Hey there, folks! Have you noticed a lot of well-followed brands shuttering this year or hosting mega-sales to move inventory? Let's dip a little deeper into the perception versus reality of social media.
So, you know those fancy-sounding numbers and stats that people throw around, like how many likes they got on their last Instagram post or how many visitors their website had yesterday? How about how many people viewed a tiktok that went viral? Well, in the biz, those are what we call 'vanity metrics.'
Vanity metrics are like the glitter and glam of the internet world.
They may look all sparkly and impressive, but they're not as meaningful as they seem. They lack the juicy details, like the story behind those numbers or whether they actually indicate that a business is: selling stuff, or just giving it away to boost followership, or even just buying bots to give the impression of success. Even virality on tiktok can be purchased pretty easily.
Think of it like this: having a gazillion Instagram followers might make a business look like a success, but are people actually buying their products or loving their content?
Maybe, maybe not. Is anything even real anymore?
Here at Dip, we don't bother with trying to impress you with zillions of bot-followers or fake virality. We like having a genuine community online, even if it turns some people away because we don't "look" successful.
The true problem with vanity metrics is that they can be like smoke and mirrors; and sway someone into a purchase because they are impressed by social clout & see it as 100K people endorsing a brand.
But here's the thing:
You can buy followers or use catchy clickbait, run a few giveaways, and boom, your numbers go up, but it's like putting lipstick on a pig – it doesn't change what's underneath.
What really matters are the metrics that connect a business to their purpose on the planet. In our opinion, that's where the real magic happens. This is why we don't often gift products or trade for UGC and only let actual paying customers be ambassadors for Dip. In fact, you have to let us know where you purchased Dip to even be considered.
With full transparency, our one exception was our partnership with BeautyTap that let's industry trade professionals in the hair industry experience dip. We found that beauty professionals are the most skeptic of Dip, so we wanted to let them try it for themselves at our expense. What actually ended up happening was that in some instances, our bars were handed out to people who were affiliates of our competitors, and they wrote things about our bars that we didn't really love--which was a total bummer. Most of the feedback was positive, but when we checked out who was leaving negative reviews, many were affiliated with other brands.
At dip, we don't think you can purchase "authenticity".
So, next time someone's all impressed by those shiny vanity metrics, just remember that the real stars of the show are the metrics that tell the true story of a business. Don't be fooled by the glitz and glamour; focus on what truly matters!