From Data to Decisions: The Benefits of Digital Marketing Testing
The field of digital marketing is constantly evolving, and staying ahead of the competition requires a data-driven approach.
As David Ogilvy said,
The most important word in the vocabulary of advertising is TEST. If you pretest your product with consumers and pretest your advertising, you will do well in the marketplace.
Testing allows marketers to refine their strategies and make informed decisions, leading to more successful campaigns and a better return on investment. In this article, we will explore the importance of digital marketing testing, the steps for conducting successful experiments, and the benefits of a data-driven approach.
Understanding the Importance of Digital Marketing Testing
Refining your target audience
Testing allows you to understand your target audience and their behaviour, refine your target audience segments and create more personalized campaigns.
For example, a clothing retailer might run a series of A/B tests on their email campaigns to determine which subject lines, call-to-actions, and product recommendations resonate best with their target audience. Based on the results, they can refine their email campaigns to be more relevant and effective.
Measuring the effectiveness of campaigns
Through digital marketing testing, you can measure the impact of your campaigns, understand what's working and what's not, and make data-driven decisions to improve your marketing strategies.
For example, a B2B software company might run a landing page optimization experiment to determine which elements of their page are driving conversions. They can use the results of this experiment to make changes that increase conversions and improve their overall marketing performance.
See how we use the website personalization engine to experiment with which slot for onsite messaging works better on a specific page.
Improving campaigns
Regular testing enables you to continually refine and improve your campaigns, ensuring that your marketing efforts remain relevant and effective.
For example, an e-commerce company might run a series of heat mapping experiments to determine where users click on their website. Based on the results, they can change the website's layout and design to improve the user experience and drive more conversions.
Steps for Conducting Successful Digital Marketing Experiments
Define the objective
It is essential to have a clear objective in mind before launching a digital marketing experiment. Whether you want to improve conversions, increase website traffic, or boost brand awareness, having a specific goal in mind will help you measure the success of your experiment.
Choose the right platform
Various platforms are available for conducting digital marketing experiments, including A/B testing tools such as Optimizely or VWO, landing pages optimization software such as Unbounce or Leadpages, and heat mapping tools such as Hotjar or Crazy Egg. Choose the right platform that fits your specific needs. We are using our own website personalization engine to do digital marketing experiments and trying to optimize the conversion on our website.
Determine the sample size
Determine the sample size you need to run a statistically significant experiment. A larger sample means more accurate results but requires more time and resources. Online calculators are available to help you determine the sample size you need for your experiment.
The website personalization engine we used in our website uses roulette wheel selection to deliver messages.
Design the experiment
Design the experiment in such a way that it tests a single hypothesis, keeping it simple and focused. For example, if you want to test the impact of adding a customer testimonial to your landing page, create two versions of the page, one with the testimonial and one without, and compare the conversion rates.
Analyze the results
After experimenting, analyze the results to understand what worked and didn't. Use these insights to refine your marketing strategies and improve your campaigns.
We use google analytics and Looker studio to do the reports. These tools helped us develop quick reports to understand what was happening behind the scenes.
In conclusion, digital marketing testing is essential to a successful digital marketing strategy. By regularly conducting experiments, you can gain valuable insights into your target audience, measure the impact of your campaigns, and continually refine and improve your marketing efforts. With the right tools and approach, you can maximize your return on investment and stay ahead of the competition.
Read more about what we are attempting with the website personalization engine, and let us know your feedback.
