The bias of human judgments is very widely represented in the field of marketing (including SEO). Ordinary performers and department heads are used to blaming anyone and anything for their failures, just not to take responsibility for themselves. At the same time, the excuses can be very different:
- low-quality leads;
- the wrong time;
- seasonality, etc.
The most difficult thing to deal with is self-serving bias, which involves interpreting any information in a favorable light for you. In difficult situations with insufficient statistics, people tend to make optimistic assumptions about certain signals.
Even entire departments, not just individual employees, can refuse to accept objective reality based on a complete set of data. As a result, the company’s development strategy takes the wrong form and content, which is why the funds raised are wasted, and do not go to expansion and scaling.
Making objective and complex long-term decisions requires a variety of skills and knowledge. If you have to manage a large project, first familiarize yourself with the basic rules for the formation of high-quality solutions.
Recommendation of the month: Netology – educational platform for teaching modern demanded professions in the areas of: Marketing, Business and Management, Design and UX, Programming, Analytics and Data Science, EdTech, B2B. Over 10 years of work, they have graduated more than 60,000 specialists.
- Evaluation of information sources
- A critical look at previous solutions
- Development of alternative assumptions
Evaluation of information sources
This is often enough to completely rethink what is happening. Relying on unreliable sources, you simply will not be able to make correct long-term assumptions.
Even the right global actions of a company may seem wrong if the statistics you collect do not allow you to look at the whole picture.
A critical parameter of any successful project is the productivity of employees. If you correctly assess their capabilities and skills, then the load will be distributed evenly and expediently.
For example, a new client came to your SEO agency and asked to do a preliminary technical audit of the company’s website. How long does it take? If the assessment is given into the hands of one particular employee, the result may be very far from reality.
When no one fills up their duties and everyone follows the schedule clearly, the business thrives and expands. Whereas any mistakes in the process of planning technical tasks can cause significant damage due to the failure of deadlines and lagging behind the desired pace of development.
Try to collect information from various independent sources in order to be able to compare the results and objectively assess the situation.
Not only your own, but also other people’s decisions should be evaluated. By weighing their effectiveness and expediency, you will be able to form the most promising path for your project.
This strategy can be used in completely different situations, even within the same niche of online marketing. For example:
- preparation of an annual SEO work plan;
- voicing the desired salary at the interview;
- calculation of ROI for the launched bundle in traffic arbitration.
A critical look at previous solutions
Critical thinking is necessary for any manager. It allows you to consider the current situation from different angles and choose the most effective way forward.
Having disrupted the deadlines for completing a major task, it is necessary to evaluate the options that would allow you to cope with it on time. This can be, for example:
- outside help;
- more working hours every day;
- revision of deadlines.
There may be more than one way out of a difficult situation. And not always increasing your own load is the most acceptable solution.
Analyze your own value as a performer and the prospects of delegating part of the responsibilities to other specialists. It is quite possible that the final quality will not suffer from this, and it will become much easier to make it on time.
For example, when preparing the same SEO audit for a client, a lot of routine can be given to a junior specialist. Parsing a website with SEO software, creating templates for descriptions of technical errors, uploading data – all this can take a lot of time, although it does not require high qualifications.
A critical assessment of one’s own actions helps to focus attention on really important things and find unexpected advantages from the decisions made that escape the basic statistics. It helps to take a different look at yourself and the people around you.
By considering different points of view and analyzing their perspectives, you will make more balanced long-term decisions. An unbiased assessment always leads to qualitatively better results.
A good example of how counterfactual and critical thinking can help in life is the 1998 film “Beware, the Doors are Closing”.
The film examines two alternative storylines of the main character, Helen (played by Gwyneth Paltrow), depending on whether she will catch the approaching subway train or not.
Watching the development of both storylines, we get an idea of the various factors influencing Helen’s life choices.
Developing alternative assumptions
In order not to get bogged down in your own biases, regularly look for information from a variety of sources. Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself and analyze the data even in situations where it seems wild and unrealistic.
If you do not question the established assumptions, a person will never be able to get out of his circle of prejudices, and therefore will not grow above himself.
You should start by self-evaluating yourself from different points of view. Until you can do this, your growth potential will be largely limited.
Don’t be afraid to try something new and unfamiliar. This allows you to expand your personal experience and gain non-standard skills that can help in unexpected situations.
An excellent example here is the AI niche, which managed to quickly and tightly intertwine with many digital trends. And now companies that are actively implementing tools like ChatGPT into their work processes are starting to outpace conservative competitors.
If we consider the process of developing alternative ways of development from the position of the head of a department or company, then we should also say about giving our subordinates opportunities to commit risky actions that can lead to unpredictable consequences.
Although it sounds dangerous and thoughtless, without giving employees a certain amount of freedom of choice, you will not encounter many different views and points of view that are vital for business innovation.
It is bold alternative assumptions that make it possible to use cloud storage, machine learning and artificial intelligence in work.
Having tried out all available methods and tools in practice, you will be able to regularly update or re-form your own beliefs, which helps to overcome limitations and make more objective decisions.