Measurement

In the book Measure What Matters, I was surprised by some of the obvious things it stated that I hadn't thought about. For example, measurement is so much more than counting. Sounds completely obvious right? But in my head, measurement has always been numbers. A way for me to calculate success or failure. Measurement gives you an idea of how well you did in your campaign. The book said, "Measurement takes your totals, analyzes what they mean, and uses that meaning to improve business practices." Measurement is so much more than figuring your totals at the end of a campaign. It kind of took me a second to realize how obvious the difference between counting and measuring, but, to be honest, I was just doing the measurement because that is what I have learned. However, measurement is one of the most important things you can do in a campaign. It lets you know how well you are doing, what is working or not working and where you need to improve. It gives you guidelines to follow for the next time you run  a campaign. Measurement is a way for you to get your facts in line. It gives you the opportunity to see your success in numbers. It provides you with resources you need so you can make informed decisions.

At my internship, I never saw them take the steps to do any sort of measurement. If everything seemed to be going well, then yay! It's a success. I wish I could have made them see the importance of measurement and the value in evaluation. Unfortunately, I was the small time intern in a big pond of professionals. Maybe one day they will get it.