Ideas are like sparks. Some do nothing. Others light a fire that keeps you warm and happy. And others burn your house down. Some landing page optimization tests can explode in your face.
In marketing, you need to separate the good sparks from the bad. Ideas that are based on opinion and anecdotes are often bad. Ideas that are based on research, metrics and facts are much more likely to be good.
Here’s how you can use testing to keep your butt out of the fire.
Start testing and stop arguing
Here’s a scenario: your colleague wants to divert all of your resources into building a microsite. Why? Because you need it for a campaign next month and that’s what everyone else is doing. Your boss nods.
Red alarms blare in your head:
- We’ve never tried this before!
- How will we hit this month’s numbers?!
- Have I updated my resume?
This is when you should condemn your colleague as a fool – just kidding! People with ideas are brave, so don’t attack them. Arguing doesn’t accomplish anything.
Instead, propose a three-step test.