Test the waters before you jump in

Unless you’re a high schooler preparing to take the SATs, testing may be the last thing on your mind right now. The economy is volatile, at best, and your first instinct may be to tighten your fists and retreat to more conservative marketing tactics.

But all of these factors make testing an even more crucial part of your direct marketing strategy.

You have a constant need to refine and improve. And at times when you don’t have an unlimited marketing budget surplus, crossing your fingers and jumping into a new program with both feet is probably not an option. But mindfully testing is.

Remember that 40/40/20 rule that says 40% of your success rests on the offer, 40% on the list and/or target, and 20% on the creative. With that in mind, you have a lot of routes you can take in testing.

Define your end objective first, then consider testing one of these aspects of your direct marketing program:

1. Creative includes the copy, the format (Card? Self-mailer? Letter pack?), and design.

2. Offers. Free shipping? Half off? Buy one get one free?

3. Timing encompasses seasonality, beginning / middle / end of the month, hitting mailboxes during the week versus on the weekend, etc. It also accounts for frequency, e.g. should you reach the same people once a month or quarterly?

4. Lists. What if you profiled your customer database and segmented it based on the results? What if you rented a specialty list?

Pick one, pick two, combine three… what fits for you?

Need some help strategizing? Or are you ready to start? Give us a call.