With exception to direct marketing disciples, the biggest hang up for offline marketers transitioning to internet marketing is creating a process to continually test their assumptions.

The foot dragging is understandable. It’s shockingly hard to accept that your gut instinct, honed by years of experience, is about as accurate at predicting outcomes as the shake of a magic eight ball. Particularly when pride, and your job is on the line it may be tempting to deny and pass on blame. Hopefully though, you’ll recognize the transparency of results from online marketing is an opportunity to legitimize marketing’s role in many companies. Instead of being known for producing flashy brochures, and gobbley gook copy writing, optimized online efforts can turn marketing into a department recognized for creating top line revenue and profits.

If you think your gut is trustworthy, check out Anne Holland’s Which Test Won? Each week she’ll run a new conversion optimization test for opt in forms, landing pages and other on page variables. It’s a great learning opportunity, and provides a valuable lesson that winning results do not always match up with established best practices. Here’s to continually testing your assumptions!

Photo credit helgasms

Tags: conversion optimization