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Top Seven Time Sinks and Solutions

Part 2 in the Return on Effort Study series, in association with HubSpot

Top Seven Time Sinks and Solutions Part 2 in the Return on Effort Study series, in association with HubSpot

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Copyright © Econsultancy.com Ltd 2010

Making the Call: Part 2 in the Return on Effort Study Series

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and

retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Copyright © Econsultancy.com Ltd 2010

Contents

Introduction from HubSpot ............................................................................................... 4 About HubSpot ................................................................................................................... 5 About Econsultancy ............................................................................................................ 5

Research aims ........................................................................................................................ 6 Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 6 Survey Demographics ......................................................................................................... 7

Top Seven Marketing Time Sinks and Solutions...................................................... 11 #1. Flying blind .................................................................................................................. 11 #2. Investing in tomorrow at the expense of today .......................................................... 12 #3. Failing fast…without learning ...................................................................................... 14 #4. Tech without people/people without tech ................................................................. 16 #5. What’s your motivation?............................................................................................. 17 #6. The tyranny of S.O.P .................................................................................................... 18 #7. Bad, bad data .............................................................................................................. 19

Table of Figures Figure 1: Which of the following statements best describes your organization? ..................... 7

Figure 2: Primary target segments (over 25% of 2009 revenue) .............................................. 8

Figure 3: Primary product type. ................................................................................................ 8

Figure 4: 2009 revenue ............................................................................................................. 9

Figure 5: Organizations’ monthly lead goals. ........................................................................... 9

Figure 6: Budget approaches to experimentation by company size ....................................... 11

Figure 7: Approaches taken to experimentation. .................................................................... 15

Figure 8: Factors that spark new initiatives ............................................................................ 17

Top 7 Time Sinks and Solutions



Introduction from HubSpot Jeanne Hopkins Director of Marketing HubSpot




About HubSpot

Headquartered in Cambridge, MA, HubSpot offers inbound marketing software that helps small and medium sized businesses get found on the internet by the right prospects and convert more of them into leads and customers. HubSpot's software platform includes tools that allow professional marketers and small business owners to manage search engine optimization, blogging and social media, as well as landing pages, lead intelligence and marketing analytics. http://www.hubspot.com

About Econsultancy

Econsultancy is a digital publishing and training group that is used by more than 200,000 internet professionals every month.

The company publishes practical and timesaving research to help marketers make better decisions about the digital environment, build business cases, find the best suppliers, look smart in meetings and accelerate their careers.

Econsultancy has offices in New York and London, and hosts more than 100 events every year in the US and UK. Many of the world's most famous brands use Econsultancy to educate and train their staff.

Some of Econsultancy‟s members include: Google, Yahoo, Dell, BBC, BT, Shell, Vodafone, Virgin Atlantic, Barclays, Deloitte, T-Mobile and Estée Lauder.

Join Econsultancy today to learn what‟s happening in digital marketing – and what works.

Call us to find out more on +44 (0)20 7269 1450 (London) or +1 212 699 3626 (New York). You can also contact us online.

http://www.hubspot.com/

http://econsultancy.com/

http://econsultancy.com/reports

http://econsultancy.com/events

http://econsultancy.com/training

http://econsultancy.com/membership_plans

http://econsultancy.com/contact




Research aims 1. The primary goal of this study was to quantify the effort marketers expend on

fundamental and emerging marketing tactics. By comparing the time invested in

these tactics with their ROI and brand impact, we hope to help marketers in two ways. First,

by guiding managers in evaluating tactics for future consideration. Second, helping teams

compare their own effort to return ratios with those of the industry.

2. Another important element of the study was to explore how skill sets are aligned for

emerging and inbound tactics. Since social tactics rely so heavily on the capabilities of

team members in-house, and occasionally at partner organizations, it‟s valuable to set

benchmarks for comparison and the planning of future training and hiring.

