{"id":835,"date":"2023-03-11T15:50:58","date_gmt":"2023-03-11T15:50:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bursucretleri.com\/blog\/?p=835"},"modified":"2023-03-23T08:48:45","modified_gmt":"2023-03-23T08:48:45","slug":"why-you-should-experiment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bursucretleri.com\/blog\/why-you-should-experiment\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You Should Experiment"},"content":{"rendered":"

I experiment with many different ideas to create interesting content, drive traffic, earn links, rally communities and inspire people to action.\u00a0 It\u2019s a lot of fun, and at the same time a fantastic way to learn.\u00a0 There is no limit to using open networks other than your creativity.\u00a0 And, quite possibly the best way to learn and find what works for you personally is by experimenting.<\/p>\n

The top companies and professionals in all fields are constantly experimenting, motivated by an unstoppable passion for what they do.\u00a0 There are so many great reasons you should be experimenting daily with your blog, your marketing and your business.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to run through just a few\u2026<\/p>\n

Experiments attract attention<\/strong><\/p>\n

Human beings are infinitely inquisitive.\u00a0 Marketing and content creation experiments are bound to attract attention if they are interesting or offbeat.\u00a0 In fact, there are so many people outright copying each other and following the same methods that truly creative experiments will always get more attention than more of the same.<\/p>\n

Experiments fail<\/strong><\/p>\n

And this is a beautiful thing.\u00a0 The web makes the cost of failure so low it\u2019s worth\u00a0failing like crazy\u00a0to learn what works.\u00a0 Embracing failure as part of the process is a key characteristic of those who achieve success.<\/p>\n

Experiments on the web are cheap<\/strong><\/p>\n

I touched on cost under the last point, but I want to highlight this further.\u00a0 Think of how many millions major companies spend on things like TV advertising.\u00a0 Even a percentage of that moved to experimenting on the web could yield huge ROI.\u00a0 The web is measurable in ways far deeper than TV anyway and forges more intimate connections.\u00a0 I\u2019m not saying experiment as in merely shift TV advertising dollars to web advertising \u2013 do something genuinely interesting.<\/p>\n

Experiments often work<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m always pleasantly surprised by how often my experiments succeed.\u00a0 One recent example:\u00a0 I aggregated\u00a022 inspirational quotes\u00a0for a post at the end of 2008 and recently decided it would be fun to mash them up with images and\u00a0upload it to SlideShare.\u00a0 Interestingly enough it was viewed more than 5,000 times, favorited by more than 94 users on SlideShare, and\u00a0Chris Brogan,\u00a0Brian Solis,\u00a0Steven Hodson,\u00a0Eric Friedman,\u00a0Leo Babauta, plus around 50 others embedded the presentation on their blogs.\u00a0 Not bad for an experiment.\u00a0 Imagine if you conducted 20 little content experiments just like this over the course of a year \u2013 that would add up fast.\u00a0 Experiment mixing up your own content, especially in cases you don\u2019t think it was given the proper exposure the first go around.\u00a0 It might just not have been in the right format.<\/p>\n

Experiments are interesting because they\u2019re unrestricted<\/strong><\/p>\n

Are you in a traditional organization with lots of\u00a0artificial barriers, yet looking to fully embrace the Internet for your marketing?\u00a0 Get those up top to let their guard down and give you permission to experiment as you see fit.\u00a0\u00a0 You\u2019ll quickly find the experiments will be even more successful than the overly-refined, corporate messages because they\u2019re much more interesting and actually\u00a0break through the clutter.\u00a0 If you can\u2019t remove the barriers, you\u2019re not really experimenting.\u00a0 Those who consistently restrict and move slowly will always place behind nimble competitors who have trusted, empowered people out front.<\/p>\n

Experiments are fun<\/strong><\/p>\n

If your experiment isn\u2019t fun, it\u2019s not an experiment.\u00a0 They\u2019re so much fun because you don\u2019t know the outcome \u2013 while you can hypothesize results based on your experience, intuition and prior art, you can never know for sure until you\u2019re conducting it in the wild.<\/p>\n

