Vanity Metrics Don't Pay the Bills
If your marketing team walks into your office beaming and says, “Great news — views are up, viewers are up, engagement is up!”, the most important follow-up question is still:
“Has this increased your sales?”
Because here’s the awkward truth we all know but don’t always say out loud:
Vanity metrics don’t pay the rent or the electric bill. Views aren’t invoices. Clicks aren’t contracts. Engagement isn’t a line item on your energy bill.
When Stats Get “Good”… but Business Doesn’t
As marketers, we should celebrate performance data. But the celebration only matters if it’s connected to the thing your business actually runs on: revenue.
And there’s a real risk in chasing numbers for numbers’ sake. Some tactics can inflate impressions, views, clicks, and even followers while doing absolutely nothing for real demand.
I’ve seen too many cases of:
- click farms
- fake profiles
- fake reviews
- “inflated” engagement that looks great… until the platform algorithm changes and the whole thing collapses
If it’s not moving your bottom line, it’s not a win. It’s noise.
So… Do Analytics Matter?
Absolutely. Analytics are leading indicators. They tell us:
- whether our message is reaching people
- whether the creative is working
- whether we’re building awareness and interest
For example, in Meta analytics, a 10X increase in organic views typically means your unpaid content is being seen ten times more than its previous baseline or comparable period.
What “Organic Views” Usually Means
Organic views generally come from:
- feeds (people scrolling)
- Explore discovery
- hashtag searches
- your profile/page
- “viral reach” (the algorithm pushing content because people are liking, commenting, or sharing early)
Why a 10X Jump Matters
A spike like that can signal:
- Algorithm favorability: the platform is distributing the post wider because it’s performing early
- Efficiency: organic views are effectively “free” distribution
- Native advantage: platforms often reward video uploaded directly (vs. shared links)
- Paid → organic uplift: sometimes ad engagement spills over into higher organic distribution
That’s real value. But it’s not the finish line.
The Missing Bridge Metric: Confirmed Leads
If you want to keep client relationships healthy (and keep marketing budgets from getting the side-eye), you need a bridge between:
“people saw stuff” → “we made money.”
That bridge is confirmed leads. Not:
- “someone clicked”
- “we got 37 form fills” (half of which are asdf@asdf.com)
- “traffic from places you don’t even sell to”
Confirmed leads are the ones you can point to and say:
- ✅ real person
- ✅ fits the target audience
- ✅ real need
- ✅ wants to talk / book / buy / get a quote
- ✅ you can actually contact them
When someone asks, “Is this working?” confirmed leads let you answer with confidence:
“Yes — here are the real opportunities we created.”
Why Repetition Matters (and Why Video Wins so Often)
Marketing is rarely one-touch. The “Rule of 7” has been around forever for a reason: most people need repeated exposure before they take action.
That’s why a strategy built around video (and repurposing video across channels) is so often effective—especially when the content is real.
One example: a client had a ton of authentic GoPro footage. It wasn’t “highly produced,” but it was believable. It showed the product in the real world. That kind of content builds trust faster than glossy hype.
The key isn’t just making video. It’s making video that still has:
- a hook (why should I care in the first 2 seconds?)
- audio/captions (so people understand it fast—even muted)
- clear context (what am I looking at?)
- optional music/energy to keep attention
Then comes the real question: How are you using those videos inside a bigger marketing strategy?
Distribution Reality Check: Your Buyer Might Not Look Like Your Follower
In that same type of scenario, the target audience might be men over 50… but:
- women may also buy it for themselves
- younger people might influence the purchase (even if they aren’t “writing the check”)
So “who saw it” matters less than:
- who actually decides
- who influences
- where those people spend time
- which platforms match the buying journey
What I Want Clients to Start Asking For
If you’re a client reading this: don’t settle for a report that ends at “look at the views.”
Ask for the pieces that connect marketing to revenue:
- Confirmed leads generated (and how they were verified)
- Lead quality notes (why they’re a fit)
- Conversion rates (lead → appointment → sale)
- Cost per confirmed lead (not just cost per click)
- Sales + marketing feedback loop (what closed, what didn’t, and why)
And if you’re a marketer: bring this proactively. It builds trust faster than any chart ever will.
The Punchline
Analytics are the applause meter. Confirmed leads are the receipts.
Celebrate growth in reach and engagement—then immediately follow it with the question that actually matters:
“Has this increased your sales?”
Because when marketing can clearly point to real opportunities created, the conversation shifts from “prove this works” to:
“How do we scale it?”
And that’s a much better meeting to be in!
If you’re getting great numbers but you’re not seeing sales lift, let’s talk. Send me a DM with your website + what you’re currently running, and I’ll tell you the one metric I’d focus on next.
#MarketingStrategy #MarketingStrategiesForSmallBusiness #MarketingAnalytics #RevenueGrowth
