go to next, does your content guide them to a next step?

3. Inquiries (aka: “They want more than a casual scroll”)

Likes are a fling. An inquiry is a first date.
They’ve taken time out of their day to write to you. That’s an emotional investment. That’s a lead.

Even if they don’t book you yet, track:

  • Where they came from (“Saw your reel on IG!” = helpful)

  • What page they landed on first

  • What they said in their message (did they get your vibe?)

Top tip: Ask on your inquiry form “How did you find me?” and keep a spreadsheet. I know. It’s not sexy. But your marketing brain will love you for it.

4. Conversion Rate (aka: “Are you closing the sale?”)

You don’t need 100 inquiries. You need 10 ideal ones, and the skill to turn 5 into paying clients.

Track:

  • How many inquiries you get per month

  • How many turn into booked clients

  • What your average spend per client is

This tells you if your marketing is attracting the right people — and if your sales process is working.

5. Email Signups (aka: “I liked you enough to let you into my inbox”)

Emails are underrated. Instagram could disappear tomorrow (or be replaced with TikTok’s even more chaotic cousin). But your email list is yours forever.

Track:

  • How many sign-ups you get per week/month

  • Which content pieces lead to the most signups (was it your freebie? A juicy post?)

  • Which emails actually get clicks

This is long-term nurturing. The good stuff.

6. Replies, DMs, Saves, Shares (aka: “Actual interaction, not a lazy double tap”)

These are the quiet indicators that your content hit the mark:

  • Saves = “I want to come back to this”

  • Shares = “This speaks to me so much I want others to see it”

  • Replies = “I feel seen and I’m going to tell you”

  • DMs = “I might not be ready yet, but I want to connect”

You know what likes don’t always do? Lead to DMs that say “Omg I’ve been meaning to reach out!”
Track those.

Why Likes Don’t Translate to Sales (in Most Cases)

Let’s look at the psychology.

People “like” posts because:

  • They’re familiar with your face

  • The aesthetic is pleasing

  • The caption hit an emotional nerve (in 0.7 seconds)

  • They saw you on stories 43 times this week and now they like you

But none of this confirms whether:

  • They have the budget

  • They want the kind of wedding which you create

  • They trust you enough to pay you and choose YOU for their luxury wedding.

  • They’ve made a decision to do something about their wedding or event

You need more than an emotional spark. You need a sales process.

So... How Did I Make £34,597.44 With Barely Any Likes?

Let’s break it down:

What To Do When Your Engagement is Low

  1. Don’t panic
    Low engagement doesn’t mean your business is broken.

  2. Reframe success
    Instead of “Did this get likes?” ask:

    • How many calls did I book this month?

    • How much traffic to my website did I generate from Instagram

    • How many sales did I make/how much money did I make?

  3. Optimise what’s working
    Look at your best-performing content (even if “best” means 30 saves and 4 DMs). Double down on the type of content that led to actual leads.

  4. Track your numbers
    Every month, track:

    • Number of inquiries

    • Website clicks from social

    • Booked clients

    • Revenue

    • Your conversion rate
      (If that sounds too dry, pour a G&T while you do it.)

The Bottom Line

Likes are flattering. They’re fun. They’re tempting.

But they’re not a measure of success. Not in real business. Not in a business that’s built for longevity, sustainability, and actual income.

So if you’re staring at another post with 11 likes and thinking, “What’s the point?” remember this:

Your next sale probably won’t come from your most-liked post.
It’ll come from the post that spoke to someone.
The post that they didn’t like, but saved. Or screenshot. Or DM’d to their fiancé with a “This is who we need.”

Track the quiet metrics. The real ones.
The ones that matter when you take off your marketing hat and put on your CEO crown.

Want help building a marketing strategy that gets actual results?
My clients learn how to write content that gets read, inquiries that convert, and messaging that speaks louder than likes ever will.

Hayley Biggs
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