Like many things in life, the marketing process is not always straightforward. It often requires outside of a box thinking and exploring unknown territories. It is a part of the learning process. And using different types of marketing experiments and testing allow you to learn from your breakthroughs and mistakes.
Experiments are a form of market research. Entrepreneurs and marketers use them to finetune marketing strategy. One of the main reasons to perform different types of marketing experiments is to avoid spending big bucks on something that doesn’t work. Marketing experiments help you determine what works best for your audience and your business.
Carrying out these tests is not always easy, especially if you are not a marketer. You need to understand what you can test and how to measure results. Innovative brands use these experiments to find ways to set them apart and carve a niche in their market. The conventional forms of experimenting focus on button colors and the subject lines for emails, but there is no limit to imagination.Innovative brands use these experiments to find ways to set them apart and carve a niche in their market.
Types of marketing experiments
The best part is that you can test almost anything from fonts and colors. If you can measure it, you can test it. But don’t get alarmed by the variety of tests – we’ve selected nine that are easy to try and measure.
A/B Testing
Most types of marketing experiments fall into this category. A/B testing (also known as split testing) uses two or more options and one control group to measure results. You compare two assets against each other to determine which one works better. In most cases, these are variations of the same marketing asset.
You can test two or more variants against the control group. Ensure that not overloading the experiment with various elements might make it challenging to evaluate the results.
Call to action
Marketers use a call-to-action (CTA) to nudge their audience towards taking action. The message in these CTAs has a direct influence on the outcome of that action. Compelling CTAs can convince the audience to spend their precious dollars and become your clients. This is why marketing teams experiment with different options to determine which best appeals to their audience.
Being creative with CTAs can also set your brand apart and make your content more appealing. You can experiment with color, message, animating it, or even with the CTA’s placement on the page. The data from these experiments will then help you decide which CTAs to apply, given their performance with the target audience.
Onboarding process
Onboarding experiences have a direct influence on the business’s ability to retain customers. It includes different communication strategies to create a seamless experience for the customer.
You can test it by sending two different groups of customers on two different onboarding paths. Depending on your goals, you can experiment with anything from when you send the first email to the account set up. Keep in mind, though, that testing too many elements at the same time can get confusing. A better option is to focus on modifying a component per one process step.
Advertising
Advertising can take up a considerable part of the marketing budget, so it’s only logical to find the best investment options. Not only do you want to capture your audience’s attention, but you also maintain your brand image and communicate your values right. When done right, advertising can ensure that you never run out of clients. And on a higher level, advertising is even considered a form of art!
When done right, advertising can ensure that you never run out of clients.
But before you hop on the plane to go collect your award from Cannes Lions, you need to make sure that your ad is achieving its goal.
Even on a smaller level, you need to create relevant and compelling ads for the audience to reach the business goals. Trying different visuals, messages, and placements is all part of experimentation here. And once you find a combination that brings the best results, you can go all-in with confidence!
Segmentation
No two customers are ever the same, and yet a lot of them share similar traits. These traits, whether it is demographics, location, or others, impact customers’ behavior. Using segmentation to identify similar groups helps you better understand their target audiences.
Experimenting with segmentation will help you test different approaches to these groups. For example, segmentation can help you pick the right time to contact them with a worldwide audience. Even trying a different tone in your emails can change how customers perceive you. Now imagine giving them an offer that fits their exact needs!
Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) focuses on improving website content to make it easy to find and access. Because search algorithms change now and then, it is an ongoing process. Besides, SEO helps to design content that is useful for readers.
SEO allows crawlers and indexing software from search engines to scan and index your content. It has a proven ability to drive more traffic to your website. Using different keywords and page structures in these experiments is the key to working your way to the first search results on the page.
Pricing
For many business owners, pricing can be a somewhat sensitive topic. Of course, you want to find the right balance between not overcharging your customer and not selling yourself short.
And it’s not only about the price tag! You can experiment with how you position your pricing, how you present it compared to other options, maybe even offer a discount?
Marketing teams often experiment with anchor pricing, comparative pricing, and even pricing with the rule of ‘9’. You can then use the results to decide what pricing strategy best suits both the business and the customers.
Push Notifications
Push notifications are a valuable communication channel for many companies. Used both on mobile and desktop, they provide helpful information and often nudge people to interact with the business. But send one too many, and you risk driving people away.
Finding the right time, amount, and functions for push notifications is a delicate job. It’s sporadic that you get it right from the first guess. Testing different strategies with smaller groups of customer segments can save you from high churn rates in the future.
Incentives
It’s not uncommon for businesses to use various incentives to encourage people to buy from them and attract new customers. From discounts to personalized offers, this is where you can get REALLY creative.
Don’t limit yourself to discounts only. Trying different types of marketing experiments can also help you improve your pricing strategy and unearth insights into customer behavior.
The way you design marketing experiments impacts their efficiency and the quality of data. When done right, experiments can help improve your marketing strategy and optimize your budget. But we understand how difficult it is to know what to focus on next.