Showerthought: a client told me their last agency only sent them vanity metrics

I was talking to a potential client in Denver who said their old agency sent monthly reports full of likes and shares, but never tied it to actual sales. They felt like they were paying for a popularity contest, not a business result. It got me thinking about whether agencies should focus more on bottom-line numbers like leads or revenue, even if those reports look less impressive. How do you balance giving clients what they want to see versus what they actually need?

2 comments

2 Comments

dylan_thompson12d ago

Totally get that. We switched to showing cost per lead right next to the engagement stuff. It made the real value clear and stopped those vanity conversations. What kind of numbers would actually help your client make a decision?

janac5111d ago

Vanity conversations" is such a good way to put it... I see that everywhere, not just in work stuff. People focus on the likes and the showy numbers instead of what actually gets you a result. It's why I always look for the quiet, useful data in anything now.