Metrics are making you cray + here's how to shift it to make more money in your biz
I landed my first freelance design client without a fraction of an idea of what a newsletter list even was.
My Instagram account hovered at 84 followers for longer than I can remember, even when I was making steady income in the design biz.
I got my first coaching client before I was showing up consistently, engaging, and providing value in at least five Facebook groups.
And it’s not that any of those actions aren’t important or that they don’t yield results (they definitely do!) but they are simply not the ONLY ways to make money in your business.
And you know what?!
People have been building businesses for far longer than social media and the internet have even existed.
Shocking. I know.
So why all of a sudden are we all freakin the eff out with our sudden drops in ‘likes’ and engagement? (No, it’s not just you.)
There’s a frantic buzz in the air about how the algorithm is shifting.
Everyone’s quick to make a guess at how this will change the course of online business.
They’re making claims of how difficult it is to show up and be seen in this online world.
And it all comes back to this:
It isn’t about the drop in ‘likes’ and engagement. It’s about what you’re making it mean. There’s that mindset piece coming in again!
It’s those thoughts that…
...Your business will never actually take off.
...Sharing your content doesn’t matter because it won’t be seen anyway.
...There are too many people doing what you want to be doing.
...You ‘missed’ your opportunity to make it big.
Those thoughts are making it THAT much harder for you to show up and do this thing called business and so, you keep proving those thoughts right.
Because the last time I checked, Instagram likes weren’t the only measure of a successful business any more than having a full gas tank is the measure of a nice car.
Yes, it’s important.
Yes, it’ll help you get where you’re going.
But it’s just not the ONLY indicator of success.
So this week, I’m diving into how to stop freakin’ the eff out over the social media algorithm and cultivate the mindset you need to start making more money in your biz (no matter how many likes you get or don't get).
Go for profitable instead of popular
I had a client recently land three discovery calls within the span of a week, after ONE email to her newsletter list of roughly 100 people.
Of those three people, she’s already converted one of them and will continue to cultivate those other warm leads.
Is that incredible? Absolutely!
Is that unheard of? Not at all.
Now, I know just how easy it is to let your brain slip into thoughts of…
...Well, that’s only possible in her industry.
...She must have a really low price point.
...Those kind of results are possible for her, but not for me.
And I promise you that none of that is true.
But I also want to point out that those are the exact thoughts that are standing in your way from actually showing up and getting paid.
Because if you’re thinking that the exact actions you need to take in your biz to make more money, like writing that content and sharing it out, is the very same thing that’s going to yield zero results… Well, remind me again why you’re going to show up for it?!
The answer is you won't. And you'll start to believe your story and stay on that hamster wheel.
Which is why I want to say it again for the people in the back. Being profitable is different than being popular. Oh, and on Wednesdays we wear pink.
Yes, that’s a Mean Girls reference. 😉
Point being that I would much rather have the income AND impact with a small group of people than be wildly popular, but not profitable, with many more.
Which means showing up for (and converting!) the people you already have here and now, because that’s literally the only way to create MORE income and impact on a larger scale.
Leave room for miracles
Random fun fact: Did you know that I attended Catholic school during my high school years?!
About half of you are going, “NO WAY! ME TOO!” right now because we all feel a certain kinship in that. And I nearly just lost the second half of you…
But I promise there’s a business lesson in here.
The nuns would joke about how ‘back in the day’ they’d separate couples that were dancing too closely, reminding them to, “Leave room for the Holy Spirit.”
...Strange, the things you remember from high school, huh? 😂
But for some reason this phrase stuck with me and I think this lesson applies no matter WHAT higher power you believe in, whether that be God, the Universe, Source, or so on.
Which is the idea of leaving room for miracles.
Now I’m NOT saying that your social media feed is in need of divine inspiration. But I AM saying that when you stop yourself just shy of taking the right actions in your business, you don’t leave any room for the Universe to play it’s part.
Because I believe that the Universe is always working for the greatest amount of good.
SO ultimately if you showing up, sharing your value, and offering your services is going to HELP even more people or solve a problem that they’re facing, then the Universe is reorganizing itself this very minute so that you get in front of the RIGHT people.
Yes, even if their problem is that they haven’t found the cutest dog collar on earth for Fiddo and you better believe they are going to be willing to pay for it when they do. 🐶
Which means you gotta meet the Universe halfway.
You gotta get your mindset in the right place so you can take more of the right actions in your business.
You have to keep writing content and sharing it out, even if the engagement isn’t there yet, or you’re not sure exactly HOW or when it’s going to show up for you.
There’s only so much that’s in control in our lives and businesses, but cultivating the mindset you need to show up and take action is always going to yield more results than holding yourself back.
It’s doing your 50% so the Universe can do its part. No one got rich curled up in a ball watching Netflix.
Metrics that matter to YOU
Brian and I have a phrase we toss around in our house which is, “Metrics matter to someone.” Usually said with sarcasm.
This is the stuff you talk about when you’re married to an engineer. 😂
It typically comes up when we happen upon a random statistic like how many people are likely to have the same birthday in a room of 20 people.
Or how much food waste can be in our recycling for the trash company to actually recycle it. (3% in case you were wondering... now if someone could only tell me what 3% of a peanut butter jar actually looks like…)
But usually it’s when we happen upon a metric that isn’t exactly tied to a particular result. Meaning, it isn’t a good indicator of success.
I could tell you that I sat at my computer for 99% of the work day, but that wouldn’t necessarily mean that I did anything productive or profitable in my business that day.
Or I could get 1,000 likes on an Instagram post, but that wouldn’t necessarily mean that I was increasing my reach if they were bots rather than organic followers.
Catch my drift here?
Which is why it’s so freakin important to make sure that you’re keeping track of the metrics that don’t just matter to someone, but rather the metrics that matter to YOU.
Which means you need to be clear on what the key indicators of YOUR success are.
What are the things that you fundamentally believe move your business forward THE MOST?
And how are you keeping track of those metrics so that you know, not only where you started, but when that sh*t is actually working!?
Meaning that if you fundamentally believe that businesses are built on relationships, are you tracking how many coffee dates you’ve had or how many people you’ve connected with in a given month?
If you believe that bringing your people in close and having authentic conversations is what makes the biggest difference in your biz, then you probably SHOULD be tracking the amount of growth in your Facebook group.
And if you’re a social media manager then OF COURSE you’re going to be tracking likes and engagement in your Instagram feed.
But your metrics for success may not be (and probably aren’t) the same as everyone else’s.
Heck, maybe your metric for success is how many mornings you get to spend with your kiddo before taking her to school and diving into your biz.
Or how many evenings you can cook dinner with your hubby because you’re no longer working 24/7 in corporate.
That’s why it’s essential that you know what’s important to you and your business in creating more of the success you want.
Because knowing THOSE metrics will actually bring your closer to your goals and make it so much easier to focus on the ones that matter most, so you can let the other ones go.
The bottom line:
Metrics are absolutely important in building your business, and you SHOULD be tracking them so that you know when your actions are actually paying of in your bottom line. But I see too many business owners allowing the metrics (the number of likes, follows, and engagement!) to create a negative mindset that holds them back from taking even more of the right actions in their business. And consequently, this only perpetuates the lack of results. That’s why it’s so important that you’re clear on the metrics that matter most to YOU so you can let go of the metrics that aren’t a good indicator of your success.
Tell me in the comments below:
Which metrics do you track regularly!? Whether that be income, new leads, the size of your Facebook group or so on...
Select photography by Jennifer Morgan Photography
