Testing Your Way to a Breakthrough

Share the plan. Make sure everyone understands the hypothesis being tested and what will happen next with either a positive or negative result. Before the test is mailed, ensure everyone agrees that the creative or marketing execution will enable you to interpret the results.

Split-test head-to-head. The only way to get accurate results is in a head-to-head (A/B) test within the same segments. Don’t test one segment against another, one region against another, or test in two separate mailings. Too many other variables can affect the outcome, and you could roll out something that won’t yield the same results you saw in the test.