Every Friday afternoon I get an email.

    It tells me how many people started following me on twitter and how many people unfollowed me.  To get the info you’ve to click on a button.

    For followers the button says “See the new fans“.

    For unfollowers the button says “Who showed poor judgement?“.

    Maybe those labels are just supposed to be a bit of fun.


    But are you flattered when you get more attention on social media?

    Many people claim they’re immune to vanity metrics but you can regularly read people getting excited about increased engagement. 

    Is their ego being stroked?

    Or perhaps they presume that the engagement will translate into sales?

    Some social media metric heading in the right direction is not an end in itself. 

    And as to the “who showed poor judgement” people: what if it’s in fact the opposite?  What if they’re actually showing good judgement because my content is crap?

    Or maybe you’ve got a tight definition of your target market and your messaging is correctly talking to them (and only them)?  That would cause others to unfollow you.  But they were never going to buy from you anyway so who cares!

    The lesson?  We need to be careful in interpreting.

    And then, even if the metrics are trending positively, and your messaging is resonating with your target market, are they buying?  And at a price that lets you earn a profit?  And paying you in a timely manner so you avoid cashflow issues?

    At the end of the day that’s what we all are looking for isn’t it?  Or should be looking for – making profitable sales and getting paid promptly. 

    Always has been   Always will be. 

    That’s the ball to keep your eye on!

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