May Thoughts: The Albatross of Data
After devoting nearly a quarter of a lifetime to scrutinizing numbers, variables, and the ever-revolving door of fresh data, our team had an epiphany: all the CPA/CPL/CAC/ROAS/LTV metrics, or how elegantly we present them in polished datasheets or nice-looking data studios packed with some kickass real-time APIs, are a crutch.
Statements like "Conversion Rate trumps XXYYY" or "Conversions are phenomenal" become commonplace. CPL is criticized, while a ROAS of 4.0 (or 4X the advertising costs) leading to a profit of $3000 is hailed as a success. And delving further into this jargon, one might hear assertions like "My LTV/CAC ratio is exceptional" or "My [insert acronym here] is [insert adjective here]."
What we believe AI can't do, well not yet at least, is serve relevant bespoke benchmarks, providing tangible and immediate value so that we find what has yet to be discovered without handicapping our frontal cortex.
While that obscure impression might drive value to your unique store because nobody else offers your particular product and it might, and while there is negligible search volume, it has been growing as a result of attribution from Social Activity. That promotion may resonate with a niche audience, but no, it won't necessarily translate into immediate dollars on Venmo.
Real contextual business problems and thought:
What do people do in your town/state/country? What are people doing in your town and near your business? Are they spending their nights at Home Depot? What we should always leverage Google Trends (including YouTube, Map searches) is to prove (1) Brand Search demand in the area vs. competitor brands; and (2) Generic Search demand in the area of the product and look for actual KW search pattern, and use it as insight in setting up SEM campaigns. What is that behavior? Who are the true competitors in your region?
Ultimately, Growth is about results, but what’s more important is we’re building upon a foundation of growth and running hypothesis testing so that the platforms (Meta, TikTok, Yelp, Google, YouTube, Hulu) are reinforcing our theories and are relevant beyond their metrics and curtailed to your business.