Basics3 min read
What 'it's working' actually looks like
Marketing numbers come in two kinds: numbers that feel good and numbers that pay rent. Confusing them is the most expensive mistake in small-business marketing.
The vanity ladder
Followers feel best and mean least. Reach means people saw you. Saves and shares mean people found it useful. Clicks mean someone acted. Enquiries and orders mean money. Every step down the ladder is worth ten of the step above.
Judge each channel by its job
Not everything should be judged on sales. A brand post's job is to be remembered, so judge it on saves. A search ad's job is enquiries, so judge it ruthlessly on enquiries. Trouble starts when you judge everything on likes, or everything on sales.
And when a number can't be measured (say, your analytics isn't connected) the honest answer is "not measured", never zero. Zeros lie.
The takeaway: pick the one number that means money for you, watch it weekly, and let the feel-good numbers be a bonus.