Testing … Testing … 1, 2, 3: 3 Tips for Better Tests

Your message matters. In more challenging times, economically and culturally, it’s not optional to market the hell out of your product or service for performance at the expense of sentiment or tone. It’s also not an option to take the easy way out and send out cookie-cutter messages that make your audience yawn.

In fact, if you have a minute, it’s worth hearing what Phrasee CEO Parry Malm has to say on the importance of meaningful testing…

Parry Malm, CEO of Phrasee delivering a keynote speech at Think Summit New York in June 2022

There’s a cost to playing it safe. Here’s how you find the right message for the right person, every time – without compromising your brand:

1. Stop with A/B testing!

When improving marketing across any channel, most people will conduct a basic A/B split test. It’s quick, it’s easy – so why go beyond that? Because when you test more combinations and more variables, you get more data, and data is how you make your marketing better. In an A/B test, you learn whether one thing works or not. But in a multivariate test, you can test lots of different factors at once.

2. Test for success, not just to check a box

You know you’re supposed to test more, so you do the basics to get the boss off your back. But did you actually learn anything? Get clear on your goals, and figure out how you’re going to measure success – and how you’re going to use that knowledge to move forward – before you ever start.

3. Finally, spotlight your supercustomers

Did you know it can cost as much as 5x more to acquire new customers than it does to retain and reignite existing ones? Balancing the acquisition cost of adding new customers against the value of reigniting old relationships and developing customer loyalty is tricky business. But your most strategic testing angle is to focus on the people that already love your brand – your “supercustomers,” the ones who really want to actively engage – test on small samples within that group, and scale your learnings across the rest of your customer lifecycle segments.

So you’re testing and you’re working out the content that works best with your audience. What’s next? Time to double down and drive ROI using technology.