Views are not results. What should you measure instead?
A video got 1,000 views and only one person called. Is that a failure? No. It might be the most successful video you ever posted.
The story
The first thing a client asks after a video goes out is: “How many views did it get?” If the number is low they get upset, and if it's high they're happy. Either way, they're measuring the wrong thing.
I've seen videos pull big numbers and nothing changed afterwards. And I've seen videos with ordinary numbers bring in the exact person their owner had been looking for for months.
The idea
Some numbers make you feel successful, and some numbers make you successful. Views are the first kind.
In my experience, success depends on three things: your sector, your target audience, and the service you offer. Some services don't need high views at all. They need to reach a clear audience that actually cares about what you offer.
A real example
If your service is expensive, you don't need to reach everyone. You need to reach the right person.
Out of 1,000 people who saw you, one cared and bought? That's success, if that was your measure from the start. And the opposite: a million views that never turned into interest in what you offer are worth nothing in the end.
Think of it this way: a surgeon with a limited number of operations a month doesn't need a million followers. He needs the patient searching for his exact specialty to find him, understand him, and trust him.
How to apply it
- Before you post anything, write your goal from social media in one sentence: bookings? enquiries? people knowing your name in your specialty?
- Pick one number that measures that goal. If the goal is bookings, count how many people got in touch, not how many watched.
- Ask every new client: “How did you hear about us? Which video did you see?” That answer matters more than any statistic in the app.
- Once you know which video brought you a client, make more like it, even if its views are lower than the others.
What you gain
You stop chasing a number that doesn't pay your bills. And you know exactly which content brings you the right person, so you put your time and money there.
You also get peace of mind. Someone who measures themselves by views every day burns out fast and stops. Someone who measures by their goal keeps going, because they can see the result.
The takeaway
Success depends on your main goal for being on social media. Set it first, then measure against it. Not the other way round.
What's your measure? If you don't have a clear answer, that's the first thing to work on.
Further reading: The Lean Startup — Eric Ries · 1,000 True Fans — Kevin Kelly