3. We also looked at how organizations make decisions about trying new tactics and

exploring new opportunities. With time at a premium, it‟s important for the motivations,

rewards and challenges around new programs to be in alignment. The results suggest this is

not always the case, and that there's a real opportunity for organizations to become more

efficient in their approach.

4. Finally, we asked how to best use internal and external resources. How are

companies using agencies, and where are they looking for their inside teams to develop new

skills?

This paper is the second in the Return on Effort Study series, and covers the third research phase.

The first report tackles the return on effort of different offline and online tactics. It‟s available here

courtesy of HubSpot. http://www.hubspot.com/webinars/best-and-worst-return-on-

effort-marketing-tactics/

Methodology

Findings in this report are based on the Return on Effort Survey, fielded on July 19th, 2010 and

closed on July 30th, 2010. Out of over 1,500 total responses, nearly 1,000 were eliminated for

reasons outlined in the following section. Ultimately, 574 qualified responses were included in the

sample.

The only incentive for participation was the offer of the resulting reports and an invitation to access

the accompanying webinars.




Survey Demographics

Several criteria were used to determine which responses would be included in the final dataset;

1. Type of organization – only client-side marketers and the agency personnel serving them were included in the sample.

2. Total annual revenue – large corporations (revenues over $100M) were not included in “average” results. Because this report is aimed at small and mid-sized companies where marketers are likely to have multiple simultaneous roles, it was concluded that companies large enough to have dedicated personnel for every tactic could throw off ROE estimates.

3. Organizational knowledge – respondents who were unable to answer an initial set of general company questions were eliminated from the sample.

4. Geographic location – only responses identified by IP address as being from North America were included.

Figure 1: Which of the following statements best describes your organization?

Number of respondents: 1,534

46%

35%

8%

6%5%

Client side Agency or marketing consultantOther (some eliminated from sample) Publishers (eliminated from sample)




Figure 2: Primary target segments (over 25% of 2009 revenue)

Number of respondents: 574

Figure 3: Primary product type.


50%

44%

28%

14%

3%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Consumers Small and/or medium-sized

businesses

Large businesses Institutions (schools,

government, NGOs)

Other

22%

41%

37%

Low consideration - minimal research or comparison, rapid sales cycle

Medium consideration - requires some research, comparison of vendors, variable sales cycle

High consideration - important business decision, requires significant research, comparison of multiple vendors, typically long sales cycle




Figure 4: 2009 revenue


Figure 5: Organizations‟ monthly lead goals.


30%28%

19%

3%

12%

8%

41%

20%

16%

1%

14%

8%

0%

15%

30%

45%

Under $1,000,000

$1MM - $10MM $10MM -$50MM

$50MM-$100MM

Over $100,000,000

Don't know/ Prefer not to

say

B2B B2C

29%

18%

24%

9%11%

8%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

Under 50 51 to 100 101 to 500 501 to 1,000 1,001 to 10,000 Over 10,000




Who is this report for?

This is primarily a report by client-side marketers for client-side marketers, specifically at small and medium-sized organizations that engage in digital marketing and are currently or planning on using socially-driven, content focused “inbound” tactics. However, many findings and takeaways apply across company size and target markets.

The report is also intended to inform non-digital marketing specialists such as senior managers who need to understand the similarities and differences between established and emerging digital channels.

In addition, the report will help agencies understand their clients' challenges and thought processes

and assist them as they design future marketing services and refine their current ones.




Top Seven Marketing Time Sinks and Solutions

Budgets are tight, but time is tighter. Time is the one resource in marketing with no elasticity,

making it precious and a key area of complaint for marketers who are constantly asked to add

programs, channels and technologies to their efforts. As part of the "Return on Effort Study," we

wanted to explore areas where marketers can lose time, as well as opportunities for gaining some

back.

#1. Flying blind

Opportunity cost is when we can‟t do something because we‟re doing something else. Marketing

teams and their partners have a finite amount of time, so everything they do has an opportunity cost:

those programs, campaigns and experiments that never get past the idea stage, stall midstream or

simply don‟t get enough attention to perform at their best.

