Test, Test, Test

I just wrapped up a consulting assignment with a company that had never done any testing with their marketing program before. Considering their spend, I found this amazing, (although not unusual).

The company had relied on an age-old process where instinct is used (gut feeling, voodoo magic, clairvoyance?) to get things done. They never considered rolling out a simple A/B split testing strategy, though it was easy to do with their marcom stack. It just hadn’t occurred to them.

Today, too many marketing teams are stressed for time, with delivery cycles that preclude them (so they think) from employing a solid test methodology for better results. It makes me wonder how much time and money companies are losing by not doing any type of testing with their marketing programs.

Testing Marketing Strategies

With this company, we started out with some simple test landing pages to demonstrate how to score their effectiveness along with possible strategies for better results. We then looked at segmenting their customer list by purchase history, engagement metrics, and demographics. Analysis of the results provided insights on improving message targeting, and driving more conversions.

These strategies are now built into their marketing campaigns with a relatively small investment in time and money. Hopefully, in the future, the product group will consider similar strategies. I'm a firm believer in testing, especially in today's digital world where it's relatively easy to implement. Testing comes in all sizes and flavors, not all necessarily digital.

Product Development Testing

I recently had the privilege to speak with Master Surfboard Shaper Dick Brewer (pictured above and considered by many to be one of the best shapers in the world) about how he got to be where he is today.

In 1967, Dick was shaping surfboards on the North Shore of Oahu. He had a theory about surfing the larger waves of the North Shore and was creating shorter surfboard designs to do so. He created a testing strategy for these new, shorter designs.

Big Waves, Surfboards & Test, Test, Test

Dick’s strategy was to use two champion surfers, Gerry Lopez and Reno Abellira, as test riders. He would test variant surfboards between the two riders. This resulted in surfboards that were shorter in length, shorter than anything that had come before them. Through this design test he also experimented with different bottom contours, tail configurations, fins and ultimately came up with the most polished and exceptional surfboards of the era. 

These new board designs could never have been done without a solid testing program to get to where Dick and his riders wanted to go. By testing this way, he created a revolution in surfboard design and theory. 

The Efficiency of Testing

Of course, this is just one example of a product development program that required testing to become great. Take SpaceX or NASA as examples. They test their way to optimal results. Applying the same strategy to marketing programs, or any other field, builds a bridge to long term success.

The roll up here is, it's never too late to incorporate solid testing into everything we, as marketing professionals, do. It’s all about getting optimum results with your budget over time. I promise it won’t hurt. It’s easy to do and the results speak for themselves.

Here are links to other resources I found interesting:

https://www.marketo.com/articles/when-boring-means-amazing-how-testing-makes-go-live-day-a-snooze/

https://vwo.com/ab-testing/

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-to-do-a-b-testing