Thursday Press #113: stop wasting your time on bullseyes
[4 JAN 2024] accuracy vs precision on Pinterest
Everyone had that one teacher, right?
Young, funny, popular with the students (maybe a little too popular?)...
The "stereotype" is for it to be the history teacher, but for me, that teacher was my 10th grade chemistry teacher
I've got a bone to pick with him.
He was an inCREDIBLE teacher and made me fall even more in love with chemistry. (me? into science? I don't remember her...)
Because of this wonderful experience — and yeah, a minor crush because I'm only human — I signed up to take chemistry as my science option for 11th and 12th grade.
This decision caused more chaos than I ever would have thought possible. You know why, friend?
My favorite chemistry teacher went on to teach... BIOLOGY.
He basically DESERTED me, leaving me and a handful of other students with some of the worst teachers I've ever had, including one that didn't come into school one day and then never showed up again???
I'd like to say I've forgiven him now, but I can't be both a grudge-holder and a liar!
Beyond this total betrayal, one other thing from that first day of chemistry class has plagued me for years — accuracy vs. precision.
BELOW THE FOLD
If you look up the definition of "accuracy" in the OED, it'll tell you that accuracy is "the quality or state of being correct or precise"
But in the world of statistical errors, accuracy is very different from precision.
Accuracy is the degree to which a result conforms with the correct value.
Precision is the measure of how close a series of results are to each other.
If you're a visual learner like me, I've got ya covered:
To butcher the scientific method a bit, I'm assuming that the goal from any experiment is to produce results that are both accurate and precise. In other words, you're getting the correct result consistently.
Although you may not be in a chemistry lab on an everyday basis, you are still experimenting constantly, especially when it comes to Pinterest.
Pinterest "accuracy" can be understood to be doing everything perfectly — your pin designs are popping off, your SEO is perfectly on target, and your content is converting like crazy.
Pinterest "precision" could also be called "consistency." You're showing up and posting pins.
While the ideal would be to have all of your Pinterest content be both accurate and precise, we both know that perfection is an illusion and not worth pursuing, right?
I expect you to be nodding your head along with me right now. 2024 is the year we actively shut down our perfectionist & all or nothing tendencies, k? K.
The important part of this lesson isn't actually about accuracy or precision at all. It's about the fact that these things are judged after multiple attempts.
You can't measure a degree of precision after just one throw at the dart board.
So why are you trying to measure your Pinterest performance after just one pin? Or one month? Or one strategy?
If I could give you one single piece of marketing advice heading into 2024, it's to treat your Pinterest marketing like an experiment.
Unfortunately, there's not a singular foolproof secret to success on Pinterest.
What works for one account might not work for another, and the only way to find out what works for you is to try. Test different things and test them a lot.
Each individual pin you post on Pinterest is just a drop in the bucket, so I'd much rather you fling a bunch of decently well-aimed darts at the wall than take 10 minutes to hit a single bullseye. 🎯
The more quantity you can create, the more you'll hone your skills at creating quality. And eventually, you'll be consistently creating high-quantity, high-quality Pinterest content that's both accurate and precise.
If the idea of doing even more has you a little panicky, don't even start worrying your precious little heart!
Below are some resources on how to easily create more pins, different pin types to try, and how to analyze your results to know what's working and what isn't…
If your brain zoned out when I started talking about the scientific method, welcome back and same! 😅
The main point? I want you to experiment with your Pinterest marketing.
Follow best practices, yes, but don't get hung up on "perfection". The best way to find out what works for you is to try lots of different things, analyze what worked, and iterate from there.
CHAT NEXT WEEK YA LITTLE PINTEREST SCIENTIST! 🥼🧪