You Can't Take Likes To The Bank: Focusing On The Wrong Metrics

My name is Nick Tribe and I’m a DJ, marketer, and entrepreneur.

I’ve spent the last few years studying from the most successful marketers & entrepreneurs worldwide.

I’ve read countless books, attended countless courses, and devoured countless pieces of information on marketing and entrepreneurship.

I’m now building a marketing company that starts, grows, and monetize brands leveraging AI, direct response marketing, and sales funnels.

Join me and follow along as I learn, apply, and share marketing insights to build my million-dollar business.

Advertising used to be a straightforward game.

Back in the day, businesses ran ads to spread the word.

So they ran advertising campaigns on the radio, in magazines, and on television.

Since people used to listen to radio, read magazines, and watch television…they paid attention.

And businesses used that attention to put marketing messages in front of them.

Pretty simple, right?

Now, here's something to think about.

They didn’t care about likes, followers, or any other vanity metrics.

Instead, they had two simple, clear goals.

Goal Number #1: to reach as many people as possible.

Goal Number #2 - much more important - drive sales.

That's basically it.

Get people to see the ad so they know who we are and what we're about.

Get people to increase desire for the product or service so they want to buy it.

Here's a typical campaign scenario.

The business (usually through an agency) ran the campaign.

Then, they analyzed the results.

If an ad didn’t increase sales, it was time to go back to the drawing board.

If the ad wasn’t reaching enough people, they would do something to expand its reach - maybe boost the budget, change some placements, etc..

The focus was on results—tangible, measurable results.

Today's advertising landscape is different.

In a way, that's good. That's what innovation is all about.

We now live in an age dominated by the internet and most importantly, social media.

Businesses can get instant feedback in the form of likes, shares, comments, and follows.

But there is a catch: these metrics, while they might feel good to see, don’t necessarily translate into sales.

And isn’t that the whole point of advertising?

Think about it.

Back in the 'old days', businesses didn’t track how many people “liked” their radio ads or how many followers their TV commercials gained.

You didn’t have to ‘like’ the ad. The goal was to make you want to buy the product.

In the words of advertising legend David Ogilvy.

The increment in sales was the goal. They didn’t care much about other metrics.

Few reasons why.

One, because those metrics simply didn’t exist.

Two, because they didn't have to.

They tracked reach and sales.

The two metrics that directly impacted their bottom line.

What a surprise, huh?

But today, the default approach has changed.

Instead of running ads on magazines, we now create content on the internet.

This is good because the distribution costs less.

But this is also bad because it might lead you to focus on the wrong stuff.

For example, it might lead you to focus on the number of likes, followers, and comments your marketing efforts can accumulate on social media.

Now, don't get me wrong. These aren't bad signs.

The fact that people follow you, like your stuff, or engage with your content is a good thing.

It's just not the real purpose of marketing campaigns.

Let’s break this down.

Imagine you’re running a social media campaign, and it’s going great—you’re getting hundreds, maybe even thousands of likes. Good for you.

Your follower count is climbing. People comment, like, and engage with your stuff.

Cool.

BUT…

What about sales? What about revenue? What about…money?

The problem is that vanity metrics don’t pay the bills.

They don’t keep the lights on, and they don’t put food on the table.

It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of a growing follower count.

But if those followers aren’t converting into customers, then what’s the point?

You can’t take likes or followers to the bank.

They won’t deposit into your account, and they certainly won’t fund your next marketing campaign.

You need money. And like it or not, money comes from customers.

The question is, how did we get here?

How did we move from a results-focused advertising approach to one where vanity metrics hold so much weight?

The answer lies in the rise of social media.

Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have made it easier than ever to track engagement in real time.

And while this can be incredibly useful, it has also shifted our focus away from what really matters: sales.

It’s not that likes, followers, and engagement don’t matter at all.

Again, they do have their place.

Engagement can be a sign that your content is resonating with your audience.

A large following can boost your brand’s visibility.

And social proof is definitely a nice thing to have.

But these metrics should never be the end goal.

They're just steps on the path to what matters: turning strangers into paying customers.

Let’s take a moment to consider the mindset shift that’s needed here.

Back in the day, businesses understood that the ultimate goal of any ad campaign was to drive sales.

They didn’t get distracted by anything else because there wasn’t anything else to get distracted by.

Today, we have to be more disciplined.

We have to remind ourselves that the same principles apply.

The goal hasn’t changed—only the tools have.

If you're not fully convinced, here’s a simple question for you.

Would you rather have 1,000 followers who never buy anything from you or 99 followers where 10% make a purchase?

The answer is obvious. Yet so many businesses focus on quantity over quality.

They chase the big numbers, thinking that a higher follower count will somehow magically translate into more sales.

But that’s not how it works.

In reality, it’s far better to have a smaller, more engaged audience that is actually interested in what you’re selling.

These are the people who are most likely to become customers.

This is where the real value lies.

When you focus on building a quality audience, you’re investing in the long-term success of your business.

You’re creating relationships with people who are genuinely interested in your products or services.

And those relationships are worth far more than any number of likes or followers.

So, what can we learn from the past?

The modern day marketer that wants to succeed will return to the fundamentals of advertising.

We need to get back to focusing on the metrics that truly matter—reach and sales.

Everything else is, in a way, secondary.

This doesn’t mean that you should abandon social media or stop caring about engagement.

Far from it.

Social media is a powerful tool, and engagement can be a valuable indicator of how well your message is resonating.

But it’s important to remember that these are just tools.

They’re not the goal.

So here’s the take-away.

Focus on what matters.

When planning your next advertising campaign, start by setting clear, measurable objectives.

What are you trying to achieve?

Is it to increase sales? Generate leads?

Whatever it is, make sure that your metrics align with those objectives.

If your goal is to increase sales, then track your sales figures. If your goal is to generate leads, then track the number of leads you’re generating.

Next, be strategic about how you use social media.

Use it to reach your target audience, but don’t get distracted by vanity metrics.

Focus on what happens after someone engages with your content.

Are they clicking through to your website?

Are they signing up for your email list?

Are they making a purchase?

These are the metrics that really matter.

Finally, be prepared to adjust your strategy based on the results.

If your ads are reaching a lot of people but not driving sales, then something needs to change. Maybe your message isn’t resonating with your audience, or maybe you’re targeting the wrong people.

Whatever the case, don’t be afraid to pivot.

Remember, the goal is to drive sales, not to accumulate likes or followers.

The world of advertising may have changed, but the fundamentals remain the same.

At the end of the day, it’s all about reaching the right people and converting them into customers.

Everything else is just noise.

As you navigate the modern advertising landscape, keep this in mind.

Remember, you can’t take likes to the bank, but you can take sales.

And that’s what truly counts.