Ah, numbers! 🧮 KPIs, dashboards, reports… Communication has never been so measured. 🤓 Numerical data is the ultimate proof: it's easy to obtain and easy to share, it provides arguments, it's reassuring and it always seems relevant.
Communicators, honestly, don't we end up confusing visibility with effectiveness? Do the numbers on our social media accounts tell us anything truly useful? 📊 The We Are COM team offers you to We'll examine 10 commonly used indicators to understand what they really measure, and especially what they don't measure.
#1 – Likes
Why do we fall into the trap? For simplicity's sake! The number of likes is an immediately visible figure and super easy to compare. It's the very essence of what we call... vanity metrics.
Why is it an illusion? A post that gets liked is flattering, but very rarely correlated with a concrete business or reputational objective. A like requires no effort; it says nothing about understanding the content or agreeing with the message.
🚀 Our solution: After boosting your ego with the number of interactions, focus on their quality. Analyze reasoned comments, identify the profiles that react, and spot the posts that spark genuine discussion.
#2 – Impressions
Why do we fall into the trap? Out of vanity! That number is still incredibly high. The number of impressions instantly makes you want to try stand-up comedy. Sure, you could easily fill the Stade de France.
Why is it an illusion? Because an impression does not guarantee reading, attention, or (even less) memorization.
🚀 Our solution: It's the exposure time and memorability rate that truly measure a post's performance. Conduct quick surveys and polls. How many times is a message actually read? That's the key metric!
#3 – The engagement rate
Why do we fall into the trap? Out of laziness. A single figure that summarizes several figures, WOW! Yes, the engagement rate is magic (on the surface).
Why is it an illusion? Engagement rate is a catch-all term that lumps together actions of fundamentally different value. A click has nothing to do with a comment, and a like has nothing to do with a share. In other words, adding up interactions obscures the truth.
🚀 Our solution: Stop focusing on engagement rates and start studying the type of engagement. Segment and analyze those that reflect genuine interest, those that stem from deliberate action: helpful clicks, thoughtful comments, private messages…
#4 – The number of subscribers
Why do we fall into the trap? Out of habit! This number alone symbolizes popularity and fame, or so we believe. This Instagrammer has over 12.000 followers, did you see that? » 😮
Why is it an illusion? A large community is not necessarily an active, useful, and engaged one. Moreover, in micro-influencers, it's preferable to impact a small, well-targeted audience rather than a large, disinterested, and dispersed one.
🚀 Our solution: The most important thing isn't the number of subscribers, but the growth of your community. Identify your truly active subscribers over time and closely monitor the evolution of these key audiences.
#5 – The number of publications
Why do we fall into the trap? In short! The more posts an account has, the more active the communication seems.
Why is it an illusion? Publishing isn't the same as engaging. In fact, it's quite the opposite; an overly busy editorial calendar risks diluting your message and tiring your audience. Haven't you ever heard of "less is more" or something?
🚀 Our solution The performance of your communication is measured by the actual effectiveness of each piece of content and by overall editorial consistency. So, reduce the volume, share content that truly performs, and strengthen your editorial consistency.
#6 – Click-through rate
Why do we fall into the trap? Through ignorance! Instinctively, we think: one click = one interested reader.
Why is it an illusion? Because a click doesn't reflect interest in your message, but rather interest in your teaser. A click can be misleading.
🚀 Our solution The user clicked, that's already a good start. Now, analyze their post-click behavior: time spent, actions taken, bounce rate, conversion rate… Ultimately, was your promise aligned with your content?
#7 – Video completion rate
Why do we fall into the trap? Logically! We assume that when he watches it, he will be convinced.
Why is it an illusion? It's possible to watch something without engaging with it, to watch a video automatically, without it generating any emotional impact or being remembered. In fact, contrary to popular belief, watching doesn't mean you're committed.
🚀 Our solution Want to measure the impact of your video? Test its memorability and analyze qualitative reactions! On YouTube, the most viewed videos are rarely the most viral. QED.
#8 – Time spent on a page
Why do we fall into the trap? By deduction! A long wait is often (wrongly) taken as a sign of interest. It gives the impression that the user, delighted with their experience, has studied and savored every detail of your landing page.
Why is it an illusion? Because when we stay on a page for a long time, it's rarely for good reasons: a misunderstanding of the message or poor website ergonomics.
🚀 Our solution Focus on the user experience rather than the time spent metric. Compare user journeys to understand, identify pain points, and measure completed actions: downloading, contacting, sharing, etc. So, is it time spent productively or time spent passively?
#9 – Sharing
Why do we fall into the trap? Out of pride! If the user shares, it's because they agree so much that they want others to agree. #BeingErgot
Why is it an illusion? Because, who hasn't ever shared content to parody or mock it? Sharing can mean agreeing as well as criticizing.
🚀 Our solution Focus on context. Too often, the context of sharing is neglected, or even ignored. Identify the reasons for sharing and verify that the interest in your message is genuine, not misleading.
#10 – Total reach (organic + paid)
Why do we fall into the trap? For convenience! Well yes, it gives an overall visibility figure, who can top that?
Why is it an illusion? Logic plus logic does not equal a logical answer. Mixing two distinct methods of measurement will not yield an accurate measurement. As you've understood, combining organic and paid visibility skews the results.
🚀 Our solution Analyze organic and paid reach separately, even though it's tempting to lump them all together. Compare performance with identical content: evaluate organic performance as an indicator of relevance and measure the actual contribution of paid advertising.
Images: Freepik
