Eric Yim: Views Need a Path to Real Value

To tell if social media views are helping your service business, look at who you're reaching, what the content helps them understand, and what happens next. Views can create an opportunity. Relevant questions, visits to your service information, inquiries and booked work give you stronger evidence that the opportunity is turning into something of value.

By Eric Yim, Protocol Text

What a view count leaves out

I think one of the things people get wrong is that a lot of people chase virality and just views. They don't also think about who this is actually going to, or how those views are going to convert in the long term.

A view count doesn't tell you whether someone could hire you, needs your service or understood what you do. A person might watch because the post is funny, surprising or controversial. That attention may have very little connection to the work you want.

Before judging a post, give it a purpose. For a service business, that might be helping someone understand the work before they ask for an estimate. Then look for evidence that it served that purpose. A question about your process tells you something different from a comment about the joke in the video.

Choose the viewer and the next step before the post

I'd start with a specific person who could use the service. Think about what they're trying to decide and what they need to know before contacting a provider. That gives the content a direction beyond getting watched.

Then choose a next step that fits the question. Someone learning what a service includes might need a clear explanation on your website. Someone checking whether you handle their type of work might be ready to ask about availability.

The post, profile and destination should agree. If the post explains one service but the link opens a page that barely mentions it, the reader has to start looking again. Check that the service information and contact route are easy to find.

You don't have to turn every post into a sales pitch. Give a useful answer, then offer the next piece of information someone would reasonably need. That keeps the invitation connected to the content.

An illustrative example: a cleaner showing their work

If I were helping a cleaner, I'd probably have them show their work rather than use viral hacks. Here's an illustrative exercise, not a client result.

Suppose a cleaner wants inquiries from people comparing cleaning services. They could create a post explaining what a particular service includes, using work they're allowed to show. The caption could point readers to a page with the actual scope and a way to inquire.

Compare that with an unrelated entertainment post. The entertainment post might attract more views. The service explanation gives a potential customer information they can use to decide whether to contact the cleaner.

For the next post you plan, write down:

• Who could hire you after seeing this?
• What decision or question does the post help with?
• Where can an interested person go next?
• What evidence would show that it helped?

If you can't answer those questions, revise the idea before spending more time making it. You may need a clearer subject or a better destination rather than a more elaborate video.

Track the steps between watching and hiring

Keep a simple record of each post's topic, intended audience and next step. Alongside views, note useful signals you can actually observe: service questions, website visits from a tagged link, relevant inquiries and booked work.

A tagged link is a website address with labels added so analytics can identify where a visit came from. It can help connect a post to a visit, but it won't capture every person's route to contacting you.

Read the inquiries, too. Are people asking for work you offer? Can you serve their location? A post that brings unsuitable requests may need clearer wording about the service or area covered.

Use those observations to choose what to make next. If a topic brings relevant questions, answer those questions in follow-up content. If people click but don't inquire, check whether the page answers their likely concerns and makes contact straightforward. Treat that as something to investigate, not proof that the page is the problem.

Allow for long-term value without assuming it

I don't think content has to have millions of views to do anything. A useful explanation can still help someone who finds it later. Public, crawlable content, meaning content automated systems can access, may also be available to search engines and AI systems. Access doesn't guarantee indexing, a recommendation or an inquiry.

That possibility is a reason to make clear, useful content, not a reason to stop measuring. Keep service details current and judge the effort against the business it helps you build.

I also don't agree that all publicity is good publicity. Attention that damages trust can work against the reason someone would hire you.

Frequently asked questions

How can I find out whether a caller saw my social posts?

Ask how they first heard about you and what prompted them to contact you now. Those may have different answers. Record both with the inquiry. Someone might discover you through a post, then return through a search or recommendation. Leave room for multiple influences instead of forcing one source.

How long should I test content before changing direction?

There's no single deadline that fits every service. Set a review point around how customers typically decide to hire and how consistently you can post. Fix broken links or unclear contact details immediately. Give broader topic decisions more evidence than one post's view count.

What if I don't have enough inquiries to spot a pattern?

Keep the tracking simple and avoid declaring a winner from a tiny sample. Look for relevant questions and check that the next step works. Change one clear thing at a time, such as the topic or destination, so you have a better chance of learning what helped.