Vanity metrics are numbers that, when analyzed without due care and attention, can mean a problem for any business. This is because, in a cold and isolated way, vanity metrics do not represent concrete results.
With the internet and all the networks and media available today, vanity metrics are increasingly being targeted in digital marketing as if they were truly essential. They may be, but it is worth noting that they do not mean much if observed in isolation.
Follow the post and check out what vanity metrics mean, what they are and how they differ from results metrics!
What do vanity metrics mean?
Vanity metrics are numbers that, when analyzed, help companies with strategies to increase sales opportunities and possibilities. Although they are not the best for making decisions, they should not be ignored.
Even though they are not effective as guidelines, vanity metrics are important when combined with other marketing strategies. Because they are complementary metrics, it is important not to consider them as KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) .
They are classified as vanity because, despite being numbers that seem important and deserve all the attention, they are not effective if observed alone.
Read also: Understand what the customer journey is and see examples
Examples of vanity metrics
Vanity metrics are numbers that can distract and make it difficult to see what is really important to result in effective actions or changes in a business's strategies.
Here are some examples of vanity metrics that can architects email list be analyzed in conjunction with other metrics to help better plan marketing strategies.
1. Clicks
You know when you walk past a store window and look at a product, or even go in but say to the salesperson, “I’m just taking a quick look!”? In the digital environment, clicks work this way!
They access the website, browse and look at all the products and services. Often, they even fill their cart with the items they like the most, but end up not converting their browsing into a purchase.
Therefore, it is important to link clicks to some objective . More than attracting clicks, check the dwell time or the conversion rate to make sure that the number of clicks is actually being well used or not.
A good strategy is to create ways to relate these clicks to ways to build customer loyalty , for example.
2. Likes and derivatives
Likes are like a virtual pat on the back, approval via digital media. The problem here is that this “sign of approval” is not always effective, because it may not convert into sales or any type of engagement.
This is one of the main vanity metrics because, while it can convey a very strong sense of popularity, likes in isolation do not allow for more accurate decision-making.
3. Followers
Even though a page may seem popular because it has a significant number of followers, this number often does not mean that it is actually successful.
Just like other metrics, it is important that it is accompanied by other data to verify its importance. This is especially true when it comes to a professional profile!
4. Downloading applications
The number of downloads an app receives is a very important metric for the product and the company. However, the number of uninstalls that the app receives is just as important as the number of downloads.
For the balance to be worthwhile, it is necessary to make this proportion and also look at the number of users of the paid versions. A good sign, for example, is when you receive many registrations and few uninstallations, even with few downloads.
5. Page views
A website's pageview numbers mean how many views it has had in a given period. However, this metric is very relative .
When analyzing it, try to relate it to the number of visitors. This way, you will be able to measure how many pages each visitor accessed.
6. Sharing
Having your content shared by multiple people can indicate high engagement from your audience, but not all strategies consider this to be enough.
It is important that, in addition to engagement and increased traffic, you are able to capture the reader's attention . With this attention captured, it becomes easier to make them move through the so-called sales funnel .
This would mean effective engagement with concrete results.
7. Time spent on the site
A quick and casual analysis may show that a user staying on your site for a longer period of time indicates greater interest in your content. However, this may actually mean the opposite.
The effectiveness of content is not necessarily related to the time a user spends on it. Often, it is more important that answers are found quickly and easily.
A very long dwell time may mean difficulty finding an answer to the question searched or difficult navigation, whether in technical or content terms.
vanity metrics vs. outcome metrics
Vanity Metrics vs. Outcome Metrics
Once we’ve defined and explained how vanity metrics work, we need to differentiate them from outcome metrics.
While vanity metrics can be manipulated, bought, or even misleading if not observed carefully, performance metrics are capable of measuring the growth of a business. With them, it is possible to calculate the return on investment (ROI) of a product or service.
Some of them are:
LTV (Lifetime Value): customers who return to buy represent less cost;
Number of visitors: this number shows the ability to keep the audience renewing itself, moving the funnel;
Conversions in the funnel: once the user enters the sales funnel, it is important that they move within the funnel, applying retention techniques;
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): metric responsible for measuring how much a customer costs you.
Making these metrics actually mean something positive and relevant to the business strategy can be a challenge. By finding ways to improve service and customer satisfaction , it is possible to better parameterize the data and make the results more effective.