billboard book sales

In case you missed it:

My book was featured on a Times Square billboard last weekend.

Naturally, I’ve had a lot of people comment or reach out about it since then…

But the #1 question I’ve got is…

“Did you see a spike in sales?”

The answer?

Most definitely not lol

I know a few friends & extended family members ended up grabbing a copy after they saw it…

That’s about it, though.

And frankly, I wasn’t expecting a spike in sales.

Be honest:

When was the last time YOU saw something on a billboard, then promptly pulled out your phone and bought it?

I’m guessing it wasn’t recently.

In fact, I can’t think of a single time I’ve ever done that.

Even if my billboard had a QR code (which wasn’t allowed), I still doubt it would’ve moved the needle.

Because it’s just not how people buy books.

And this illustrates a key concept that confuses people all the time:

The difference between vanity metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs).

Vanity metrics are things that look cool but don’t directly correlate to sales.

Things like:

- impressions
- opens
- views
- likes
- shares
- followers
- comments
- cost per click
- etc etc

Seeing all these numbers go up can seduce you into thinking you’re on the right track.

But unless your KPIs are also going in the right direction…

It’s best not to pay too much attention to them.

The 3 core KPIs for any business are:

- cost-per-acquisition
- average order value
- lifetime value

If you want to grow your business, this is the stuff that matters.

These numbers reveal the true story of your business…

And whether it’s going up, down, or sideways.

Focus on them and the rest will take care of itself.

Jim Hamilton

P.S:

This isn’t to say the billboard was pointless.

Far from it.

It’s a huge credibility booster.

And having the picture helps cement it as a pivotal point in my journey as an author and entrepreneur.

But there’s a difference between a credibility booster and a sales booster.