Choosing Your North Star Metric

Summary: In the discussion initiated by Beth McIntyre (CMX/Bevy), community managers are invited to share insights about their most essential metric—referred to as the 'ride or die' metric—that they track to determine the success of their communities. Beth McIntyre (CMX/Bevy) emphasizes the vast range of available metrics, such as engagement rates and member growth, and the potential overwhelm this can create. They solicit responses on why this key metric is essential, the decision-making process, collaboration involved in selecting it, and the challenges and strategies encountered.

AI Summary

There are countless metrics that community managers can track to gauge the success of their communities. From engagement rates to member growth, the variety can often be overwhelming. For this discussion, we want to hear about your 'ride or die' metric – the one you always track and report on. Why is this metric crucial for you? How did you decide on it? What process did you go through, and who did you collaborate with at your organization to choose this metric? Share your experiences, the challenges you faced, and the strategies you used to determine your community's north star metric.

1 comment

Temidayo Alagba

1 month ago

My ‘ride or die’ metric is meaningful engagement.

Beyond likes or comment counts, I track how often members share insights, reflect on learning, or engage others intentionally. It tells me whether the community is growing in depth not just numbers.

I chose this after aligning with our Learning and Program teams. We wanted a metric that reflects transformation, not just activity. The challenge was quantifying quality, so we introduced engagement tiers and started highlighting standout contributions in our reports.

It’s been a game-changer for measuring real impact, not just noise.