No More Excuses. Create a Testing Plan with No Traffic, Time, or Budget
1. No more excuses
Create a testing plan with
no traffic, time, or budget
#12NTCNoExcuses
Steve Daignaeult
Kira Marchenese
Porter Mason
2. Evaluate This Session!
Each entry is a chance to win an NTEN engraved iPad!
or Online using #12NTCNoExcuses
@w www.nten.org/ntc/eval
3. Who are these people?
Porter Mason
• Deputy Director, Social Media – US Fund for UNICEF
• @portermason
Steve Daignaeult
• Vice President, eCampaigns – M+R Strategic Services
• @Daigneault
Kira Marchenese
• Director, Internet Communications – Environmental Defense Fund
• @kiramarch
#12NTCNoExcuses Slide 3
4. What are they going to say?
Porter Mason
• Obstacles to testing
• Where to start
Steve Daignaeult
• Prioritizing tests
• Choosing metrics
Kira Marchenese
• Making sense of your results
• Showing off sketches made with her fancy iPad
#12NTCNoExcuses Slide 4
6. You think you don’t have the
time/resources/money to test?
Yeah, you know, you, uh, I mean I don’t you,
personally, or your individual situation, but, uh…
honestly, and just speaking from my perspective
really... You, uh... you know, you probably do.
7. Why aren’t you testing?
• I don’t have time. • Yes, you do.
• I don’t have money. • You don’t need any.
• I don’t have resources. • You don’t need any.
• I won’t learn anything. • Yes, you will.
14. Prioritizing which test to run
• What goal will this help you meet?
• Can you expect a big lift?
• How long will it take to get results?
• How much time will it take to implement?
• Will it be applicable to future results?
15. Picking which metrics to use
• Email actions - Open, click, response, unsub
• Donate forms - Completion, avg. gift, monthly
• Advocacy/signup forms - Completion, opt-in
rate, add’l data rate
• Social - Click, share, conversation, applause
• Surveys
16. Metrics of mixed value
• Emails Sent (but not delivered)
• Open Rates
• Clicks / Opens
• Total Opens (not unique)
• Total Clicks (not unique individuals)
• Total File Size
• Social followers (not engaged)
17. Setting benchmarks
• M+R and NTEN - benchmark study
• Convio
• Target analysis
• Your own benchmarks!
– Save your results
– Repeat!
39. So what now?
Tools
•Google Analytics
•Google Website Optimizer
•UTM code builder
•bit.ly, tiny.ly
•WhichTestWon.com
•Website Optimizer Duration Calculator
•Sample size calculator
•Chi-squared test
40. So what now?
Step 1. Things you can do right now
•Open a Google Analytics account (or at least
bookmark it)
•Open a Google Website Optimizer account (or at least
bookmark it)
•Bookmark the UTM tracking code page
•Open a url shortener account
•Rate this session highly
41. So what now?
Step 2. Things to do when you get back
•Add Analytics code to your site
•Decide UTM code standard, start using it
•Start adding/soliciting ideas for that testing doc
•Look at Analytics data, determine “traffic centers”
•Look into tracking/source code info of your CRM
(Convio, etc.)
•Set up an initial sample test in GWO, get a feel for how
it works
42. So what now?
Step 3. Things to do in a few weeks
•Pick at least one test and start it (let us know!)
•Create a calendar (shareable) for testing and add a
few more (be realistic)
•Add to calendar when you’ll check data (don’t do it
constantly!)
•Add to calendar when you’ll update the calendar
•Make a testing results doc (shareable)
43. So what now?
Step 4. PROFIT
•Gain fame
•Attain fortune
•Brag to co-workers and friends
45. Keep in touch!
Porter Mason
• @portermason
Steve Daignaeult
• @Daigneault
Kira Marchenese
• @kiramarch
No more excuses Slide 45
46. Evaluate This Session!
Each entry is a chance to win an NTEN engraved iPad!
or Online using #12NTCNoExcuses
@w www.nten.org/ntc/eval
Editor's Notes
Which is all to say, we are prettyyyyy impressive.
Which is all to say, we are prettyyyyy impressive.
Audience show of hands: Who currently runs regular testing on their: Email Paid search Other Web pages Social media Regardless of what you do now, who would like to be testing more? And who is being told by someone who controls their salary in some way that they sould be testing more, if they know what’s good for them?
I don’t have time Don’t let everything be the enemy of something Set it and forget it Repeat tests! I don’t have money Free tools Can you afford to NOT improve your ROI? I don’t have resources A stitch in time saves nine (commas) Use the robots! I won’t learn anything You’ll learn more than you’re learning now You might learn things you didn’t want to know Inconclusive results are still results
You can’t catch what you can’t see - Night vision goggles Track early, track often Codes on everything Using Analytics to track goals Generates de facto tests as well as ideas for explicit tests
Email - If you’re not always running tests, you’re missing opportunities Subject lines, natch Delivery time, natch Body, change the language (radically) Body, change the layout (radically) Different landing pages Paid search - If you’re not always running tests, you’re missing opportunities Ad language Keyword placement Different landing pages Website - If you’re not running any tests, you’re missing opportunities Landing pages for email, paid search Transaction pages (donate, email forms) Site-wide template Home page (radical layout changes, radical content changes) Other “traffic centers” Social - You have to be creative! Using Facebook geography as approximate split testing Planning posts over time to approximate testing
Standard code better than no code, “direct” is our enemy Use the robots! URL builder form Auto-code from Hootsuite, etc. Pre-launch checklists Some tracking better than none Stakeholders that give you more time get better information
Use an easy to access format (Google Doc) Create it. Now. Right now. Don’t do it alone, open others to submit ideas Ask regularly during team meetings, etc. Finally put nagging requests to rest, “It’s in the queue” Keep it simple, find structure later, start with a bulleted list
Use the robots! GWO makes it easy Altering CSS makes it easy Copy, paste, search, replace Look for low-effort, big-impact changes Headlines Main link or button language/placement Main graphic (if variation already exists) Different templates CrazyEgg Don’t sweat the small stuff Don’t let perfect be enemy of good You can always run the test again
Which is all to say, we are prettyyyyy impressive.
Which is all to say, we are prettyyyyy impressive.