The folly of blindly depending on tracking, testing, & other marketing metrics
Published: Thu, 10/22/20
“Some actually believe that these qualities [commitment and dedication to the art form] that I’m talking about can be replaced by algorithms and formulas and business calculations, but please remember it’s all an illusion...”
Maybe this isn’t directly related to marketing & business.
But, it is related enough to serve as a reminder of the dangers of being enslaved to, 100% dependent upon, and making all your decisions based on “metrics” — and how doing so may make you a million, but can also prevent you from making hundreds of millions or even possibly a billion+.
Example:
The late Stan Lee and Marvel Comics.
The publisher Martin Goodman in the 50's and early 60’s was a slave to metrics and sales stats and trends. His whole business model was “see what kind of comicbooks are selling, flood the market with similar titles until it no longer works, rinse and repeat.”
And he became a very “rich” man doing that.
But, it wasn’t until Stan Lee went completely against all that when Martin Goodman became a truly *wealthy* man when, in one last act of defiance in working for a soul-less company dependent on metrics, stats, and trends… Stan Lee wrote the Fantastic Four, followed by Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, X-Men, etc — none of which were created out of anything even remotely related to metrics or trends whatsoever.
Today those brands are individually worth multiple billions of dollars.
George Lucas did the same with Star Wars.
From what I remember, Sci-fi was not "in" when he made the first movie. And almost none of the Hollywood testing, tracking, metrics, and audience analytics of the time thought it would be all that fruitful.
A more down-to-earth example:
I’ve never had my biggest breakthroughs due to metrics or testing.
Not one single blessed time.
It’s always been by having a dialogue (via daily emails) with my list & audience, and interpreting what they want to buy — without them ever having to tell me, or ever looking at a spreadsheet — by being in consistent & persistent contact with them, observing what they say & do & buy, and combining that with my own interests, brand, positioning, and personal intellectual & creative pursuits.
Here are offers I’d never have created if I cared at-all about metrics:
* The Email Players newsletter
* Copy Troll
* Copy Slacker
* Brand Barbarian
* Infotainment Jackpot
* All 3 of my “Villains” Books
* Email Client Horde
* Breakneck Content
* Email Players List Swell
* Affiliate Launch Copynomicon
In other words:
Every single book & newsletter issue I publish.
Not to mention my 10-Minute Workday program AWAI sells.
In fact, about the only offer that is based on metrics I have anything to do with is Learnistic and Membrandt (both mobile app companies). And don’t even get me started on my new “elBenbo Press” book I’ve been launching this week no test or metric told me to write & publish. Nor had anyone except maybe 1 or 2 people I can think of outright asked for something like it. Nor is there anything exactly like it being sold anywhere as precedent, because there is no other “me” anywhere. But it is already the single biggest selling and most profitable book I’ve sold yet, with almost two days of the launch still left — even though it’s priced high, and even though there is a long list of people I am refusing to sell it to, or who are even qualified to buy it in the first place.
Am I saying metrics aren’t important?
Or to ignore them?
Or that you shouldn’t bother with life time value, sales figures, stick rates (if you sell continuity), and other important metrics?
I am not saying to ignore those things at all.
If you rely on that intel, you'd be a fool to not keep using it.
Point of all this is, there are forces at work far more important than metrics. Forces you can’t control or direct via tech & spreadsheets & analytics alone. I am referring to a “sensitivity” to your list & audience... combined with your unique brand, marketplace positioning, attributes, appeal, strengths, and other peculiarities you can only effectively use by having constant — and, I would argue, daily — contact with your market, your audience, and your list.
Something email lets you play like a fiddle.
It’s also the essence of my elBenbo Press publishing model — including the psychology behind it… the logistics behind it… and the strategy, long-game, and even endgame behind it.
However, a caveat:
“elBenbo Press” is very much a “Ben Settle 400-level” training.
That means it is not at-all newbie-friendly. And while I’m not saying you have to have all my other books or be an Email Players subscriber to use it… I will say the longer you’ve been reading my emails, the more of my books you’ve read, and the more of “me” you are familiar with, the more suited you are for this information.
It’s also my most expensive book yet, too.
But, during the launch this week I am offering it at a thick $300.00 discount off the price listed on the sales page until tomorrow, Friday, October 23 at midnight EDT.
Here is the link:
https://www.EmailPlayers.com/press
Use code SIZZLE at the checkout.
And make sure you see the price change before entering any info.
Ben Settle
P.S. If you are interested in buying this book, read the sales letter very carefully before pulling the trigger. Don’t be a fool and purchase on blind impulse. This book is not only expensive, but the information inside requires substantial amounts of effort, ambition, patience, time, and discipline to learn, master, and profit from.
Don’t say you weren’t warned.