No More Excuses: Create a testing plan with no traffic, time, or budget

No more excuses Create a testing plan with no traffic, time, or budget #12NTCNoExcuses

Steve Daignaeult Kira Marchenese Porter Mason

Evaluate This Session! Each entry is a chance to win an NTEN engraved iPad!

or Online using #12NTCNoExcuses

@ www.nten.org/ntc/eval

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

Slide 2 No more excuses

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

Slide 3 No more excuses

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.

Why aren’t you testing?

• I don’t have time.

• I don’t have money.

• I don’t have resources.

• I won’t learn anything.

• Yes, you do.

• You don’t need any.

• You don’t need any.

• Yes, you will.

Where to start?

ABT – “Always Be Tracking”

tracking

Where to start?

Finding opportunities for testing

• Email

• Paid search

• Website

• Social

Making it part of your workflow

Coding links must become normal practice.

Making it part of your workflow

Gather ideas collaboratively.

Making it part of your workflow

Take the edge off of creating variations.

TAG! STEVE IS IT!

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?

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

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)

Setting benchmarks

• M+R and NTEN - benchmark study

• Convio

• Target analysis

• Your own benchmarks!

– Save your results

– Repeat!

TAG! KIRA IS IT!

Idea #1

More data

better decisions

Idea #2

Choose your sample

thoughtfully

Idea #3

Bigger differences

are easier to see

Idea #4

Yes/no questions

are easier than

amounts

TAG! PORTER IS IT!

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

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

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

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)

So what now?

Step 4. PROFIT

• Gain fame

• Attain fortune

• Brag to co-workers and friends

Questions? #12NTCNoExcuses

Porter Mason

• @portermason

Steve Daignaeult

• @Daigneault

Kira Marchenese

• @kiramarch

Slide 43 No more excuses

Keep in touch!

Porter Mason

• @portermason

Steve Daignaeult

• @Daigneault

Kira Marchenese

• @kiramarch

Slide 44 No more excuses

Evaluate This Session! Each entry is a chance to win an NTEN engraved iPad!

or Online using #12NTCNoExcuses

@ www.nten.org/ntc/eval