Smoke test: what it is and why it is important for marketing

Suppose you have an idea for a start-up or to launch a new business in the market and you are looking for a good tool to understand whether or not this could be a match in the market.

In this case, it is most important to consider the smoke test, which is a tool that helps you understand whether or not what you have thought of is suitable for the market.

The idea of a smoke test is to limit the amount of time and money invested before validation. Therefore, your smoke test should be able to work without the help of an engineer.

What is smoke testing
It originally originated in the IT field and was used specifically by programmers to test the functionality and effectiveness of software.

It was later introduced into the business environment. Basically it is used to understand the adequacy of a solution to a need that has been identified and to understand whether it can be successful if it is produced and marketed.

But to do this, however, in a structured way, specific steps must be followed.

One of the greatest advantages of smoke tests is that they are very easy to conduct. In the next section, we will go through all the steps needed to perform a smoke test, and in all there are only four steps.

This means that you can perform smoke tests often without using a lot of resources in the process.

Because of their simplicity, smoke tests are compatible with almost any testing methodology you might think of combining them with. Whether you want to insert smoke testing after a nonfunctional test, add it as a step more than once in the process, and/or insert a smoke test step right before hardware testing, the simplicity of the process ensures that you can do it.

Why Marketers Use Smoke Testing
Consider these two situations…

• You have a new business idea that you are excited about and want to develop.
• You have a new idea for product functionality that you are excited about and want to develop.

In both cases, you are about to spend a lot of time and money. You’re also probably going to need help along the way, either in the form of a co-founder or a product team.

What if that idea, after months of development and tens of thousands of dollars invested, falls flat?

Marketers use smok tests to avoid this exact scenario

The basics of smoke test marketing: the target audience, the message and the scenario
The first is where you go to define the foundation of what will later be the idea conceived. Our target audience is going to be analyzed through a segmentation of possible customers.

In this phase the target clientele has to be targeted and it is essential to also define the message you want to convey.

The second phase, on the other hand, is where you go to define the extremes of situations that could occur. Then a best-case scenario and a worst-case scenario are identified. If the best scenario is realized, the idea will work and we can start investing in what has been thought of. On the other hand in case the worst scenario is realized it could be that there is no business and therefore the idea has to be shelved.

Data collection and analysis.
In the third phase, one goes to identify the goal and the metrics by which to see them in a tangible way. Landing pages can be used in this case.

Therefore, a landing page will be created where the solution is proposed that has not yet been produced.

Other modes of software tuxedo testing that can be used at this stage are social. One can publicize the product or start-up idea on all kinds of social: from Facebook to Instagram. The use of social will also allow direct interaction with one’s possible customers through surveys, stories or all the means that the latter offer.

Finally, we move on to the sixth and final phase in which we analyze the data. Starting then from what was defined in the first phases, that is, the one in which the goal was established, one will check if the defined metrics have been met or rather if the goal has reached fair levels.

Why it is important to take this test
Given that we are in a society where there is so much information and distraction. Today more than ever it is important to be able to convey a message well. To do this you have to make it clear and appealing.

Things get complicated when it comes to wanting to bring a new product to market or you want to launch an innovative idea. So it has to be well understood to whom to convey the message and in what terms.

Using smoke test software allows understanding on how to convey this message and who the recipients are.

It is a crucial step to take since every idea put to market requires time, psychophysical and monetary resources. Especially the latter, if a profitable result is to be achieved, must be used sparingly and wisely.

The test will make it possible to understand whether or not a product is viable in the market and will allow for the analysis of a variety of data useful for the eventual implementation of the conceived idea. A test that covers all stages in 360 degrees: from the conception of the idea to the message conveyed and the related responses.

Smoke test advantages
In summary, the advantages of smoke testing are as follows:

• Doing testing without having put anything into production;
• One learns and prevents any critical issues and problems in advance;
• You test who is really interested in the offer you are considering;
• The data acquired can be used for investors or to make the production more appealing.

Disadvantages Smoke testing
Disadvantages are:

• The “customers” consulted will have a false expectation;
• The brand may gain distrust and bad reputation.

Of course, on the scale weigh much more its advantages, which allow the product or start-up to be tested, albeit in a fictitious context. The negative aspects could be handled, on the other hand, by promising discounts or product giveaways to those who tested.

Smoke test examples
One of the examples when you’re on the fence about launching something or adding a new service or product to your website, could be, for example, adding a “buy now” button (in the case of an ecommerce) or Contact Us in a lead generation site.

Here you could start counting how many people click that particular button to begin to understand the real interest of potential customers.

Alternatively, you could direct users to a “pre-order” page where they can leave you their e-mail, so you can let them know when your product is ready.
This is the absolute essence of a smoke test or smoke test, because when a user clicks “buy now” or “contact us” it means they will be genuinely interested in making an actual purchase.
This is the most direct way to assess the commercial viability of your product or service.

Another example is to put a button on a likely upsell product that we don’t know if it will work, and before placing a mega order we want to see if there is interest.

In that case we could put a fake button after the purchase phase to see how many people are going to click through. And in that case we could go and measure the percentage of clicks received out of the total number of visitors purchase.