My presentation to SES London 2012 - metrics that matter

1. London | 20–24 Feb, 2012 | #seslondon
Metrics that Matter
Will Critchlow
Distilled
@willcritchlow

2. I’m focusing on managing
teams or agencies
Picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zilpho/2964153404/

3. Who’s been bawled out for not
getting enough links?
Picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/localjapantimes/4765784173/

4. Saying “just do it better” isn’t
very helpful
Picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/huf/3979644185/

5. Step 1: have a plan
Picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/topekalibrary/3513847230/

6. Side-note – get it signed off
Picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/speakingoffaith/3514709815/

7. Watch how fast the sausages
come out, sure
Picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/somisguided/3396167043/

8. But when stuff goes wrong(*)
(*) and stuff will go wrong
Picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/db0yd13/3085020258/

9. Realise that the metrics that
matter are INPUTS(*)
(*) or the plan was a rubbish
Picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/somisguided/3396167043/

10. i.e. If the sausages aren’t
coming out fast enough, it’s
this guy’s fault
Picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/somisguided/3396167043/

11. Here’s how I structure
reporting:
• Activity
• Output
• Results

12. Activity
What have you done?
Picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/6214677360/

13. Examples:
hours spent, emails sent
(I like toggl.com)

14. Output
How’s the plan going?
Picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/topekalibrary/3513847230/

15. Is all the activity creating the
desired outputs?
(This is actual outreach data from an email from our head of outreach)
Total Hours Spent As Team: 24.75
Total Sites Reached Out to: 63
Total Responses: 36
Response Rate: 57%
Number of Successes: 18
Rate of Success: 50%

16. Results
How much money have we made?
Picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/59937401@N07/5929622407/

17. Get as close to the money as
you can
(that’s really the others’ presentations)
Unique
Source/Medium Revenue
Visitors
google / organic 13,279 $42,910.90
(direct) / (none) 9,487 $18,149.00

18. Oh, and show what’s holding
you up
(excerpt from a real email from a PR company we worked with)
Note: WC provided additional editorial content for BBC online
feature – chasing next steps from journalist
Action: Metro interview to be re-scheduled ASAP – LG
continuing to liaise with journalist
Note: WC provided content for first Bnet feature
Action: WC to provide summary paragraph for end / LG to
forward to journalist – ASAP

19. Discovering problems
(normally):
• Results
• Output
• Activity

20. Fixing problems (always):
• Results
• Output
• Activity

21. You can know things are going
wrong well before you’re
sliding along on your arse
Picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/edwardk662/3875428370/

22. Focus on leading indicators of
success (or failure)
Picture: http://en.techorange.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Picture-4-425x313.png

23. “Ontrackness”
Picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffcovey/3771680423/

24. Soft metrics:
“Do people like it?”
Picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pasukaru76/4892378102/in/photostream/

25. Summary – these are the
metrics that matter (IMO):
• Activity
• Output
• Results

26. Will Critchlow
Founder, Distilled
www.distilled.net
will.critchlow@distilled.net
@willcritchlow