Testing
Tuesday, January 11th, 2011
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If you watch sports, you’ve seen a “pre-event routine” in action.
In baseball, major-league batters will go through their pre-event routines before every pitch. Watch them and you’ll see some batters come to the plate, take two swings and then tap the edge of the plate with their bat before each pitch. The routines vary with each batter, but practically every major leaguer has an established routine.
You’ll see the same thing in basketball. The next time you see a player taking a foul shot, watch what they do. The player may bounce the ball twice, hold the ball and then bounce it again before taking the shot. Whatever their routine, they will go through the same sequence of events each time they take a foul shot.
Athletes use pre-event routines to prepare for success. It gives them focus and purpose, and helps them achieve a higher level of performance. Now we need to develop our own pre-event routine to make our direct mail more profitable. (more…)
Tags: direct mail, direct mail response, direct mail strategy, direct mail testing, how test direct mail, increase direct mail response, test direct mail
Posted in Data, Miscellaneous, Premiums, Strategy, Testing | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 1st, 2010
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When times get tough, everyone wants to cut direct mail costs. After all, if we can bring in the same amount of money and spend less, our profits increase.
And there are ways to cut costs without necessarily hurting the effectiveness of your mailing.
Cut Costs or Make Money?
You can, for example, trim your package format by ¼ inch or so to make it run better on your printer’s press, use a cheaper paper, test smaller formats, omit package inserts or eliminate the premium.
But don’t act too quickly.
Before getting caught up in the rush to cut expenses, we need to remember the objective (more…)
Tags: cost of direct mail, direct mail, direct mail response, direct mail strategy, direct mail testing, test direct mail
Posted in Copywriting, Graphic Design, Premiums, Strategy, Testing, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010
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I still remember my first direct mail letter. I reworked it to perfection. Every word was just as I wanted it to be. The benefits to the reader were clear, the offer was strong and the call to action was unmistakable.
Then we mailed the letter, and I waited. And I waited some more. But nothing happened. Not even a single response. No one even bothered to complain about the letter.
Finding the right person to mail
Finally, after waiting a few more days, I went to see the agency’s owner and confessed my failure. I explained the letter’s objectives, my approach, the offer…how I had checked and rechecked every word but failed to get even one response.
Without even looking up, my boss said, “Check the lists.”
And I was ready for this. I’d already prepared a report on the mailing lists we were testing and started to go through the long list. But he said, “No, that’s not what I mean. (more…)
Tags: direct mail, direct mail lists, direct mail strategy, direct mail testing, mailing lists, test direct mail
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Wednesday, August 11th, 2010
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When it comes to decision making, I have a simple approach. If I believe the outcome might be something I wouldn’t want my mother to know about, I don’t do it.
And when creating a direct mail offer a similar rule applies. If you can’t provide a meaningful guarantee, don’t promote it.
You have two reasons to offer a guarantee:
First, it’s the right thing to do. A meaningful guarantee shows that you believe in your product. And, when you’re asking for someone else’s money, you should believe in what you’re selling—if not, don’t do it.
Second, you’ll want to offer a guarantee because it can build profits.
Buyers, whether online or traditional direct mail, have plenty of reasons—real or perceived—not to respond to your offer. After all, whether we’re fundraising or selling a product, we’re asking the prospect to trust us to do what we promised. (more…)
Tags: direct mail, direct mail guarantee, direct mail offer, direct mail strategy, direct mail testing, direct response guarantee, increase direct mail response, testing a guarantee
Posted in Copywriting, Miscellaneous, Strategy, Testing, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 27th, 2010
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Simply put, your direct mail offer is the “deal” you promise the recipient. It’s what you promise the reader and what you ask in return.
Your offer needs to be specific and to clearly state how it benefits the prospect. It includes the product—or for a fundraiser, the organization’s mission or project—the price or asking amount, terms, incentives, guarantee, etc.
And, of all the components of your mailing—other than the list—the offer is the most important element of your success. If you’re looking for breakthrough results, here are 17 quick ideas to consider: (more…)
Tags: direct mail, direct mail copywriting, direct mail offer, direct mail response, direct mail response rates, direct mail strategy, direct mail test, direct mail testing, increase direct mail response
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Tuesday, July 6th, 2010
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We all know the importance of direct mail testing, but too often money is wasted on unproductive and unwise tests. Here are 21 basic rules worth reviewing to get the most from your marketing dollars:
1. Before you start production on any test, do the math first. How long will it take to recover your test costs, and what increase in results will you need to beat the control? Proceed with the test only after showing that there’s a reasonable chance that it can economically increase response.
2. Don’t test just because you’re curious to know “what if.” Have a solid plan of how you’ll turn the test results into a profit before you invest in the test.
3. Be sure you test a sufficient quantity to obtain reliable test results.
4. “Replicate” each test when possible—rather than mail one test cell of 10,000 names, split the names into two equal groups and mail the same test to two groups of 5,000. (more…)
Tags: direct mail, direct mail strategy, direct mail test, direct mail testing, test direct mail
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Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
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What to test
In his book, Secrets of Successful Direct Mail, Dick Benson states, “Any idea you honestly believe can economically increase response is worth testing.”
The key words are “economically increase response.” But what is economical? Typically, the more dramatic a change you make in a package, the more dramatic the difference in results.
For example, when you need a breakthrough, test the components that have the greatest influence on the mailing’s success—lists, offer, format and copy. Forget about testing minor changes on page three or the color of the return envelope. Test big things for big results.
However, for clients mailing larger volumes, “tweaking” the control for incremental gains often makes sense.
For example, Client A and Client B both have an average response rate of 1%, with a $25 average transaction. Both test a new package that lifts results by 10%. The only difference is that Client A has an annual (more…)
Tags: direct mail, direct mail strategy, direct mail test, direct mail testing, test direct mail
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Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010
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J. Paul Getty once said the three keys to wealth and success are, “Rise early. Work hard. And strike oil.”
That may be good advice. But for those of us who must depend upon something other than striking oil, I say the three keys to success for a direct marketer are to TEST, TEST, and TEST!
But before we test, we must recognize that not all tests are productive or cost-effective. My next post will be “What, How and When to Test” but in the meantime, here are 7 costly mistakes that you’ll want to avoid when testing (more…)
Tags: direct mail, direct mail strategy, direct mail test, direct mail testing, how test direct mail, test direct mail
Posted in Strategy, Testing, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
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Early in my direct marketing career, a mentor taught me, “The fewer people you mail, the more you can mail.”
It took me a while to grasp this simple concept, but in reality, it speaks to the core principle behind successful direct mail.
Being able to target your mailing to a narrowly defined audience—and highlighting how your offer solves specific needs—has always been one of the most powerful benefits of direct mail. Yet far too often marketers fail to exploit this advantage. (more…)
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Tuesday, April 20th, 2010
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In his novel, Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy wrote, “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
What Tolstoy was saying is that to be happy, a marriage must succeed on a number of levels including: financial, sexual, how to raise children, in-laws and religion. Every successful couple finds agreement in each of these areas. But an unsuccessful marriage can break apart when there’s disagreement in any one of these areas.
The reasons for happiness are same. The cause of unhappiness is unique.
Can’t we say the same about direct mail? (more…)
Posted in Copywriting, Miscellaneous, Strategy, Testing, Thought Provoking | No Comments »
