Introduction: Accountability and Experimentation: Working Together

Galileo dropped two stones from the Leaning Tower of Pisa to prove that objects fall at the same speed. Isaac Newton used a prism to split sunlight into a rainbow, proving light is made of different colors. Ivan Pavlov demonstrated how behavior can be conditioned by observing dogs’ reactions to food and bells.

Why Experiment?

Experiments like these help us understand the world by proving or disproving ideas. Scientists who conduct such experiments embody exploration, curiosity, and rigor—qualities that today’s marketers should embrace. As Matt Heinz, President of Heinz Marketing, says, “You can’t do marketing without experimentation.” As buyers’ habits change, so do marketing strategies. Experimentation allows you to refine best practices, achieve predictable results, and drive growth.

An experiment is a procedure to support, refute, or validate a hypothesis, revealing cause-and-effect relationships. And it’s not just for science class—experimentation is essential for marketers to thrive in a rapidly changing environment where accountability and curiosity are key.

Yet, many organizations struggle with applying scientific testing in their marketing strategies. Fewer than half of marketers use an iterative approach when designing customer experiences, and 70% of employees report facing barriers to asking questions at work.

Why Experimentation Matters

This ebook is a guide to fostering a culture of scientific thinking and curiosity for marketers. At Marketo, an Adobe company, this approach is central to our strategy. By continuously refining based on test results, marketers can optimize their return on investment, challenge assumptions, and test new ideas.

Key Principles for Marketers

• You Can Always Be More Right: Aim to improve by just 1% every week, and you’ll achieve substantial gains over time.
• The process is Key: Follow a rigorous, scientific approach to your experiments.
• Scale What Works: Choose experiments that can be rolled out across all campaigns, like template testing with subject line brackets.
• Data-Driven Decisions: Let evidence, not just instincts, drive your choices. We’ll cover how to use p-values and statistically sound tests to guide decisions.
• Embrace Iteration: Think like Goldilocks and test until your campaigns are “just right.”
• Seek Incremental Improvements: Adopt the concept of “kaizen” to continuously enhance your marketing efforts through small, regular changes.
• Chase Insights, Not Wins: Focus on learning from every outcome, even failures, as they reveal valuable insights.

A Cultural Shift in Marketing

Fostering an experimentation mindset requires a cultural shift. Matt Heinz advises, “Prioritize intent before precision.” The goal is not to have all the right answers immediately but to find the right answers over time through exploration.

With the right mindset and methodology, marketing experimentation allows you to refine strategies, optimize ROI, and foster a culture of continual learning and improvement. So, get ready to embrace experimentation and embark on a journey toward more effective marketing.

Unlock the secrets to effective marketing experimentation. Download the guide to learn how to refine strategies and drive results!

Related report: How Technology Marketers Lead the Way in AI Experimentation | Content Marketing Institute

• Introduction: Accountability and experimentation living in harmony
  • Why experiment?
  • Experimentation ethos
• The experimental marketing team
  • What does a culture of innovation look like?
  • What scientists and marketers have in common
  • 7 roadblocks to overcome
  • How to bring stakeholders along in the testing process
  • How to evangelize your experimentation and results
• Experimentation basics and how-to’s
  • A primer on the scientific method
  • Marketo’s A/B testing methodology
  • Designing the experiment
  • Hypothesizing
  • Variables
  • Sample size and statistical significance
  • Give proper time to your experiment
• Real experiments and their results
  • Experiment A- Personalization: Friend or foe in the buyer’s journey?
  • Experiment B- Less is more in email formatting
  • Experiment C – What time of day is best to send marketing emails?
  • Experiment D-Do trigger-based emails perform better?
  • Experiment E-Disproving the myths about content and buying stages
• Where and how to use experiments
  • Optimizing landing pages
  • Troubleshooting
  • Account-based marketing
  • Pilot programs
• Summary
• Acknowledgments

Number of Pages:

• 40 pages

Pricing: 

• Free