As we see in Figure 6, most companies (and especially SMBs) don‟t have a set, budgetary structure

around experiments with new tech, channels and programs. The majority makes decisions and

spends money on an ad hoc basis, with huge variation in their processes and motivations (see the

next section for more on what motivates them).

When marketers are evaluating a decision about something new, they don‟t always have the benefit

of hard data. They can‟t predict the percentage by which new technology might increase lead

conversion or how many leads will be generated by a new content program. In such cases, marketers

can use gut instinct and risk soaring opportunity costs, or turn to their core marketing strategy.

Figure 6: Budget approaches to experimentation by company size


20%

28%

40%

12%9%

18%

54%

19%

Budget line for experiments

Ad hoc budgeting for experiments

Ad hoc, but little budget available

Stick to established tactics

Large orgs. SMB organizations




Too many organizations treat strategy as a yearly thought exercise, and not as a dynamic decision-

making tool. At its best, a strategy can inform every decision, big and small, that confronts

marketers.

Most organizations have their version of a strategy review, and it goes something like this: a rush of

meetings culminates with a presentation and perhaps a white paper laying out the plan for the

coming year. Some people are excited. Others would prefer to get back to the 100 unread emails

demanding their attention. Depending on a variety of factors, that plan will either fade in the face of

the grind or become a tangible force that helps guide decisions up and down the ladder.

The time invested in a coherent strategy is saved many times over by avoiding the missteps of flying

blind. Certainly, a marketing strategy covers the macro-topics of brand identity, target markets,

attitudes toward the customer and the competitive landscape as well as near and mid-term priorities.

But, it should also drill down to the specific plans to address the needs and opportunities in each of

these areas. At its best, this set of principals gives anyone in the organization the tools they need to

evaluate risks, opportunities and market changes.

In other words, a comprehensive strategy allows marketers to take risks, because a program or

experiment supports a core strategic principle. It also lets marketers say “no,” which can be one of

the hardest things in business. But for organizations that want to stick to activities that support

growth as defined by their strategy, saying no is just as important as saying yes.

#2. Investing in tomorrow at the expense of today

Most business people would agree this is a time of profound transformation. Technology and culture are conspiring to tilt the axis of how we live, consume media, and choose products. This dynamic state is real enough, but the emphasis on change is reinforced by both niche and mass media. Both are motivated to comment on what‟s exciting to their readers – new opportunities, new trends and new challenges.

As important as it is to understand the shifts that are taking place and to align resources to take advantage, some organizations do so before having developed real mastery of skills and channels that have already proven themselves.

A constant focus on tomorrow belies one of the underlying truths of marketing: execution trumps

channel or campaign. Given the array of media and technology choices available, success is less tied

to placing the right bet on media or platform than it is to the efficient execution of the program.

The best way to maintain mastery is through an organizational emphasis on skills development, balancing those that fit marketing as it exists today and those which anticipate its expansion and evolution. Three principle areas of focus are the intersection of marketing with data and technology, the increased demand for content creation and management and the need for improved user experience. Teams that maintain a balanced and skilled approach in these areas are well positioned not only to execute at a high level, but to respond well to the unknown.

Focus on data and technology

Web analytics is something every organization does, but not all do it well. A true

understanding of what's happening and why's invaluable and integral to a variety of marketing

activities. At issue for many is a disciplined approach to analytics. A focus on learning begins with




a schedule for reports, a quarterly or bi-annual review of the information being collected and a

process for team members to suggest new areas of inquiry and important questions.

A/B testing is simple and effective for a wide range of marketing purposes. A team should have

people comfortable with executing A/B testing, and sufficient understanding of how multi-

variable testing works to be able to manage an outside contractor or use an ASP tool.

Paid and organic search are so important to most organizations that these areas are where

they tend to have the highest level of technical marketing skills. The companies getting the most

from their outsourced programs are those that have experienced search marketers on staff.

