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In this day and age, amidst the ever-growing digital revolution, a company simply cannot maintain a highly successful website or online presence without testing. But with so many crucial metrics that must be tracked, testing is no easy task to approach. However, Bryan Eisenberg’s book, Always Be Testing breaks down everything you need to know about running tests and analyzing data in a step-by-step approach. Eisenberg takes this seemingly daunting task and makes his readers feel much more comfortable about tackling testing by equipping them with the right tools and clear guidelines.
We conducted a short Q&A with Mr. Eisenberg to find out more about his book, and we’re happy to share his insights with you below!
Interview With Brian Eisenberg on Testing
HubSpot: What inspired you to write Always Be Testing?
Bryan: When you think of hugely successful companies online, what companies come to mind? Amazon, Google, maybe a few others? One thing many people don’t know about Amazon is that, at any given time, they have something like 200 tests running on their website. In the 2011 Global Marketing Effectiveness Program report that interviewed over 600 large corporation and SMB CEOs and decision makers in Asia, Australia, Europe, and the U.S. by the Fournaise Marketing Group, they found that 74% of CEO's feel that marketers focus too much on the latest marketing hypes (e.g. social media) without explaining the real value it brings to the business. Alec Baldwin says in the movie Glengarry Glen Ross to “always be closing.” Online you have to “always be testing.”
HubSpot: Who would benefit most from reading your book? Why?
Bryan: Anybody who wants more leads, sales, subscribers or fans from their website. The book is a how-to guide for converting visitors to take the action you want them to take. Getting your organization to have a culture of testing is even what is setting publishers apart today as well.
HubSpot: What would you say is the most important takeaway from your book, and what makes it the most important?
Bryan: The book is split into 3 parts, and a portion of part 2 was a section of the internal training manual we used to train our analysts when my brother and I ran our agency. It explains the 30 factors we learned over the course of a decade of improving conversion rates for companies like Dell, Overstock, HP, Webex, and hundreds of others. We give you the tools to evaluate if your website has a problem with each factor and what to test to improve it as well.
HubSpot: What would you tell a business owner or manager who says he doesn’t have time to “always be testing”?
Bryan: Besides "good luck with that"? Find the time before your competitors do. Marketing and operational excellence and optimization have been key success factors for every major brand over the past decade. It is the key to creating great experiences for your customers.
HubSpot: What was the biggest challenge you had in writing this book?
Bryan: I wanted to be sure the book would be evergreen. That you could pick it up 5 years later -- whether you were going to use Google Website Optimizer or any tool -- and still find value in it. So far, I think we have done that.
Our suggestion? Don’t wait 5 years. The sooner you get started with testing and tracking your data, the sooner you’ll start seeing results. And if you’re not sure where to begin, you can always look to Bryan Eisenberg.
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