Is it about the numbers?

Is it about numbers? We have been trained in recent years to think only about impact through numbers. How many followers do you have, how many comments, how many reactions, how many shares...how engaging are your posts? Are you stirring people to action? What is your ROI? Are people paying attention to you? These are the metrics we use to define success in the social media space, and perhaps they have some merit. But this data hardly tells the full story.

Consider this:

1️⃣ Many people read and scroll on by without engagement. They may read a paragraph or the full post without comment or like, but what you wrote was seen.

2️⃣ Impacting one person matters. One word of wisdom shared, one new way of thinking, or one word of encouragement can multiply in ways you may never know.

3️⃣ If you feel compelled to write, to share a story, to highlight a partner, or to encourage a fellow traveler, do it. Those nudges can be a divine assignment or answer to another's prayer. (One caveat -- be cautious about emotional reactions, political grandstanding or posts aiming to stir the proverbial hornet's nest. Those shared sentiments are rarely fruitful.) Your perspective and experience matter. Why? See #1 and #2 above.

In this day of counting numbers let's not forget the value of the personal. Social media provides opportunity to impact many, but there is inordinate value in reaching the few. Write well. Be intentional. Make a difference with your words.

-Mindy Muller, CFRE, President/CEO of CDP

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