A Cup of Tea and a Few Thoughts…
I was thinking recently about how much attention we give to numbers. Social media followers, website visitors, likes, shares, email subscribers… the list goes on, and it's very easy to get caught up in them, after all, there's something rather satisfying about seeing those numbers go up, isn't there? But here's a question.
Are those numbers actually telling you how well your business is doing?
Because sometimes, the things we're measuring aren't necessarily the things that matter most.
The numbers that make us feel good
Imagine two small businesses, one has 5,000 Instagram followers, posts regularly and receives plenty of likes, the other has 300 followers, posts occasionally and doesn't get much engagement. Which one would you say is doing better? Well, we don't really know, do we?
The first might have lots of people enjoying its content but very few actually buying anything. The second might have a smaller, more local audience who regularly book appointments, recommend the business to friends and keep coming back. Of course, social media engagement can be valuable. It helps build awareness and relationships, but on its own, it doesn't tell us very much about what's happening in the business.
What are you actually trying to achieve?
This is where I think it's worth taking a moment to consider what success looks like for your particular business. If you're a therapist, perhaps it's having a steady diary of appointments and clients who return. If you're a tradesperson, it might be receiving a consistent number of good-quality enquiries that turn into paid work. For an independent retailer, it could be repeat purchases, average order values or customers recommending you to others, and for a consultant, perhaps it's attracting the right type of client rather than simply generating more enquiries. The point is that every business is different.
And the things you measure should reflect what you're actually trying to achieve.
More isn't always better
I've worked with marketing budgets and performance figures for many years, and one thing I've learnt is that looking at a number in isolation rarely tells you the whole story. A campaign might bring thousands of visitors to a website, but if none of them enquire or buy, was it really successful? on the other hand, a much smaller campaign might attract fewer people but result in several valuable new customers. Which would you rather have?
It's not necessarily about reaching the most people, it's about reaching the right people and understanding what happens afterwards.
You don't need complicated reports
Now, before anyone starts worrying about spreadsheets and analytics dashboards, I'm not suggesting that every small business needs to become an expert in data, far from it, sometimes a simple notebook or spreadsheet is all you need. You could keep track of how many enquiries you receive each month, where they came from and how many turn into bookings or sales, or you might look at how many customers return or which services are proving most popular.
Even asking a new customer, "How did you hear about me?" can tell you something useful.
Over time, those little pieces of information can help you understand what's working and where to focus your efforts.
Don't forget the things that are harder to measure
Of course, not everything important fits neatly into a spreadsheet.
A lovely customer review, someone recommending your business to a friend or a client telling you how much they appreciated the time you spent explaining something. Those things matter too, they might not always produce an immediate sale, but they can tell you a great deal about the experience you're providing and the relationships you're building.
And for many small businesses, those relationships are what keep customers coming back.
And finally, a thought over my cup of tea…
I think it's worth remembering that being busy and being successful aren't necessarily the same thing. You can spend hours creating social media content, watching your follower count grow and checking how many people have visited your website, but if those activities aren't helping you achieve what you want for your business, perhaps it's time to look at things a little differently.
Choose a handful of measures that genuinely matter to you.
Keep an eye on them.
And use what you learn to make better decisions.
Because sometimes, a small number that means something is far more valuable than a big number that doesn't.
Now, I think my tea is cold….
Bev