How do I tell if any of this is working?
If you can't tell what's working, you can't do more of it. But measuring the wrong things is worse than not measuring at all — it sends you chasing numbers that don't pay the bills.
Watch the signals that matter
The ones worth your attention are tied to your business: are more people getting in touch, joining your mailing list, buying, or mentioning that they found you through a post or a search? Those are real. A jump in likes that changes none of that is noise.
Ignore the vanity numbers
Followers, likes and impressions feel good and mostly mean little. Don't let a quiet week on the vanity metrics knock you off a plan that's quietly winning you enquiries. And remember the timescale: this is a months-long game, so read trends, not single days.
Do more of what works
Every few weeks, look honestly at what got a real response and do more of it; drop what didn't. That simple loop, run patiently, is how the whole thing compounds — the logic is in How does AI decide who to recommend — and how do I become that person?, and the rhythm is Your first six weeks: a starter plan.
The prompt
“You're my honest analyst. I'm a [what you do] in [town] and I've been [what you've been doing] for [how long]. Here's what I'm seeing: [enquiries, sign-ups, visits, follower changes — whatever you have]. Tell me straight: what's actually working, what isn't, and what I should do more or less of. Don't let me chase vanity numbers.”
The [bracketed] parts are yours to fill in. First time? Connect bernard to your AI over MCP — a one-time setup in bernard → your site → Use your own AI — then paste the prompt above.
Questions people ask
- Why aren't my follower counts going up fast?
- Because getting known is slow — months, not days — and followers are a vanity number anyway. Watch the things that matter to your business instead: enquiries, sign-ups, sales, and whether AI and search start naming you.
- What should I actually measure?
- The signals tied to your business: people getting in touch, joining your list, buying, and mentioning where they found you. On your bernard site, changes you make wait for your approval, so you can safely test what pulls a response and keep what works.