How To(s) relating to Benchmark Data, Marketing Metrics, Marketing Tests

Summary: Sometimes your team can agree that a website needs changes, but how it should be changed is a different story. If team members have different thoughts on the right direction, it's time run tests and dig into the data -- because no one can argue with metrics.

See the top three tests an international roommate-finding service ran to circumvent office conflict and redesign key pages. You'll find before-and-after images of all three tests, which increased memberships 8% and paid conversions 3%. continue...

Summary: Fostering social change is not a common goal for brands. But if your audience is ready to discuss taboo subjects, your marketing can be a rallying point that dispels myths while boosting reputation and sales.

See how Kotex determined that its customers were ready for frank messages about women's bodies and health. The team radically repositioned its marketing and has boosted Kotex's market share. Includes tips on conducting customer research and creating content that encourages discussion. continue...

Summary: Before you conduct your next email test, make sure you're not falling into a trap that can muddy your results or limit the gains you might otherwise achieve.

We spoke with an email testing expert from our sister company, MarketingExperiments, to uncover common mistakes marketers make when running email tests. Read why good analytics and segmentation are crucial forerunners to testing, and why a blockbuster discovery from one test actually can be a risky thing for a marketing team. continue...

Summary: We all want to find a change that will turn a lackluster landing page into a monster. Will it require a bigger button? Or perhaps a different image?

Find out how to pick the right tests to improve your landing pages from an expert with years of experience. See why the most obvious test is not always the best to try. continue...

Summary: Social media can improve website traffic, lead generation and sales -- but by how much? And how can you improve those results?

The solution is through careful measurement of social media's contribution to your marketing goals. We spoke with an expert in social marketing analysis to uncover five tactics that can help you measure which online social interactions drive business results. continue...

Summary: When used properly, multivariate testing can be one of the most valuable tools in your marketing skill set.

Read seven key lessons that Avis Budget car rentals learned through years of multivariate testing. See which tests had an impact, and how they used testing to defuse tricky office battles. continue...

Summary: Although the industry has made vast improvements in attribution, it’s hard to know the impact of every marketing dollar. Thankfully, database analysis techniques are giving some marketers more insight than ever.

We spoke with an expert in marketing attribution to learn how he uncovers the marketing impact of murky channels. Take a look to gain insight, but be prepared: This will not be easy. continue...

Summary: B-to-B marketing has undergone a revolution since 2000. MarketingSherpa has conducted tens of thousands of hours of peer-driven research in the field to produce a practical handbook that caps this transformation for you.

Download this special 22-page PDF excerpt from Sherpa’s all-new B-to-B Lead Generation Handbook. Includes six data charts and groundbreaking insights and tactics on:
- Selecting the best media buys
- Search engine marketing and SEO tips
- Using Web 2.0 promotions and videos
- How to create great content continue...

Summary: Let's face it, your white paper title is the make or break factor when it comes to downloads. Most prospects make a split-second decision to get a white paper based almost solely on the title and perhaps the author. Which types of titles get the best downloads? For this exclusive research story, we delved into the white paper response database at CNET Networks B2B sites (including TechRepublic and ZDNet.com), examining precisely which titles were the most popular with the most highly qualified prospects. Here's what we discovered: continue...

Summary: Are you overwhelmed by stacks of Web analytics reports that you never have time to get to? Or are you trying to convince management they should give you a half-decent analytics budget? Discover five specific tactics marketers at baby shopping retailer OneStepAhead.com used to solve these all-too-common problems. Includes fascinating results data from their customer segmentation project where they tracked search vs. affiliate driven customers. continue...