3 tips for healthy metrics and a healthy mind
Take my 3 tips for a better mindset that I call "healthy metrics, healthy mind".
Hi! 👋
This week, take my 3 tips for a better mindset that I call "healthy metrics, healthy mind".
Welcome (back)! 🤗
This is Petra from The Creators' Diary. If this is your first TC’D newsletter, welcome! We’re happy you’ve subscribed!
Share what you think about this issue or the questions you struggle with as a creator by simply replying to this email. A real human (Petra) reads it.
Story of the week 🗞️
Last week, I wrote about what vanity metrics are and why you should pay close attention to not be deceived by them. It's like looking into the wrong mirror.
This week, I'll show you what a good and healthy mirror looks like, or in other words, what is the smart way to analyse your social media and general marketing performance that will also help you keep your mental health intact.
Sounds good? Let's go 👇
- Look at the context.
As an example, if you want to see how your Instagram is doing in the context of Instagram only, the number of comments and shares speaks well about your engagement.
But, if you try to determine how many of your customers come to your webshop from Instagram, those comments and shares simply become vanity metrics on their own—because, how many of those commenters actually purchased from you?
There are different solutions for that, from measurable/trackable links to checking your webshop traffic sources and tracking conversions in Google Analytics or a similar system.
Let me know with a reply to this email if you want to learn more about that! But for now, remember in which context you analyse your metrics. - Think about what you can change to generate true engagement (and then, sales).
Naturally, this can mean a thousand things, and a good strategy comes really handy here (book a session with me if you'd like help with your social media or anything marketing-related), but the bottom line is:
Think about what you can do to earn 5 more likes or comments next week, for instance. Baby steps, right?
👉 How about using more CTAs (call-to-actions) in your posts? CTAs are not rude; they're necessary. You need to tell people what to do to make them have a lightbulb moment.
👉 What can you change to make sure that people stay with your video for longer? Test if shorter videos would do better, or see if you can change the hook at the start.
👉 When it comes to your newsletter, how about testing new styles of subject lines to see if your open rates improve after a while? - Learn the lesson, but then do what feels comfortable.
After you analyse your metrics, you may come to tough conclusions. You may say that you've tested everything possible for your TikTok, Instagram, or whatever, and all it does is drain your energy. Then don't do it. Or do it less frequently. Or much less frequently.
In our newest interview, art quilter Linda Diak has important advice for creators about this:
"You have to try a little of everything. But do the thing that you like doing the most because it’s repetition, it’s consistency. If you hate making videos, then don’t go on TikTok. If that’s what you like to do, then that’s where you should be. But don’t try to force yourself to do methods that don’t appeal to you personally. Do what appeals to you as a customer. If what appeals to you as a customer is a finely crafted story in your inbox, then do that and build on that. That’s my best advice after all these years of promotion."
So, a bit contrary to the previous point, you have the right to say that you don't want to do anything about those metrics. You have every right to say that you're happy having 5000 followers and maybe 50 of them who have ever purchased from you, and perhaps 10 who are repeat customers. A bigger following can still be an advantage, even if purely a big reach doesn't necessarily get you far anymore.
Many scenarios are possible, and everything should boil down to what makes you feel all right.
👉 As I mentioned when I started my Creator Strategy Sessions, where I give customer marketing strategy and pointers to creators, I only give marketing advice I would follow myself. And that includes marketing advice that creators can feel comfortable with—approaching and doing social media the way that feels right for you and profitable for your creative business is what should matter—if anyone's tips point to the opposite direction, just leave them as they are. As cliché as it is, you do you.
Creator quote of the week 📌
I like this post (and the related thread) from illustrator ArtisanCris that echoes what I said in my last newsletter: approach social metrics smartly. They can be deceiving in more than one way.
See you next week,
Petra
Petra Gönczi
