Most organisations measure the wrong things. What they measure is what is termed ‘vanity metrics’, the things that make you feel good and like you’re ‘killing it’ but really doesn’t move the dial forward. I build brands for a living, I’m on social media more than I should be for work, and I couldn’t care less about my follower count or ‘reach’. I don’t want to go viral, in fact I’d rather not. I create content with the hopes that a few people will really like it and enquire about my services or tune in for more content (follow and subscribe). 

Gaining 500,000 bot account followers won’t increase your customer pipeline. But 5 local families who are enjoying what you’re putting out there, just might. The best part about this mentality is that we are chasing something very achievable. 

In short: Vanity metrics vs meaningful metrics

Vanity metrics are numbers that feel good but don’t indicate business impact. Likes, followers, impressions, reach, views.

Meaningful metrics are directly connected to your communications objective. Enquiries generated, applications received, referral sources tracked, email sign-ups, website conversions.

The test: if this number went up significantly, would it change a real business outcome? If yes, it’s meaningful. If not, it’s vanity.

Setting up simple measurement

You don’t need expensive analytics tools. You need:

• Google Analytics on your website (free)
• A simple spreadsheet to track enquiry sources
• Native analytics on each social platform (all free)
• A monthly review habit. This part is the most important, staying on top of the metrics and how things are changing. Set and forget isn’t part of the strategy.
• All in one social media planner – like Metricool – can have all in one metrics. Reasonably cheap too.

30 minutes per month reviewing the numbers that matter is worth more than hours spent chasing vanity metrics.

Exercise

For your two primary channels, identify the two most meaningful metrics you’ll track. Set a baseline now. Review in four weeks.