David approached the task with the goal of improving all aspects of the team by 1%, hopefully adding these up to a significant improvement. The obvious things were taken care of first - improving team nutrition, training schedules, and bike weight. But David realised that the improvements should not end at the obvious. He went much further.
The team tested different kinds of pillows to improve sleep patterns and took the best one to hotels. Riders were required to wash their hands with anti-bacterial cream to avoid infections. Even the truck used to transport the bike was sealed to avoid dust accumulating on the bikes.
The result? Three years later the team won the Tour de France and 70% of the cycling gold medals available at the 2012 Olympics. They went on to dominate the world of cycling for years, becoming one of the most successful teams in cycling history.
We can take some lessons learned from this approach and apply it not only to all business activities, but in particular to our marketing efforts. The idea is more easily put to use and measured in the digital marketing sphere, where we can make changes quickly and collect enormous amounts of data.
The ultimate goal, of course, being to optimise our marketing efforts and increasing conversion rates, engagement and ultimately revenue.
The first (and perhaps most important) part to implementing these ideas is to think about it. A lot. And when you're done thinking, make another cup of coffee and think some more. You need to first come to understand why and how to make improvements to your marketing efforts. It helps to have some outside help - for example have your grandmother use your website and take notes of all the complaints she makes. Then you'll really know where all the problems are.
Once you've thought long and hard (or made use of your grandma), make a plan. Plot all the changes you could make and a timeline to implement them. You should always start with the biggest, most obvious issues. The ones you already know will improve your results.
But always remember to make your changes one at a time. Why? Because if you make sweeping changes and your results are poor, how would you know where you messed up? And so you must make a single change, and allow enough time to gather data and observe the results. Once you're certain that your results are an improvement, make the change permanent.
Marginal gains can really be applied to any aspect of your life, provided you have some dedication to see it through. But in the world of marketing, we recommend starting with your website. It's the easiest place to make changes and observe the results while you come to understand the ideas fully. Then move on to other digital marketing, such as your email campaigns, social media presence and digital advertising.
Finally, when you've got the hang of it, throw marginal gains at all of your marketing efforts. And maybe even your gym routine!
