Marketing experiments every growth team should run
Every reliable tactic marketers now love, from video content to email marketing and blogging, was once a new experiment that early adopters tested and developed. Creating new marketing strategies is foundational to marketing, helping brands reach new customers and gather data that helps facilitate smarter business decisions.
While experimentation isn‘t new, digital marketing offers brands greater flexibility and potential. Let’s look at experiment types, which metrics to track, and how to design experiments across marketing channels to achieve maximum success.
Table of Contents
- What are marketing experiments, and how do they work?
- The Elements Every Marketing Experiment Needs
- A/B vs. Multivariate Marketing Experiments
- Steps to Design and Run Marketing Experiments
- Common Pitfalls That Break Marketing Experiments
- Tools to Plan, Run, and Analyze Marketing Experiments
- Real‑World Marketing Experiment Examples
- Marketing Experiment Examples by Funnel Stage
- Frequently Asked Questions About Marketing Experiments
What are marketing experiments, and how do they work?
Marketing experiments are controlled changes to a marketing message or campaign to improve reach or conversion rates. These tests can be a small, single tweak or a campaign-wide experiment. Successful marketing experiments assess both quantitative data and qualitative factors, and the campaign results directly feed the next iteration of marketing materials.
Experiments are a part of step four in the Loop Marketing cycle: evolve in real-time. Here are quick examples of marketing experiments feeding the loop:
|
Experiment Example |
How it Feeds the Marketing Loop |
|
Change CTA button color on a landing page |
Measures immediate impact on click-through rate (CTR); then, iterates the winning version to improve conversion rates |
|
Test UGC vs. branded photography in paid ads |
Uses engagement and conversion data to evolve ad strategy based on what resonates with audiences |
|
A/B test email subject lines |
Evaluates open rates, engagement rates, and qualitative replies to refine future messaging |
The Elements Every Marketing Experiment Needs
Before spending any marketing budget on an experiment, make sure it has what it needs to succeed: a solid foundation, clear test factors, predetermined success metrics, and an intentionally selected framework.
The Basics
Marketing experiments are composed of a few key factors, like a specific hypothesis, subject, and both dependent and independent variables.
- Measurable hypothesis (expected outcome): A clear, testable prediction.
- Subjects: Who is exposed to the experiment.
- Independent variable: The element marketers intentionally change.
- Dependent variable: The measured outcome.
Here‘s …read more
Source:: HubSpot Blog
