Buskers

There are parallels you can draw between your brand storytelling and that of a street musician.  Both trying to connect with an audience amidst an extremely busy environment.  

So, when it's time to measure the performance of your content, take a moment to think about how a street musician might measure success.

Is it about impressions?  Do they care about the number of people that rushed by, perhaps catching a fleeting glimpse of their act?  Likely not.  

Similarly, impressions or view count of your film provides a very limited picture.  Views can be bought and count even if only a small portion of the video was actually watched.  Similarly, shares can be misleading as a surprising number of people (59% according to a Columbia University study) forward content they haven’t even watched or read themselves.

Watch time, on the other hand, measures the relevance and resonance of your content.  The longer the audience watches, the more likely they found it valuable. 

Creating value through content is what exceptional brands do.

A successful street musician draws an audience in and gets them to stick around.  Because they know those who stick around are also those reaching into their pockets at the end of the show.