Getting 1 Million Page Views does not matter - here's why
This story dates back to 2014, however, I think it’s still just as relevant today. (With all the algorithms, and tactical thinking we see)
In 2014, I had been seeing viral stories from BuzzFeed blowing up, I am sure everyone had them on their Facebook newsfeed. (us older folks did anyways ;) )
I began to think about how they were driving traffic to the site and decided that I wanted to try and do the same.
I bought a domain name, put the site together in a few hours. Now with the site up and running and some stories published it was time to get the traffic going.
I used facebook ads and set up about 20 or 30 ad variations with advanced targeting.
I put them on and waited... and waited.. and then... something started to happen.
The traffic for the first posts started growing
Not only was the cost per click to the website $0.00 but the CTR was almost 18% - After a few days I had already gained over 100,000 page views.
The results were not bad at all and after 2 months, I had over 1 MILLION page views. (riding the high on dopamine)
However, things started to change...
After a few months, I realized that all I used were tactics, and they were not going to last.
-The posting was too much (it was almost 4 articles a day) -The paid traffic was too hard (figuring out 20-30 ad variations for each post) -The timing didn't work (when to post) -The value was not aligned (did I really want to be posting things that gave no value to people just for a click?) -The gains disappeared (eventually the ads were not as cheap, and at one point I had a $600-a-day bill from Facebook because while the articles went viral, the cost was no longer cheap)
Let's face it, I was just copying someone else's strategy and thinking I knew all the back story of how things worked.
While tactics or outputs are needed to execute they need to be tied to outcomes and impact (and to be aligned with your values)
If you are only tactical you will have no idea why things work, and when they don't you will have no clue about how to change course.
I see the same happen in products with people who just use “nudges” on their own and have no clue why they are implementing it, other than "because the competitor has it" - this is not responsible and can cause spillover effect (your nudge can negatively affect someone)
So remember
Follow the logic and tie Outputs ---> Outcomes ---> Impact and create value for your customers.
Use an evidence-based and systematic way to design.
If you do that, then you will in turn create value for yourself and your organization.
Lastly - Design for good 😊
#behavioralscience #behavioraleconomics #servicedesign #digitaltransformation #productdesign