Yesterday was Groundhog Day. For anyone who might not remember, it was immortalized in the movie of the same name. Bill Murray kept reliving February 2nd until he got the day right. I think most of us could think of at least one day we’d like to do over. But that’s a topic for another blog.

How does this relate to websites and digital media in general? “Do-Overs” and comparison testing are so easy in the digital age that they are no longer available only to big companies with deep pockets.

• Resend that email…with a different subject line
  It costs next to nothing to send the same email several times. Segment your list. Try different subject lines. And compare the results.
  
• Tweak your website
  Google Analytics gives you the information you need to know which pages people are landing on and staying on. Use this information to make the entire site more effective and keep the viewer on your site longer.
• Refine the design
  Since I’m a designer, I’m particularly aware of how good design adds to engagement and readership. It’s easy enough to test the results of using different design or images.
  
• Test different calls to action
  Again, this is easy to do in email by splitting your list. It’s also easy in any kind of online advertising, where you can easily test different demographics as well as calls to action.
  
• Perfect printing.
  The digital world has made “do-overs” easier in print as well. It used to be that redoing a printed piece was incredibly expensive. Today, you can print a short run (even 1) of your brochure, postcard, flyer and make sure everything is perfect before committing to a larger print run.

While most of us don’t need as many “do-overs” as Bill Murray did in “Groundhog Day”, it’s nice to know that nothing is written in stone and it’s not that difficult to hone your message for success.