How do you measure your client work's impact?

1 Define your goals and metrics

The first step to measure your client work's impact is to define your goals and metrics. What are you trying to achieve for your client, and how will you know if you succeed? Depending on the type and scope of your work, you may have different goals and metrics, such as increasing sales, improving customer satisfaction, enhancing brand awareness, or reducing costs. You should align your goals and metrics with your client's expectations and needs, and make sure they are SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

2 Collect and analyze data

The next step is to collect and analyze data that relates to your goals and metrics. You can use various sources and methods to gather data, such as surveys, interviews, web analytics, social media, reports, or feedback. You should choose the most appropriate and reliable data sources and methods for your work, and ensure that they are valid, accurate, and consistent. You should also analyze the data to identify patterns, trends, correlations, or causal relationships that show the impact of your work.

3 Report and communicate results

The final step is to report and communicate your results to your client. You should present your results in a clear, concise, and compelling way, using visual aids, such as charts, graphs, or infographics, to highlight the key findings and insights. You should also explain the meaning and implications of your results, and how they relate to your goals and metrics, as well as your client's objectives and challenges. You should also provide recommendations and suggestions for future actions or improvements, based on your results.

4 Use feedback and testimonials

One of the best ways to measure your client work's impact is to use feedback and testimonials from your client and their customers. Feedback and testimonials can provide qualitative and quantitative evidence of your work's value and impact, as well as enhance your credibility and reputation. You can ask your client and their customers for feedback and testimonials, either formally or informally, using surveys, reviews, ratings, or referrals. You should also ask for permission to use their feedback and testimonials in your portfolio, website, or social media.

5 Benchmark and compare

Another way to measure your client work's impact is to benchmark and compare your results with other relevant indicators or standards. Benchmarking and comparing can help you assess your work's performance and effectiveness, as well as identify areas of strength and weakness. You can benchmark and compare your results with your own previous work, your client's previous or expected results, your competitors' or industry's results, or best practices or norms. You should also explain the criteria and rationale for your benchmarking and comparing, and how they reflect your work's impact.

6 Review and improve

The last way to measure your client work's impact is to review and improve your work based on your results and feedback. Reviewing and improving your work can help you learn from your experience, optimize your processes and methods, and deliver better results and impact for your client. You should review your work regularly and systematically, using tools such as SWOT analysis, gap analysis, or feedback loops. You should also improve your work by implementing changes, adjustments, or innovations, based on your review findings and feedback.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?