Hi Everyone! Welcome to another audio version of Digital Hope.
MILESTONE: I’m super close to 500 subscribers! When I started this Substack, I wasn’t sure how many people would be interested in regular content about the upsides of our digital world and better ways of navigating it together. From my book sales, I knew there is interest in the concepts I write about, but buying a book is different than signing up for a newsletter. I’m thrilled to connect with so many of you, and honored you’re willing to allow me to occupy space in your life. Thank you!
[TRANSCRIPT]
A social media post may be seen by only a handful of viewers, but it can have profound impact on one or all of them. For better. Or for worse.
Hi everyone. Welcome to Digital Hope Talk. I’m Lauren Hug and I thank you for listening and being willing to explore better ways of navigating our digital world together.
This is Episode 6: Valuing Connections More Than Stats. In our digital world, a single view can have significant impact.
A few months before launching this Substack, I was experimenting with various ways of exploring the upsides of social media and how to collectively use it to advance collaboration and community. I published a brief article on my LinkedIn urging small business owners to be vulnerable with customers and community members about the challenges they face in operating their business.
Citing findings from a research study conducted on Culinary Distancing COS, a Facebook group dedicated to supporting local food and drink businesses through the pandemic and beyond, the article highlighted how community members became more invested in businesses that shared struggles and needs instead of merely communicating offers and information.
“Tell the community about what you’re doing and be transparent about the things you’re learning along the way,” I wrote. “Ask the community for support and help. Be specific about what you need…. When we know how to help, we become partners and friends instead of consumers.”
I was excited about the article. I love supporting small businesses and helping them find ways of connecting with their audience — especially ways that demonstrate how vital businesses are to communities and how deeply business owners care about the people they serve. I find joy in sharing research, case studies, and insights on the power of simple human connection to create lasting bonds between businesses and customers.
Based on LinkedIn stats, however, the article was a dud. It only had 30 views and three “likes”. Despite all the criticism and hand-wringing about engagement-maximizing algorithms determining what social media networks serve to users, engagement metrics still dominate discussions about “successful” social media content. Many social media jobs are measured on increasing views, likes, comments and shares — not on making and nurturing human connections and interactions. And, according to those measures, the post wasn’t successful at all.
But then, at an event held at Bread & Butter Neighborhood Market, a grocery store serving our downtown community (launched in the midst of the pandemic), Stacy, one of the owners and curators, stopped me to tell me she enjoyed the post. She went on to say that after thinking about it and talking it over with her co-owner, they decided to use some of my suggestions in a communication with supporters of the store. I was honored.
And I was floored.
I interpreted the LinkedIn metrics as saying no one read the post, which is absurd since the metrics clearly stated 30 people viewed it. Stacy, a business owner who believes in building community, was one of those people.
Even though I know the difference between engagement and impact — and write and speak about the difference pretty much all the time — I automatically assumed my post had no impact because the engagement stats were low. That’s how conditioned I am to measuring the impact and value of my digital activity in terms of those engagement metrics.
It’s time to stop allowing algorithms and metrics that pretty much everyone has a problem with to be the standard by which we evaluate our online activity. What we say and do in digital spaces matters — even when we think no one is paying attention. Maybe especially then.
Unless someone tells us how our social media content impacts them (thank you, Stacey, for your kindness in doing so!), we don’t know what kind of impact our posts are having.
A post may be seen by only a handful of viewers, but it can have profound impact on one or all of them. For better. Or for worse.
When we choose “for better,” we transform digital spaces into welcoming and uplifting places full of helpful information and insights; stories of people and businesses doing brave, innovative, and community-centric things; respectful conversations about difficult and controversial topics; kindness and camaraderie. Those posts might not “perform well” in terms of engagement metrics, but they are invaluable contributions to the positive social media use many of us want to see. And invaluable to building a better world together.
Please keep sharing your interests, your passions, your observations, your thoughts, and your hearts — even if engagement metrics are low. You never know who is paying attention and what connections your posts will spark. That’s how we build relationships with people we might not otherwise ever meet in physical spaces, strengthen bonds with those we already know, and find our way forward together.
If you’d like to explore ways your organization can use social media to build connections and relationships and share the world you want to see — rather than focusing on stats — please contact me at lauren @ HugSpeak . com. I’d love to see if there’s a way we can work together.
[AUDIO] Valuing Connections More Than Stats