Display advertising is a significant component for brand-focused companies and one of the

most complex of the new digital channels. Even if it‟s managed through an agency, the in-house

team should be conversant in the wide variety of ancillary technologies that are a part of the

display ecosystem, including data providers, measurement services, authentication providers, ad

servers and rich media companies.

Finally, teams will benefit from having one or more people who are comfortable with statistics

in a general capacity. In addition to many ways in which statistics are integral to database

marketing, this skill is invaluable in seeing through flimsy arguments from vendors and analysts

alike.

Focus on content creation and management

Marketing is shifting from the campaign model to an “always-on” set of conversations and content interactions. To a degree, this also shifts creative efforts away from the “big idea” toward a collection of small ideas and executions that should be tested and optimized. A well-rounded team will have skill sets that include the following:

The cost-benefit ratio for having landing page expertise is among the most favorable in

marketing. Landing page design best practices coupled with the ability to run basic statistical

analyses of A/B tests gives marketing departments a powerful way to affect conversion. More

than once we heard from marketers who, having enough expertise in their department to

implement, test and optimize landing pages, made them remarkably independent of the

technology group.

Even as social media commands industry attention, email marketing is the primary conduit to

customers. Understanding of email list segmentation and deliverability is too often lacking.

Social media and PR have merged in many respects. The technical aspects are relatively

simple, but quite varied. Necessary skills include familiarity with distribution services, writing

press releases with search engines in mind, and enough web analytics to be able to track results.

Of course, the most important assets in these efforts are a good ear for the needs of the customer

and an authentic voice that can articulate what the company is doing to satisfy them.




Focus on user experience

User experience is a term sometimes used synonymously with usability, although the latter is really a sub-discipline. In addition to usability, user experience design can bring together elements of psychology, programming and design, among others. At its root is the goal of improving a person‟s interaction with a product, tool, site or system.

User experience is subjective. While you can define specific elements within it (how long it takes to accomplish task A, for example), user experience is also a set of feelings brought on by the interaction. For example, the aesthetic components of Apple‟s product line contribute to the user experience, although their effect is impossible to quantify.

Usability testing is among the most accessible tests available to marketers. It‟s inexpensive and

can be carried out quickly. It‟s also highly educational and very likely to point out aspects and

issues of the tested material the designers have missed. It‟s also one of the best ways to foster

communication between technical and marketing staffers. Watching someone fumble through a

process that was thought to be simple is a much better motivator than a sheaf of notes from a

product manager.

With the cacophony of individual voices talking about a brand in the social sphere, persona

development is an effective and simple way to help marketing organize its understanding of the

customer base. By creating a manageable number of distinct personas who represent major

customer types, the team can consider how their decisions, technology choices and campaigns

will be received.

Listening is a key to a new kind of marketing. The industry is moving away from the inside-out

model that has dominated for decades. Understanding customers' needs depends on hearing

what they‟re saying andwhat they‟re implying, as well as noticing what they‟re not saying.

#3. Failing fast…without learning

The best way to manage transformation and strive for excellence is to build technical, operational and strategic knowledge of digital marketing. The previous section addressed one way to achieve this via training and team building. The other route is experimentation. Digital technologies allow us „fail (or succeed) faster‟ and learn quickly, often from experiments with little or no hard costs. But the advantages of easy experimentation are lost if they aren't aligned with strategy and given adequate time to develop.

SMBs are especially susceptible to the pattern of trying something new once or perhaps a few times but without adjusting the experiment. In Figure 7 we see that only 25% of companies take a long view (giving an experiment more than a few cycles to succeed) and that average drops for small and medium sized businesses. They‟re also more than twice as likely as the average to conduct only a single test.

Several best practices can be applied to avoid wasting time on experiments, regardless of their outcome.

1. Simply, start every initiative with an experimental plan. This should outline the expectations,

timeline, and planned variations in the test (see next section). All of this amount to patience.

