How Newsweek Helped Break My Obsession Over Analytics

Click through rate. Conversion rate. Bounce rate. Time on site. Page visits. Likes. Shares. Views. Reach. Retweets. 

All important numbers in their own regard, some more than others, but all judge some aspect of how well your marketing is performing. All numbers that I could check every 5 minutes to see if there is an micro-change. I have a serious problem, but thankfully I’m not alone. WCN’s very own Will McAvoy is right there with me obsessing over the numbers.

See, in HBO’s Newsweek, star prime time anchor Will McAvoy has an obsession with how the ratings are doing for his hour long news program each an every night and, because of this, has a hard time committing to a new show format which tries to look past the ratings and towards the larger picture.

For marketers, the big picture isn’t informing the public on the important issues for when the voting booths open, it’s creating materials that connect with their audience and building a relationship that encourages repeat interactions.

Eventually McAvoy stops checking in with the ratings every night an commits to a news program his team has agreed is the best show possible, even if their ratings suffer a small bit. Ratings (aka analytics) continue to pop up as a story point but only in extreme circumstances and the thought of catering to them is weighed heavily against their larger goal. 

Do all of those important analytics listed at the top give you an indication on how well you are doing in reaching your goal? Of course. The problem comes when you can’t take your eyes off the numbers for more than 5 minutes or continue to bastardized your content for the short time ratings increase instead taking time to create the next video, article, ad, or tweet that our audience so desperately needs.