1.4 Digital Analytics Allow Us to Trust, but Verify
One challenge in learning to use digital marketing analytics is that the data is so precise, so granular, it can feel like we really only need to follow the results of the most recent A/B test and choose the campaign, ad, or image that scored 0.5% higher than the other option. But this is a false dichotomy. If your options are ONLY those two campaigns, ads, or images, then you would be 100% confident that the higher performing option is the right way to go. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective), there are never just two options in messaging, images, offers, audience targeting, or marketing campaigns. There are millions.
Obviously, most of those millions of options are just bad ideas and never need to be tested. We just know from common sense that some tactics and messages will work better than others. This “marketing intuition” is something that develops over time and will serve you well. You may have tried something once and it was a smashing success. Well, be on the lookout for the next place that tactic might just work again.
There is a reason that certain images tend to show up in a variety of clickbait-type ads you will see online or on social feeds. These are images that have proven to stop the reader from scrolling long enough to read a headline, and at least a few of those that stop and read the headline are then intrigued enough to click on the link. Does every successful clickbait image belong in your next campaign? Probably not. But you can certainly learn from what other marketers are using and where they are having success.
Images that show attractive people (models, to be sure) looking confused, shocked, or bemused cause us to stop scrolling to see why this attractive person is concerned and read the headline. Other common images include situations of cognitive dissonance, a scene that looks “off” or creates a feeling of confusion. These images are effective because they cause us to pause to try and “solve” the problem.
Image by sheikh86295328 via Pixabay.
For this reason, many marketers like to trust their gut when creating new marketing campaigns or making changes to their marketing plans. And with experience and a sound understanding of the target audience’s needs and wants, there’s nothing wrong with following really smart intuition. But as President Ronald Reagan once said, using a Russian proverb to describe his relationship with the leadership of the Soviet Union back in the 1980s, “Trust, but verify.” The more we recognize that the feedback we can glean from digital marketing tools allows us to verify everything from our audience parameters to messaging and content to engagement steps, the sooner we will find success in our marketing efforts.
Using the data available from platform-specific and independent third-party marketing analytical tools will help us verify what our gut is telling us. Sure, you are probably right that an image of a cute panda bear cub will generate more clicks and likes than an image of a naked mole rat (not cute, trust me), but if you feel the need to test that hypothesis, you can have your answer with a quick comparison of the two ad sets or post engagement data in just a few hours time. In the next few sections, we will review the pros and cons of the built-in tools provided by many of the marketing platforms, as well as those available for purchase from other vendors.