In this series, "testing" refers to trying something with uncertain outcomes, guided by a framework to inform future expectations and expansion. It can sometimes be a methodical A/B test with relatively clear outcomes, or it can sometimes be the digital marketing equivalent of walking off into the unknown, wondering if you’re about to encounter a lovely garden or step right off a cliff. Resistance to testing is not a hypothetical challenge. A results-driven marketer will feel the constant tension of wanting to optimize towards things that are working. What’s wrong with that? The things that are working exist within the very finite set of things that are certain. To grow, we must test.
To understand how to go about it, let’s first understand what makes it difficult:
The human tendency to prioritize comfort over uncertainty
This applies to all resources that can be prioritized, but especially budget and time. It’s difficult to know how much time and budget to allot to something relatively mysterious. Given two projects of equal impact and investment, we will always choose the one we understand better, which means testing can easily take a back seat without an intention to prioritize it.
Fear of failure
Inherent in the uncertainty that goes with testing is the possibility (and even likelihood) that not everything will work. Given that running a test often requires getting buy-in from stakeholders, we can feel our personal esteem is on the line for something that may or may not work. No one welcomes the prospect of failure.
Budget constraints and the perception of testing as a financial gamble
If you’re operating with a limited budget, it can feel like a waste to “gamble” on a total unknown, especially when comparing it to finely-tuned legacy campaigns.
Complexity of tracking results in increasingly interconnected marketing programs
Data privacy, cookie settings, GDPR, multi-device and multi-channel user journeys… they all comprise a progressively more complicated attribution picture. The more channels you operate in, the more interconnected the sources, meaning the greater the uncertainty. That means the barriers to testing don’t get any easier to surmount as your program grows.
The Quantum Entanglement Theory of Digital Marketing
As discussed in part 1, The Case for a Testing Mindset, once you participate in digital marketing, you change the landscape. This means what little can be known about what to expect ahead of a test may immediately need to be scrapped once you actually launch the test.
So Why Test?
As discussed in Part 1, it’s a necessary component to an effective program. The only way out is through, and this series is designed to plot the course through effective testing and development of a Testing Mindset, a tool that will help you future-proof your digital marketing program.