HOW TO BUILD AN ENTERPRISE-CLASS OPTIMISATION TEAM

Running an enterprise-class optimisation program consisting of sophisticated testing and targeting can be one heck of a challenge. Distributed ownership, unclear optimisation goals or processes, legacy technical systems and rigorous security requirements can all derail a budding optimisation program within an enterprise environment.

However, while working closely with clients in technology, financial services, travel and many other industries, we’ve found that the greatest indicator for how successful an optimisation program will be is the composition and skill level of the optimisation team.

MarketingSherpa has recently found that 75 percent of businesses are unable to find suitable expertise to optimise simple landing pages. The challenge only grows when looking for people who can optimise complete web experiences with complex multivariate testing techniques or execute targeted experiences.

One reason that finding optimisation expertise can be a challenge is that it requires a variety of skills in multiple disciplines. Some skills are adaptable from existing roles. Web developers, creative specialists and analyst roles often have the fundamental skills needed to come up to speed quickly when joining an optimisation team.

However, there are many nuances that can have dramatic impacts on the success of a testing or targeting effort, so it is important to ensure that all members of the team receive the appropriate training. For instance, it is unlikely that your current web analyst is familiar with the various statistical methods used in multivariate testing or how to interpret test results without practical experience. (To see how challenging interpreting results can be view this blog).

On the flip side, a complete optimisation team includes roles with a keen understanding of optimisation strategy, test design and optimisation program development. These skills can be challenging to learn and difficult to master – requiring a breadth and depth of experience that normally translates to years of practice.

If finding the right individual with the right skill-set and experience weren’t tough enough, the ever-changing landscape of the digital experience means that each team member must be ready and willing to adapt.

For these reasons, we find that organisations that strive to do more than dabble in experience and content testing and targeting tend to rely on expert help at one point or another. Many choose to bring in optimisation consultants to provide hands-on training for their team and develop internal expertise to support a budding centre of excellence. Alternatively, others choose to partially outsource to experts for the more complex experiments and digital experiences while their internal team manages the more common and accessible campaign testing and targeting. Many large enterprises even opt to outsource their optimisation team entirely and work within a professional services or agency model.

Building your optimisation team can be easy or challenging depending on your approach, but the important thing to remember is that it is the key to a high-performing program and the rewards can be substantial. A successful optimisation program can make your customers happier, your campaigns more successful and drive your business forward on the back of hard data.

Don’t forget here at Webtrends Optimize when joining via our Managed Service program, you then have access to our specialised team of consultants and developers.