Vanity metrics make you feel good, but they don’t do a whole lot for the bottom-line of your business. Vanity metrics are things like total number of shares, or high traffic spikes. These metrics bring the illusion that you’re succeeding, but they don’t get down to the core of what really matters for your business.
In this post we’re going to explore how vanity metrics are ruining your success and what metrics to focus on that really matter.
Going viral used to mean business growth. However, in the days where posts go viral on a daily basis this doesn’t mean much anymore. Even if your post was beautiful, useful and actionable, it will still be competing for attention with billions of cat gifs.
Going viral is akin to a huge dopamine boost for the brain. It feels good. But, following you’ll just be left with a huge crash. You’ll be left wondering what happened to this huge swarm of traffic, where did all the visitors go. Why didn’t anyone stick around?
If the core of your online content creation is geared towards going viral, then you’re going to be in for a rude awakening. Instead of focusing on the right people, you’ve been focusing on marketing and trying to speak to everyone.
Sure, you may get a lot of eyeballs, but will any of those people stick around after the dust has settled?
The online landscape has changed so drastically in recent years with the online content explosion. Chances are you have an inbox full of unread blog posts already. Instead, of adding to this noise you need to put your focus on a different level of interaction with your customer.
Instead of focusing on hype, get down to the core of your business and start focusing on what really matters.
A real business starts with a real need. You need to be addressing some core problem that your customers are facing, with your service. Find a real need and you’ll find a constant supply of customers. No need for viral marketing.
A real product is something valuable. Even if you offer a service, or operate solely within the online space you still have something tangible to offer to your customers.
Define this and treat it like you were operating a brick and mortar business.
In the online space email subscribers are everything. When it comes time to talk about metrics that matter, email subscribers are what counts. These are people who have given you permission to talk to them on a more intimate level.
This should be your main focus when generating traffic online.
If you’re interested in a content marketing strategy that works, or a full-fledged online strategy, then get in touch with our creative team today.
