How Standard Social Media Metrics Can Blind You to True Success

You live in an era where almost every aspect of your professional life is measured, from workplace productivity to athletic performance. We measure to know, to improve, and to distinguish the good from the bad. Without measurement, we are blind. We don't know where we stand, what works, or where we need to improve. This principle applies equally to professional social media. But while measurement is crucial, we must also question how and what we measure. And perhaps even more importantly—why we choose to measure what we do.

The Necessity of Measurement: From Sports to the Workplace

Think of an athlete who trains without timing her runs. How will she know if she's improving? Without measurement, she's at the mercy of chance. The same principle applies in professional settings. We measure to ensure we're moving in the right direction.

It's just as important to measure the impact of what we post on professional social media. How many people are we reaching? How many are engaging? How many clicks lead to actions that actually have value? These are few crucial questions that can help us optimize our presence and our message. But here we encounter another challenge: the fear of measuring what truly matters.

Metrics That Lead You Astray—and Why We Often Let It Happen

Most professional social media platforms offer a variety of metrics tools that provide insights into reach, click-through rates, engagement, and more. On the surface, this looks like a treasure trove of information. But upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that these metrics are often tailored to mostly serve the platform's commercial interests, not yours. There should not be a surprise to you that the platforms are designed to get you to invest more into advertising, not necessarily to help you understand the full picture of who you're reaching and how you can convert them into real, lasting relationships.

This brings us to a critical point: Many people choose to focus on these superficial metrics because they are easy and because they create a sense of success. But could it also be a way to avoid confronting the tougher questions? Could it be that by focusing on the "easy" metrics, we're avoiding exposing ourselves to the brutal truth of where we really stand in the commercial world?

The Fear of Confronting What Matters Most

This reluctance to dig deeper can often be a form of avoidance—a fear of facing the realities of our own performance. In a commercial world where competition and results are everything, it can be daunting to measure the aspects that truly count. What if the results aren't as good as we hope? What if we have to admit that we're not reaching the right people, or that our engagement isn't leading to the conversions we need?

This fear can lead us to focus on the metrics that give us a sense of control and success, even if they don't necessarily help us understand and improve our real position. It's easier to focus on simple likes and smiles than to dive into the data that reveals how well we're actually performing against our commercial goals.

Asking the Right Questions—and Daring to Face the Answers

To achieve real success, we must overcome this fear. We need to measure what truly matters, even if it means confronting uncomfortable truths. This requires us to look beyond the standard metrics offered by platforms and ask questions that are truly meaningful to our business: How many of those we reach are actually relevant to our goals? How well does our engagement translate into real value? How can we improve in the areas that truly count?

The Real Value of Measurement: Comparability, Accumulation, and Actionable Data

It's not enough for a metric to simply provide a "snapshot"—a momentary view of the response to a post. For a measurement to be truly valuable, it must be comparable. This means you should be able to use it to see how different posts perform relative to each other, and over time identify which types of content yield the best results. By comparing data across different periods, you can uncover trends and understand what actually works best in the long run.

Additionally, a measurement must be accumulative. This means that data should not be considered in isolation but collected and analyzed over time to provide insights into the total effect. By accumulating information, you can identify which people in your commercial network are most valuable over time, and which types of engagement lead to the most valuable relationships. This gives you a holistic understanding of what creates lasting value and helps you prioritize efforts where they will yield the greatest return.

Even more importantly, metrics must be actionable—that is, they should be able to be immediately utilized. For example, when a metric ranks which individuals represent the most valuable over time engagement, it provides immediate commercial value. You can act on the information right away by focusing sales efforts on the most influential or engaged contacts, or by adjusting your pitch in real time to maximize impact.

The Path Forward: From Blind Faith to Smart Data Use

In a world where measurement is everything, we must learn to be critical of both what we measure and why we measure it. Blind faith in numbers and analysis can lead us astray, especially if we choose to focus on what's easiest to measure rather than what's most important. By overcoming the fear of confronting difficult realities, and by ensuring that our metrics are comparable, accumulative, and actionable, we can use data as a true guide to improvement and success.

So, the next time you assess the impact of what you post on professional social media, ask yourself: Am I measuring what truly matters, or what's easiest to measure? Are my metrics comparable over time, accumulative to provide a holistic insight, and actionable so that I can act on them immediately? And most importantly: Am I willing to face the answers I find? Only when we dare to confront reality can we achieve genuine success—both on social media and in life overall.