The 3 most dangerous social media metrics
It’s not traffic, tweets or comments that you should keep an eye on. Here’s why—and what you should pay attention to.
These metrics don’t really matter:
1. Traffic
A post of mine went viral on StumbleUpon a few weeks ago. That post sent more than 160,000 visits to my blog in a week. But all traffic is not equal, and traffic doesn’t necessarily equate to revenue.
Do you need traffic? Absolutely. But quality trumps quantity. You don’t need 100,000 visitors, just a tribe that actually cares.
2. Tweets, likes, fans and followers
Marcus Sheridan wrote an interesting post the other day that reflects this point. The posts that make him the most money are not necessarily the most popular. Just because a post is popular on social media doesn’t mean it’s valuable for your customers or your business.
3. Comments
The people who comment on your blog are not an accurate representation of your readers. The people who comment on your blog are usually other bloggers. There is a silent majority of people who read everything you write, but don’t comment. It’s nice to have comments on your posts, but it’s not as important as you might think.
Metrics that matter
Become a Ragan Insider member to read this article and all other archived content.
Sign up today
Already a member? Log in here.
Learn more about Ragan Insider.
