The Science of Creative Digital Marketing

Twitter charges a marketer $120,000 to promote a tweet for 24 hours. Marketers who burn through cash that quickly have either done a lot of well-thought-out preparation, have a huge budget with room to experiment, or they are reckless. In any case, the marketer’s job and reputation are likely dependent on the success of that investment. Is it a gamble? It depends. Can a campaign like this be calculated through science so that it is less of a gamble? Yes.

Consider designing your campaigns through the scientific method, to displace the gamble. Working as a global digital marketing manager for one of the world’s largest science and technology companies keeps science top of mind for me. The debate over whether marketing is a science or an art will likely always exist. To satisfy both sides, start making art through science.

What does making art through science mean? For you, it means that most digital marketing campaigns that appear to be very creative were actually developed using the scientific method. Here’s how it’s done:

• Ask yourself a question
• Create a hypothesis
• Test your hypothesis and Iterate
• Achieve desired results

1. Ask yourself a question

Back in 1997, Reed Hastings, the founder of Netflix, asked himself a question. After being charged late fees by a video store when returning a rented copy of Apollo 13, Hastings wondered if it would be possible to create a profitable video rental business that did not charge late fees. By 2003, Netflix was profitable, and did not charge late fees. That year, the company generated $272 million of revenue which included $6.5 million of profit. Hastings’ success had all started with a question. (Source: Wikipedia, “Netflix”)

2. Create your hypothesis

In a 2011 Harvard Business School case study published by Thomas Steenburgh entitled “Vestas’ World of Wind.” The case study was about how a “creative” marketing manager developed an unusual and effective B2B digital advertising campaign. The marketer decided to target executive decision makers and specific stakeholders at prospective customer organizations personally by calling out these people and their organizations in digital and print advertisements.

Touted for his creativity, the Vestas marketing manager was, in fact, scientific in his approach. After carefully studying customer and market data, he developed digital and print ads that would speak personally to these targeted customers through the media that they were already consuming. The concept was novel, but the hypothesis was born through analytical research. This case study, which I highly recommend, can be found through a site search on http://hbr.org.

3. Test your hypothesis and Iterate

One of my favorite of the many “free” services that Google offers is called Google Optimizer. This tool will allow digital marketers to test their hypothesis, view measurable outcomes, and then achieve higher website conversion rates. After using this tool for the first time, I was amazed at how color schemes and design that once were considered art and opinion by my clients, were all of a sudden a scientifically proven and effective website designs.

Social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook make multivariate testing of this sort simple and effective as well. On LinkedIn, for example, you can run a self-service ad that includes fifteen variations. I recommend varying the headline, image, and call to action; and taking advantage of using all fifteen versions that the platform offers. LinkedIn also shares average click-through-rates, so that you’ll know if you’re not reaching average conversion percentages. This data should be used to either pause or adjust your digital ads.

4. Achieve desired results

Achieving desired results only happens when you begin your campaign with clearly defined goals. As Stephen R. Covey says, “Start with the end in mind.” “Creating a viral video,” is not a clearly defined goal. What does that mean? If your goal is for millions people to share your marketing video, and you create a viral PR nightmare for your company, were you successful? Of course not.

A few years ago, before B2B social media had taken off, Cisco created a goal to launch a new router product through 100 percent social media efforts, that would surpass ROI of previous traditional campaigns, and that would achieve a specific level of engagement from clearly defined and targeted professionals. They developed clear goals, and through analytical research, created a hypothesis that their target audience would engage with a customized, highly exciting new video game. Their hypothesis was correct. Cisco far surpassed their ROI targets and achieved a higher level of engagement than they had hoped for.

Creativity through science is attainable

As demonstrated by Vestas, Cisco, and many other B2B marketers, creative digital marketing campaigns are attainable and achievable, even by rational-minded and logical people. If you don’t consider yourself to be a creative professional, it’s time to redefine what creativity really means. The scientific method is a way to use the left side of our brains to achieve “right-brain” results.

Ask yourself great questions, take advantage of multivariate testing and optimization tools, iterate your digital campaigns, and achieve phenomenal results. Be creative, through science.

About the Author

Marc de Schweinitz is a Global Digital Marketing Manager at The Dow Chemical Company, and is the President of the Social Media Club Great Lakes Bay. Follow him on Twitter @deschweinitz. Marc de Schweinitz will be on a panel called Mastering the Art of Super Creative Marketing at the 13th Annual MARKETING WORLD 2012: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange, July 16-18, 2012 in Boston.

(original article by Marc de Schweinitz published in the Frost & Sullivan Sales and Marketing newsletter, May 2012 | Vol. 5 Issue 2 CONNECT)