Is it just pretty numbers or are there true results?
Social media has become a world where brands and creators are supposed to have a presence and some degree of popularity. The issue is that people often get hung up on vanity metrics that look beautiful on the surface. That impression you get from your Instagram post receiving thousands of likes or your Youtube video getting millions of views creates an impression of growth, cause let’s face it, it represents growth through impressions, but that isn’t always how this works. Industry professionals call these vanity metrics because it represents this idea that keeps you motivated to be continuous, but signals no real progress.
The Enchantment of Vanity Metrics and what they do mean
For any new creator or brand there is an initial joy with vanity metrics. When you make your first post, and get a hundred likes on it, you feel like you own a piece of the digital space. But that space also has the potential to be the biggest trap. Likes and followers never equate to loyal customers, but many businesses chase after these numbers, basing their business and marketing strategies around that illusion. It is like the shop owner counting the people who come into his shop, but not counting how many of them are actually exchanging money for goods. Vanity metrics often deceive marketers into thinking they had a more successful campaign than what it was. This is the dose of dopamine we still get from vanity metrics. As we see the number growing on the screen, we think we are doing everything right even though the actual data is telling another story.
Actionable Metrics: The True Mirror of Growth
Actionable metrics are measurable indicators of the brand’s real performance and future opportunity. Ignoring these is just ignoring the foundation of your business. When an organization is running social media campaigns, a marketer should know impressions and likes, not translate to revenue. The actionable metrics that tell you everything about real customers are the ones that directly measure customer behaviours and their impact on your business goals.
These include:
- Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT):Gauges how satisfied customers are with a specific product, service, or interaction.
- Net Promoter Score (NPS):Measures customer loyalty by asking how likely they are to recommend your business to others.
- Customer Effort Score (CES):Assesses how easy or difficult it was for customers to complete a desired action or resolve an issue.
- Conversion Rate:Tracks the percentage of customers who take a desired action, such as signing up, making a purchase, or subscribing.
- Retention and Churn Rate:Shows how well you keep customers over time versus how many leave.
- Active Users:Monitors the number of genuine, engaged users over a set period.
- Repeat Purchase Rate/Purchase Frequency:Indicates how often customers return to buy again.
- Customer Lifetime Value (CLV):Estimates the total revenue a customer will bring throughout their relationship with your business.
These metrics are actionable because they provide specific, relevant insights about genuine customer engagement and can drive informed business decisions, as opposed to surface-level vanity metrics like total page views or download counts
SocialWick: A Journey Beyond Vanity Metrics
In this world of digital chaos, SocialWick has emerged as a trusted compass. Honoring its start in 2017, this site has a fresh angle and perspective to offer both brands and creators. SocialWick’s services are focused on creating real value behind those numbers, not just numbers. It is a site that understands that building brands today is about measurable strategies and ROI, not crowds.
Why is it essential to pivot to actionable metrics?
The competition in the digital realm continues to grow every moment, thousands of posts, stories, and videos are published every single second. In this environment, being content with reactions and followers is equivalent to business suicide. If you truly want to design a powerful and long-lasting strategy you must lean into the numbers that lead you to really serious impact. Actionable metrics are a true health check report of your brand; they shed light on what you are doing correctly and what you should change or modify.
Conclusion: Ditch the shine, embrace the substance
In this age of social media, overwhelming vanity metrics is an important stage that inspires you, and provides the foundations for building a presence. But real progression occurs when you realize authenticity.