Many Australian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) operate on assumptions when it comes to marketing. We see it all the time – a belief that ‘if we build it, they will come’, or that a tactic worked for a competitor so it *must* work for you. Before committing significant budget, it’s crucial to validate these assumptions. Wasting money on ineffective campaigns is a common pitfall, and a structured approach to validation can save you thousands.
The core principle is minimising risk. We’re talking about de-risking your marketing investment, not eliminating risk entirely. Here’s how we approach it with our clients:
- Customer Discovery: Forget broad market research. Talk directly to your ideal customers. Conduct interviews – not sales pitches – to understand their pain points, where they look for solutions, and what language they use. This informs your messaging and channel selection.
- Minimum Viable Testing (MVT): Don’t launch a full-scale campaign. Instead, run small, targeted tests. For example, if you’re considering Google Ads, start with a handful of keywords and a limited budget. If you’re thinking about social media, test different ad creatives with small audiences.
- Landing Page Validation: Before driving traffic anywhere, ensure your landing page converts. Use A/B testing to experiment with headlines, calls to action, and form fields. A beautifully designed website is useless if visitors bounce immediately.
- Competitive Analysis – Beyond Features: Don’t just list what competitors *do*. Analyse their marketing channels, messaging, and offers. Tools like Similarweb can provide insights into their website traffic sources. What’s working for them, and more importantly, what gaps exist that you can exploit?
These validation steps aren’t about finding definitive ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers. They’re about gathering data to refine your strategy. The insights gained will allow you to allocate your marketing budget more effectively, focusing on tactics with the highest potential return. Remember, the Australian market is diverse, and what works in Sydney might not work in Perth.
The next step? Prioritise one assumption you’re currently operating on and design a simple MVT to test it. Even a small investment in validation now can prevent a much larger loss later. Don’t just guess – test, learn, and optimise.
