Driving Results & Learnings Through Systematic Testing
“Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of intelligent effort.” – John Ruskin
When it comes to digital advertising, Harmelin Media believes it is imperative to have a systematic testing program in place to continually improve the quality of campaign performance and to develop applicable learnings/best practices. However, testing alone will not always provide success or learnings. The key to success is to have a well-defined approach, so that test objectives are clear and actionable.
Advertisers and clients will get the most out of their digital strategies and tactics by adopting a complete test and learn framework. As such, testing should be done at both the macro and micro levels to achieve true success for clients’ business objectives.
There are four components in a successful test & learn framework outline. Together, these components create the blueprint for a comprehensive and measurable test & learn framework.
- STEP 1: OBJECTIVES
Draw up a test overview to provide a clear outline of the test being set up
- STEP 2: HYPOTHESIS
Create a hypothesis, or an educated assumption that will either be proven or disproven by the test
- STEP 3: FRAMEWORK
Document a test construct to outline the specific tactics, parameters and control groups that will be used to create and implement the test
- STEP 4: MEASUREMENT
Establish performance measurement, which includes reporting cadence and the metrics being leveraged to measure success and statistical significance requirements for analysis validity
It is worth noting that prior to launching any test, the framework should be developed and shared with clients so both parties (client and agency) have a clear understanding of the experiment and expectations for it. Communicating the framework is almost as important as conducting the test itself! Valuable learnings can be applied at the campaign, client, vertical, or agency level if they are effectively documented, tracked, and communicated.
Implementing a clear testing process at the agency level ensures that test successes and failures are shared and that a culture of constant learning is nurtured. Testing is never a “one and done” and is not always about succeeding. Sometimes there is more learned from a failed test than a successful outcome. Shared learnings from tests are the foundation of vertical and channel best practices and further develop advertisers’ collective knowledge. Testing encourages curiosity, with one insight sparking new ideas and breeding increased innovation. To harness the collective power, it all comes back to a systematic approach.