7 Best Practices for Testing and Targeting

• Start small with a limited number of tests and know the variables that will make a difference in a campaign.
• Review results and build visibility; doing so will help your credibility.
• Save anything from your testing queue, including creative.
• Be specific in the way you design your test. The more specific the better.
• Individually test items.

4. Process and timing matters. Testing usually comes in four waves: the first wave is launching the test, wave two is analyzing the results, wave three is optimizing the results and wave four is fine-tuning the results. In the first step, find the areas of your site that will offer details of user behavior, and focus on small changes. In the second step, review the results of your tests and share them with your team. Share with your team new areas of opportunity and any other testing ideas you may have. Step three is to verify the results, approve the winning combo, and design and implement new tests. Plan a long-term testing strategy in step four, incorporating lessons learned from other tests. Consistently test; you can never test too many times.