Relate-ability: The Only Metric That Matters

If you’ve ever been responsible for defining and tracking the success of a digital marketing campaign, then you are clearly familiar with terms like average time on site, email capture rate, ad click-through rate, and so on.

Some people refer to these as your KPIs (key performance indicators). That kind of acronym makes me giggle a little, like, ok Joe marketing consultant… But if you’re doing your job as a marketer, these are your metrics. And they all point to one thing: relate-ability. If you’re struggling to understand why specific KPIs are weak, you’re probably struggling to relate to your audience. The two questions that we must ask here, “What are we saying? And who are we saying it to?” It might seem simple but it’s not, like writing a good pop song or cooking a good pizza.

Alternatively, you are struggling with the tools. I did that for a while too, that’s a symptom of learning. You want to pass through this stage as quickly as possible. I will assume for the sake of argument that this is not the case.

Nobody wants to be a type but we all are. Do you consider yourself short, tall, or in between? Old, young, or in between? A child of the 60s, 70s, 80s or 90s? Simplistic examples but you get the point. For a good methodology to understand and relate to your target market, I recommend my PPC mentor Howie Jacobson’s Who? What? Why? and How? Method. While PPC is a great testing ground, the real value comes in applying that PPC knowledge in other digital mediums like email, viral video, PR, social media, blogging, et cetera.

If you already understand Who? What? Why? and How? with regard to your target market (not as concepts but you’ve actually tested these questions to conclusive sales conversion results) then you need not read any farther because you’re already running a successful campaign. Start asking some new questions now. It might be easier said than done but that’s the job.

If you or your company are still failing to relate, meaning that you are still failing to find your audience or gain traction with your target market, maybe you’re in need of some help. Nobody can know everything about this digital marketing business after all. If you’re not the marketing director, manager, VP, et cetera but the President or CEO of a small-to-midsize business, maybe you still need to restructure a bit for the digital age. Better late than never. If you’re struggling with relate-ability (I know, I know, easy marketing consulting guy), do not hesitate to reach out for help.