“Fail fast” doesn‟t mean we should simply roll something out, wait for it to have great success,

and can it when that doesn‟t happen. Most social media efforts would have died off long ago if

this were case (and certainly many have). The trick is to learn from failure, or conversely, to not

be satisfied with quick success.




2. Before you begin, plan the variations that will be explored during the run of the experiment.

The idea is not to over-complicate, but to broaden findings. For example, if the question is

whether Twitter is right for the social media plan, there are a number of ways to approach using

Twitter before you can know whether it‟s a success or non-starter.

Time Test Result Lesson

Week 1 Twitter – post once per day Growth at 4/day

Week 2 Twitter – post 4x/day Growth at 12/day 1x/day underperforms

Week 3 Twitter – post 8x/day Growth at 13/day 4x/day enough

Week 4 Twitter – posts highlight company personality included

5 direct interactions/ day

Week 5 Twitter – keep personality posts out of stream

1 direct interaction/ day Followers respond to our company personality

3. Set knowledge goals to ensure every experiment generates value. These goals are the answers

to questions set before a new initiative. This allows tangible targets and timelines to be set before

a new program gets launched, in contrast with revenue goals set early that may prove unrealistic.

Successful knowledge goals are specific and relate to the nuts and bolts of campaigns and

programs. It‟s important they be assigned like other tasks and there‟s accountability for them

being completed.

Figure 7: Approaches taken to experimentation.


25%

61%

14%

Long view/ long term

Medium view/ several program cycles

Short view / single test




#4. Tech without people/people without tech

The digital revolution has introduced technology into the marketer‟s world at unprecedented speed.

The demands of new tools for technical support seem to always outpace organizations‟ ability to

satisfy them; marketers point to a lack of technological resources as a key issue.

Like any need in the market, this technology gap has given rise to a number of technologies that seek

to help the marketer “do more with less.” Some give marketers the ability to accomplish tasks such

as landing page testing without expert assistance. Others automate repetitive or complex functions,

such as triggered email delivery.

Yet while technologies can ease the marketer‟s burden, they can also represent huge time sinks if

organization‟s fall into one of the following traps:

1. Making the wrong call on build vs. buy

The decision on whether to build technologies in-house or buy them is complex, and it‟s one

many organizations face at some point. Marketers are often caught in the middle as those on the

tech side identify limitations with off-the-shelf solutions and finance compares costs.

Information is a marketer‟s best weapon in this process. Having data on potential revenue or

savings will help make the case for a more rapid (and potentially expensive) outsourced solution

or building in-house.

There‟s no easy answer on how to determine the correct course of action, but marketers should

be part of the conversation and weigh the variables:

Timing – SaaS solutions offer technology that can be accessed in days or weeks instead of

the months that are usually part of an internal development project.

Feature set vs. necessary features – there‟s usually a gulf between a technology‟s full

capability and what it‟s really going to be used for. Features are important, but at what pace?

Is it worth delaying an implementation because features that may not be important

(especially during a learning curve) can be built and customized?

Unforeseen change – one advantage outsourced solutions have is the relationship is

flexible. If an industry-changing event takes place (Google comes out with a free version, for

example), companies have the option of not renewing the contract when it expires. SaaS

companies are also in a position to respond to “game-changers” much more rapidly than an

in-house team, unless it‟s specifically dedicated to marketing or to the technology in question.

Support – for many, this is the big question. After an internal effort produces a custom

piece of technology that can only be serviced and upgraded by in-house staff, what will the

support commitment be? What‟s a realistic comparison between the support needs of one

solution and the other, and conversely, the tech support that can be expected from each?

2. Not investing in the right tech

At SMBs, staff often makes up the largest share of a marketing budget. They’re asked to move

mountains and work hard to do so. Companies that look for technologies to help them can benefit

by saving time that’s better spent on higher level activities. Not looking for the advantages

offered by technology can waste time a marketing team doesn’t have. A tell-tale sign there’s a

tool out there that might save you time: spending hours each week using a spreadsheet program

for something other than the budget.

