At too many business conferences, seminars, and masterminds, the conversation is dominated by tactics, metrics, and numbers. They sit you under fluorescent lights, feed you muffins, bagels and pasta lunches, and tell you that metrics are king—and should dictate how and when you talk to your market. Here’s what irks me about that…
For many of us, our businesses aren’t transactional. They’re relational.
Which means:
- Most of your leads come from referrals.
- Your clients need to trust you to get the results they want.
- They have to actually like you in order to stick around.
If this is how your business grows, if this is the kind of work you want to do, and the kind of people you want to work with, then why are we reducing human connection to clicks, conversions, and funnels?
Measuring the Strength of a Relationship
This leads to the question of how exactly do you measure human connection? How do you track someone’s trust and devotion to you—the kind that leads them to refer you, stay loyal, come back year after year, and support you in ways that can't be captured in a spreadsheet?
The irony is, I see smart, successful practice owners nurturing relationships every day and generating real results—but few are talking about it.
My contention is that relationships can and should be measured.They just require a different kind of “technology” and better terminology. Relationship KPIs. Metrics for the human side of marketing.
At Zine, we like to call them Embodied Metrics—measures that reflect connection, presence, and emotional resonance.
Here are five you can use, with examples of how our newsletter clients are implementing them in their print newsletters:
1- Showing Up
How often and how consistently are you present in your audience’s world? Are you sending the email, mailing the newsletter, posting the photo, making the call, or writing the handwritten note? Relationship marketing isn’t about a single splash—it’s about the steady rhythm of presence.
Our newsletter clients publish and mail newsletters on a bi-monthly basis. We recommend they get mailed to past and present clients, recent prospects, and referral sources. We find that every other month keeps the newsletter fresh and exciting for both the sender and recipient.
2- Telling Your Story
What percentage of your content reflects not just what you do—but who you are? Are you sharing personal insights, behind-the-scenes glimpses, values, and real-life moments that build trust and relatability?
The content strategy we recommend for our newsletters is 70% lifestyle content, and 30% professional. That 30% is typically covered with boilerplate or repurposed content that sufficiently explains or demonstrates your expertise.
3- Opening Channels
How many ways can people find you, feel you, and reach out to you? Beyond a generic contact page—do you offer videos, warm landing pages, tailored offers, interactive forms, or low-barrier ways to say hello?
I’m a Dan Kennedy girl, which means we incorporate direct response principles in all our programs. Before any newsletter goes to design, the content is reviewed for strong headlines, compelling offers, clear calls to action, and reasons to act now. We also make sure it integrates with the client’s online efforts and is aligned with their overall brand message.
4- Getting Out of Your Head
What truth are you holding back because it feels too honest? What bold belief or industry rule could you challenge that signals to the right people: “This is where you belong.”
Every newsletter client is invited to take part in a 90-Minute Brand Discovery session. One of the outcomes of this process is understanding your why, your vision, the bigger mission you are pursuing. Clarity on these ideas fuel passion and drive deeper connection when expressed.
5- Inviting Opportunity
Are you extending clear, human invitations to connect? Not just “Contact us,” but “Join me on a live call,” “Let’s talk one-on-one,” or “Here’s something that made me think of you.”
Is it clear what you want them to do? And easy for them take that step?
For example, many of our clients like to put recipes in their newsletters. An “inviting opportunity” we use is “Did you make it? Take a picture and send it to us!”
Embodied Metrics
At Zine, we call this new technology Embodied Metrics. And they are more than just numbers that live on a spreadsheet.
In a world where everyone is focused on lagging indictors like clicks, calls, or conversions, Embodied Metrics are leading indicators that live in us and can be measured.
They are tangible markers of energy, consistency, resonance—and ultimately, trust—that can be tracked to get better ROI in the outcomes.
At the heart of this technology are two core drivers:
Expanded Capacity - to serve and hold more of what you truly want
Emotional Connection - which drives loyalty, referrals, and growth
The ultimate outcome? Deeper connections. More meaningful work. Better-fit clients. Aligned expansion.
It’s easy to talk numbers and tactics. And we should have those conversations.But if your business is built on relationships, here’s my challenge to you:
- What’s your next move—not to automate—but to humanize?
- How do you make your business more you?
- How do you put your DNA into every touchpoint?
Because the businesses that last aren’t just scalable, they’re soulful.
The takeaway: When your practice is rooted in real relationships, you need real metrics. Start tracking what actually builds trust—consistency, story, presence, honesty, and human invitations—and you’ll start seeing results that last.