If you haven’t read Part One of “Ten Silly Things,” you can read it here.
Otherwise, let’s move on to number two.
Silly Thing #2: Not Knowing What Actually Works (or Why)
Misattribution is a widespread disease. Take Google as an example.
How many things do you actually use Google for these days? This is a longer conversation that I’ve covered in depth elsewhere, but consider this: we already know the age of apps and social sharing is here. No one goes to Google to figure out how to make a reservation at a restaurant — that’s what Yelp and OpenTable and TripAdvisor are for. Right? When’s the last time you went to Google to discover “what are the hot new restaurants in my area?”
Even if I did find and then have dinner at a new restaurant I “discovered” via this Google search, the discovery didn’t exclusively come Google. It came from one of the many products of the age of apps and social sharing: in my case either Zagat or Eater.
So here’s the point: customers aren’t going to Google for most of the things many businesses still think they are. These properties have their tribes now. And yet Google gets lots of credit – often on a spreadsheet to validate it. How does this math work?
Well, if you are not growing or creating value, its certainly time to challenge the old ways.