3. Not investing in the right people




Probably the most common mistake when it comes to technology is not supporting it with

sufficient human resources to take full advantage. Important investments should be

accompanied by either hiring or training, alongside defined job responsibilities that make the

performance of the technology analogous with the performance of the person or people

managing it.

#5. What’s your motivation?

The next time sink focuses on experimentation and plotting the straightest course to positive change. Strategy may be the best way to choose new initiatives, but it‟s not the only way. For SMBs that can‟t stop to rework their strategy with every change in the market, there is an array of causes, but all motivations for experimentation are not created equal.

Figure 8: Factors that spark new initiatives


What should drive experimentation?

1. In many business scenarios, following a competitor is a good way to stay in second place. But

in terms of fielding new technologies, companies can benefit by watching and waiting. If you‟re

not going to be the first to market, be the best. Calibrate experiments using the public response to

your competitor‟s efforts, and improve on them.

2. Analyst recommendations are a good way to take advantage of the broad view that an

independent third party has of a market space.

3. Alignment with existing competencies is also an important indicator of success; the more

familiar the organization is with the terrain, the better it can apply a new technique or

technology. If a company has built widgets and understands the principals of atomization of

24%

26%

26%

52%

38%

40%

45%

22%

36%

39%

43%

45%

50%

56%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%

Press coverage

Social media buzz

Management theories

Aligned with long term strategy

Aligned with existing core competence

Analyst recommendations*

Competitor efforts

SMB organizations

Large orgs.




content, it‟s more likely to get a mobile phone application right on its first try.

4. The top answer among marketers at large companies 52% was that alignment with strategy

was a key characteristic in evaluating a potential experiment. If a new tactic or opportunity

appears to fit with strategy, it‟s more likely to yield results, but even a failed experiment is

valuable, because the learnings apply to an important area of knowledge. SMBs don‟t always

spend the time to lay out a comprehensive strategy, and are more likely to use external

information, such as competitor efforts, to identify new initiatives.

What shouldn’t drive experimentation?

1. Fervor and attention don‟t necessarily equate to a sound business case. Using buzz in social

media or industry press as a guide has led to more failed experiments and wasted time than

successes. The frenzy to create Facebook pages by small businesses owes to the coverage that

practice has received in all types of media. But for many companies, their Facebook page is

sitting quietly, waiting for a conversation that‟s never going to happen.

2. Finally, we arrive at the worst reason to mount an experiment, and the one that marketers most

enjoyed discussing in our interviews: the dreaded C-level whim. Whether it starts when a

child is seen using a previously unknown “hot” website,, or in response to a golf partner asking

about iPhone apps, experiments that are generated outside of marketing tend to be failures. It‟s

not always the case, especially when senior management has been with the company from the

start, and understands the brand as well as anyone.

#6. The tyranny of S.O.P

Routines are comforting. They make sense of an otherwise overwhelming set of tasks. Standard

operating procedure is a detailed routine that describes the individual steps in an operation –

anything from creating an email newsletter to building a report from web analytics to distributing a

release. They‟re a necessary and helpful way of standardizing, teaching and institutionalizing

knowledge. They‟re also wrong much of the time.

SOP is at its best when it has time to develop and there‟s a review system in place. Iteration after

iteration is what makes for a superior procedure. The problem is that in digital marketing, time is at

a premium. The rate of change is such that marketers are contending with a different landscape from

one campaign or program to the next. That‟s a difficult environment for SOP to evolve; instead, it

sets quickly. That‟s a problem.

The assumption with digital is we‟ll learn through experience and optimize the process along the

way. The reality is we're very likely to do tomorrow what we did yesterday because we‟re comfortable

with a known quantity, even if it‟s not the best way of doing something. Companies that avoid these

pitfalls do so by thinking ahead.

Plan for new procedures – resist the urge to jump into a new program or process and simply

“start doing.” Get people together, talk about goals for the program, but also for learning about

the medium, and highlight the variables in the process that are likely to be important.

