Metrics Matter (But Not the Ones You Think)

Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt personally victimized by your Instagram feed? 

If your followers consist of other entrepreneurs in your industry, chances are you’ve felt the sting of envy. The fear that creeps in when you see their number of followers increasing day after day while your own mother unfollows you because you stopped posting photos of her grandchildren.

Social media followers, a massive email list, Facebook Live viewers — these all fall under the category of Vanity Metrics. 

Everyone wants them. But they don’t mean shit. 

Think about it. How many thought leaders, course creators and leaders do YOU follow on Instagram? And of those people, how many of their services do you actually buy? 

If the number isn’t zero, I’m willing to bet it’s not a lot. 

A massive following might seem like the ultimate measure of success, but it isn’t. It doesn’t matter if everyone in the world is following you if no one is engaging with what you’re creating. 

A small list of people who are COMPLETELY dedicated to your mission is a hell of a lot more powerful than a massive list of people who immediately send you to spam. 

So instead of chasing a whole new audience, why not spend some time getting to know the one in front of you? Talk to them. Comment back. Ask questions. Figure out what it is they really want to see from you. 

What you want to focus on are Actionable Metrics. Things like comments, retweets, pageviews, clicks, etc. Anything that shows how your followers are engaging and using your content is important to keep an eye on because it shows you what your audience likes — and what you can improve on. 

Here are a couple of ways I like to engage with my audience: 

• Adding a call out (CTA) at the end of my emails asking people to reply — and then replying back. 
• Host free virtual sessions in my Facebook Group to work alongside each other. 
• Going live on Facebook and Instagram at least once a week so I can answer any questions and be of service. 

Looking for more market research ideas? Check out my Market Research Mini Course.