Maria shows you a lot of numbers. Only a few should change your plan. Here's how to read them without fooling yourself.
Business followers before total followers
Total followers make a profile look established, and that matters. But the followers who could hire you, buy from you or refer you are the ones that pay. Watch those first. Caleb Ralston's video with 95,000 views and no inquiries is the warning.
Leads and sign-ups are the real scoreboard
A lead is someone who reached out about work. A sign-up is someone who gave you permission to show up in their inbox. Seth Godin would say the second is worth more than it looks. Log both, even when they're zero.
What the benchmark comparison means
Maria compares your results with a starting estimate for each platform. 1.5× means your posts beat the estimate by half. She pulls that number towards 1 until you have enough posts, so don't read much into it before 10 or 12 posts with results.
When to change the plan
- Change one thing at a time, and keep it for at least two weeks.
- Change when a pattern holds across several posts, not after one great or one terrible post.
- If a format beats the benchmark on business followers or leads, give it more of your hours, even if it gets fewer views.
When not to look
Don't check results the hour you post. Add them two or three days later, once the post has had its run. The practice is posting. The numbers are for Sunday.