Keep coming back – as painful as it is to schedule another meeting, regular reviews are a key to

avoiding a flawed SOP. Plan ahead to review not just what you‟re doing, but how you‟re doing it.

What worked, what didn‟t, how long did it take and did it have to? These are important questions

when undertaking a new program, adopting a new technology or simply examining the key

activities for your team.




Get fresh eyes. – It‟s human nature that once we‟re used to something it becomes very hard to

see how it can be improved. This is one of the main reasons consultants and agencies can be so

useful. They bring a new, and hopefully objective, perspective. New hires can also be used in this

role. In addition to getting them familiar with the department and its programs, having new

marketers review and comment on processes can highlight flaws that are invisible to veterans.

#7. Bad, bad data

The most common waste of time and resources in business is to make decisions without data. Even

at small companies, where being flexible is a great advantage, operating by gut instinct will

eventually cost time and money. But at least most of those who are operating by the seat of their

pants know that they‟re doing it – they‟re aware that they may be making a mistake and are careful

to keep an open mind to the possibility that they‟re wrong.

A more insidious problem is decision-making based on bad data. Our confidence in numbers is often

out of proportion with their validity. It seems to be human nature to trust numbers, even when the

evidence suggests the source isn‟t reliable. Companies base whole strategies on customer surveys

conducted without statistical rigor, or invest in a new direction indicated by a single test or case

study.

Watch out for these repeat offenders:

In many industries, there‟s a healthy skepticism of survey data, but that tends to break down

when it‟s an internal survey; polls of customers and prospects that are used to explore their

needs, possible features or shifts in strategy. Often these surveys are fielded specifically to

support a favored business case within the company.

Here‟s how it often goes down:

A survey goes out. Response isn‟t great, but a hundred or so responses are collected. Whoever's

responsible starts slicing up the sample by the people that matter, perhaps by role, company size,

current v prospective customers and the like. The small groups of respondents in each of these

slices aren‟t large enough to be statistically valid, but when the figures are there in black and

white, they become impossible to discount. “Forty percent of our respondents want something” is

powerful stuff even if what we‟re really saying is, “Five people want this.”

Then there‟s the power of the anecdote – that story from customer service, a blog comment or

email that resonates. Anecdotes are best used to humanize a statistical reality. “Joyce lost her

health care in 2007. When she contracted external lung syndrome…etc, etc.” The danger is when

there‟s no corroborating evidence to back up the anecdote. It‟s a part of our psychology to latch

onto stories, particularly if they agree with our beliefs. So one comment becomes the rallying cry,

and its impact has more to do with the status of its champion than with any sort of formal

inquiry.

One danger for marketers is setting benchmarks too early in the life of a program or

campaign. Putting numbers behind an idea is the marketing equivalent of inviting a vampire into

the house. Good luck trying to get rid of it. Wise marketers should keep that in mind when first

experimenting with new tactics and approaches. Low early numbers that are meaningless in

theory can kill an idea in reality, just as meaningless high numbers will unnecessarily inflate

expectations and affect strategy.

Sample size is a problem for marketers who test, and that can lead to setting the wrong

benchmarks. They‟d like to compare results based on a hard metric like conversion, cost of




acquisition, or customer lifetime value, but there isn‟t enough volume. This is especially common

in B2B, where closed deals are rare and communication between sales and marketing is

endangered.

The solution for many is to look at more plentiful measures, but that tends to lead them to search

and email clicks. That‟s a problem. Very often the aspects of an ad or email that generate a click

aren‟t those that make a sale down the road. This leads to optimization efforts that actually

depress conversion in favor of more page views, clicks, etc.

Some companies have found signs of true engagement are a better indicator of future sales than

traffic measures. Examples of this include repeat visits, white paper downloads, the reading of

certain pages, widget interaction, email sign-ups, and podcast/webinar attendance. “Time on

site” is a popular choice, but a tricky one, since accurately measuring session times is a challenge

for analytics.

Top 7 time sinks and solutions

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