no more excuses, buddy: create a testing plan with no traffic, time, or budget
DESCRIPTION
Presentation from the 2012 Nonprofit Technology conference.-------You know you're supposed to be testing stuff on your website. You want to be testing stuff. You really do. Honest.But I mean, c'mon... you don't have the time to test! You've got sixteen other things to get done! Before 10am!And you don't get enough traffic to test! I mean, look, you do, okay, but this isn't the Huffington Post. Testing needs big numbers for all that statistical confidence stuff.And what about a budget? You're not made of money! And you're not made of time! And you're not made of organizational priority!Well, I hate to do this to you, but this workshop is going to show you that even a small nonprofit can get real results from testing and not invest much to do it.We'll talk through a simple process that any staff can use to analyze existing data to determine areas ripe for data analysis and discuss how to generate, prioritize, and schedule testing ideas.Yes, sadly this workshop is going to take away all your excuses, my friends. After this hour and a half, you're going to actually develop a testing plan, improve your site's performance and impress your friends and co-workers.My apologies.Session Takeaways1. How to focus testing plans around your site's specific strengths and weaknesses 2. Why web staff don't need a big budget or lots of time to test effectively 3. How you can combine and analyze even small amounts of traffic to draw conclusions with statistical confidenceTRANSCRIPT
No more excusesCreate a testing plan withno traffic, time, or budget
#12NTCNoExcuses
Steve DaignaeultKira MarchenesePorter Mason
Evaluate This Session!Each entry is a chance to win an NTEN engraved iPad!
or Online using #12NTCNoExcuses@ www.nten.org/ntc/evalw
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 3No 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 4No more excuses
You think you don’t have thetime/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 44No more excuses
Keep in touch!
Porter Mason
• @portermason
Steve Daignaeult
• @Daigneault
Kira Marchenese
• @kiramarch
Slide 45No more excuses
Evaluate This Session!Each entry is a chance to win an NTEN engraved iPad!
or Online using #12NTCNoExcuses@ www.nten.org/ntc/evalw