CS-301b · Module 2

Campaign Experimentation Frameworks

3 min read

Every campaign is a hypothesis. The channel will reach the audience. The message will resonate. The offer will convert. Each hypothesis can be tested before the full budget is committed. The experimentation framework: commit 20% of the budget to a controlled test. Define the success threshold before launching — "success means a cost per qualified lead below $150." Run the test for a statistically significant period — usually two weeks minimum for B2B. If the test exceeds the threshold, commit the remaining 80%. If it does not, iterate or redirect. This framework prevents the two most common budget waste patterns: committing the full budget to an unproven hypothesis, and killing a campaign before it has enough data to evaluate.

Do This

  • Commit 20% of budget to test, define success criteria before launching, and expand only on evidence
  • Run tests long enough for statistical significance — impatience wastes more money than patience
  • Test one variable at a time — channel, message, audience, or offer — to isolate what works

Avoid This

  • Commit the full budget based on the plan and hope it works
  • Kill a test after three days because the early results look bad — early data is noise
  • Test five variables simultaneously and have no idea which one drove the result