Measurement Matters: Free Tools

What are you doing that you can monitor?

You probably track big items like a sale but what about smaller activities on the path to that outcome?

There's less need to guess or assume these days. You can substitute facts for impressions.

Third Tuesday Measurement Matters (#TTMM) focused on social media. My mind's still numb from the day's content. There are sophisticated tools beyond the budgets and needs of small business.

Here we'll look beyond that realm to you and free measurement tools you can use.

For Presenters

If you're a presenter, why not use a low tech feedback sheet to see how your audiences really feel? This is different from a form to entice attendees to sign up for newsletters or something you're selling.

A feedback sheet belongs on a separate page designed for anonymity. It's also a form of marketing. You're showing you care and are open to input. If that's true, what do you do with the responses?

You show transparency by putting feedback online where attendees can see it. Yes, this includes the negative opinions too. For example, here's written feedback for Do You Market Like It's 1999? You can easily do the same.

Silence Isn't Golden

The design of your feedback sheet influences whether your audience takes the time to complete it. If you aren't getting enough responses, try changing the design. You'll save time by starting with a template someone else already uses.

If you're not engaging your audiences you may get little back. Giving feedback takes effort. Would you bother for someone you didn't like or bolt out ASAP?

Online

Much happens online, which means you can track it. You can

• set up a Google Alert with keywords for you, your company and your niche
• use Twitter searches for keywords or hash tags like #ttmm

You can also join relevant groups on LinkedIn and get a digest daily or weekly. What you find won't be specifically about you but people like you and clients like yours — an opportunity to learn vicariously. 

After Service

When you get your car serviced, do you get a call or email asking you what you think about the service? You can too. Simply asking shows an element of care even if there aren't many responses.

I called Netflix just after subscribing last week. A short satisfaction survey arrived minutes later. They weren't able to help, but I still felt good.

Scary

Finding out out what others think about you, where you work and what you do is scary. You might uncover negative responses but you then have an opportunity to improve. Isn't that better than ignorance?

What matters gets measured. What's measured gets better. That's why measurement matters. Just ask and observe.

Links

• Third Tuesday Toronto (meetup.com)
• Google Alerts: track what matters to you
• Three tips to add impact to your content
• image courtesy of Dominik Gwarek (Poland)

PS Do you give feedback when you're asked?