Strategy: Anatomy of a Marketing Test

I’ve developed rules for testing orders. I’ve found that following these simple rules ensures an accurate, measurable result and a sound conclusion.

1. Clearly define the purpose — your objective.
2. Prepare a pro forma; do your financial analysis.
3. Always test against a control.
4. Only test one variable at a time.
5. Don’t test during peak season (unless necessary).
6. Always re-test against a control or another offer.
7. Make sure your sample size gives you statistically valid results.
8. Properly source code the control and test groups.
9. Read the results and act on what you see!