What is NPS?

NPS stands for Net Promoter Score, a simple way to see how loyal and satisfied your customers are. It’s based on one question: “On a scale of 0–10, how likely are you to recommend us to a friend or colleague?” Anyone who answers 9 or 10 is a Promoter, 7 or 8 is a Passive, and 0–6 is a Detractor. Your NPS is calculated by subtracting the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Promoters—giving you a score between –100 and +100.

Why does NPS matter?

NPS gives you a bird’s-eye view of how your brand or product is perceived. It’s not just about satisfaction—it’s about loyalty. A higher NPS means more enthusiastic customers who are likely to recommend you and stick around. And that tends to lead to real business growth: companies with strong NPS often outpace competitors.

How is NPS calculated?

You start by surveying customers with a single question:
“How likely are you to recommend us?” (0–10). Then:

  • Count Promoters (9–10), Passives (7–8), and Detractors (0–6).
  • Compute: % Promoters minus % Detractors = NPS score.
  • Ignore Passives in that calculation (they don’t count for or against you).

So if 60% are Promoters and 20% are Detractors, your NPS is 60 − 20 = 40.

What is a good NPS?

Generally:

  • Above 0 is seen as okay—more fans than critics.
  • Above 50 is considered excellent.
  • Above 70 is outstanding—but this depends on your industry.

A “good” score really means you’re doing better than similar companies. And most importantly—it gives you a trend to track over time.

How does NPS link to social media?

NPS isn’t just a number in a survey. It reflects how likely your customers are to become brand advocates—the kind of folks who talk positively about your business on social media. Promoters might post about your product, follow your brand, leave positive comments, share experiences—and that drives organic engagement, credibility, and reach.

Tracking NPS alongside social listening lets you see how sentiment expressed in comments, mentions, reviews or shares correlates with your survey-based score.

What are the limitations of NPS?

Some things to watch for:

  • It oversimplifies loyalty—only one question and no nuance.
  • It groups everyone who scores 7 or 8 as passive, even though they might behave differently.
  • Response bias: unhappy customers might be more likely to answer.
  • It’s easy to overuse or misapply internally—some companies have tied employee pay to NPS in unhelpful ways.

Use NPS as a lens, not the whole picture.

How can you use NPS effectively?

  • Follow up: Ask open‑text “why” questions after the rating. Get feedback, learn what Promoters love and what Detractors dislike.
  • Act on it: Use feedback to improve product features or service—all good material for content or social updates like “We heard you, we fixed that.”
  • Track over time: Compare month to month or quarter to quarter to spot trends.
  • Benchmark vs. peers: See where you stand within your industry.

Quick Tips

  • Do ask follow‑ups like “What would make you score higher?”
  • Do compare NPS to qualitative feedback from social monitoring tools.
  • Don’t overreact to a single low score—look for patterns.
  • Don’t tie front‑line incentives purely to NPS without context; it can backfire.

With NPS, you get a clear snapshot of customer loyalty—something that’s simple to track, but powerful when you pair it with real feedback and social insight. Keep asking, keep listening, and use what you learn to build stronger relationships.