In attempts to persuade, cajole, or influence marketers will use deceptive statistics to make you believe something which couldn’t be further from the truth.
Some examples include:
- Our company is #1.
- Our site has XXX,XXX visitors per month.
- Those that possess XYZ credential earn more than those who do not have it.
Allison says I’m the #1 expert in marketing but does that give me permission to say I’m the #1 marketer in the world on my website?
If a company states that are the #1 what are they a #1 in?
Employees. If you have a high # of employees and a high cost of labor, your profitability per employee might be less those of your competition.
Sales. If you have a high $$$ of sales and high $$$ of expenses then it isn’t a good sign. Profitability trumps unit sales.
Revenue per employee. If revenues per employee are significant but you are the only employee then it doesn’t compare well with other companies who have a larger market share.
Visitors per month. If visitors per month are high what is the bounce rate of the site compared to others? You can spend a ton of money on building traffic but if the site doesn’t retain viewers attention span it is a sign your site isn’t delivering enough value.
Revenue from credential. What is missing from this statistic is the revenue before and the revenue after earning the credential. Someone who makes earns X before and retains the same level of income after earning the credential doesn’t mean the credential helped them earn more revenue.
What are some deceptive statistics you have seen that are misleading?
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