Experiments are just the types of things your \u201csneezers\u201d will love<\/strong><\/p>\n

Seth Godin advises us to\u00a0ignore our critics\u00a0and fans, but focus on our\u00a0sneezers:<\/p>\n

Your fans don\u2019t want you to change, your fans want you to maintain the essence of what you bring them but add a laundry list of features. You fans want lower prices and more contributions, bigger portions and more frequent deliveries.<\/p>\n

So, who should you listen to?<\/p>\n

Your sneezers.<\/p>\n

You should listen to the people who tell the most people about you. Listen to the people who thrive on sharing your good works with others. If you delight these people, you grow.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In other words:\u00a0 your fans want more of the same \u2013 but your sneezers are delighted by having new ideas and new things to tell the world about you.\u00a0 Clever experiments deliver just that.<\/p>\n

Experimenting is the sign of a strong purpose
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Max Kalehoff brilliant states:<\/p>\n

\u2026far too many business leaders have lost sense of what their purpose is. They\u2019re ships without a compass that points anywhere beyond profit. Their crewmembers typically can\u2019t articulate what they\u2019re doing, nor why others should join. It\u2019s especially evident amidst the largest companies, many of which have become giant, self-absorbed and calculating machines. Think about the U.S. auto, finance and airline industries. Consider the advertising industry!<\/p>\n

The good news is that purpose increasingly represents fundamental opportunity and advantage. Having purpose means knowing one\u2019s self, as well as solving real customer problems. Maximizing purpose makes it easier for relevant customers to affiliate with you and develop preference. Purpose is what makes success possible.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Know your purpose, and experiment with that in mind.\u00a0 When purpose is clearly defined and is something all team members embrace, it enables nimble companies, bloggers and marketers to conduct lots of little experiments with purpose and run circles around competition who spend all their resources second guessing themselves.\u00a0 I\u2019m not saying don\u2019t have a strategy, just realize if you spend too long on that, those focused on action and purpose will pass you by again and again.<\/p>\n

Google, a company with a strong purpose,\u00a0understands the value in experimenting:<\/p>\n

As an interesting motivation technique (usually called Innovation Time Off), all Google engineers are encouraged to spend 20% of their work time (one day per week) on projects that interest them. Some of Google\u2019s newer services, such as Gmail, Google News, Orkut, and AdSense originated from these independent endeavors.\u00a0 In a talk at Stanford University, Marissa Mayer, Google\u2019s Vice President of Search Products and User Experience, stated that her analysis showed that half of the new product launches originated from the 20% time.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Experimenting provides both subjective and objective insights<\/strong><\/p>\n

We learn by doing, and the more we experiment, the more unique and useful insights we have to assimilate and build upon.\u00a0 What we learn during experimenting can be taken back and applied to improve our formal processes.\u00a0 A key to building a huge following on the web is to continue to innovate and improve, and the more experiences you have, the better future decisions you\u2019ll make.<\/p>\n

Eric Friedman calls his experiments \u201cSandbox Projects,\u201d and notes:<\/p>\n

\u2026 it is always good to learn something by actually doing it \u2013 and web applications are no different. You can only learn so much in hypothetical situations or from reading about them in a textbook or case study situation.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Tim Jahn puts the\u00a0benefits of experimenting\u00a0into context nicely:<\/p>\n

\n

So many people are waiting for the million dollar idea.\u00a0 That overnight success that will launch them into financial freedom and a mansion in the hills.<\/p>\n

Others are trying five dollar ideas, failing, and then trying a different five dollar idea.\u00a0 It may take them days, months, even years, but they\u2019ll end up with something.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Are you experimenting with a good deal of frequency or just doing more of the same?\u00a0 What do you think of companies that empower their teams to freely experiment vs. those where deviation is not an option?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I experiment with many different ideas to create interesting content, drive traffic, earn links, rally communities and inspire people to … <\/p>\n

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