Note:
This weekly e-tip replaces our monthly
e-newsletter. The monthly e-newsletter
will return next month.
"TEST TEST TEST. . ."
Nothing new here, you say. Every expert
proclaims you should test, test, and
retest everything. A/B testing. A/C
testing. Creative. Content. Target
audiences. The list is endless.
At the
same time, you and your client(s) are
under intense time pressures, sales
pressures and bottom-line pressures, and
delivering a positive ROI on every
direct response campaign.
e-Tip #6 focuses on testing direct response campaigns. Here are the five testing keys we suggest:
-
Testing is vital to
every campaign, especially in the
initial stages of a new product launch
or brand re-launch. Organize your
media plan to include multiple testing
approaches. This applies to all the
channels you plan to use.
-
Never think for a moment that your brand managers, copywriters, and creatives are smarter than your buyers. They're not because your buyers are moving between ever changing demographic and lifestyle groups. This determines the message and the media you will use.
-
You must learn
something from every campaign because
each one has under-performing elements
and you have to identify them and make
adjustments for the next one.
-
Always test something
new, but do it based on what you
learned from the last campaign.
-
Use good common sense. Some brand managers over test to the point they can never come to a conclusion. Identify the key variables that will most likely impact the buyers' DECISIONS to
buy your product and test one or two
approaches.
There are two
ways to test.
As part of the campaign: Create test 'versions' place them in selected segments within each media channel, and measure response rates. This is
not our favorite approach at Integral
Media because you can waste a
lot of time and money while reducing
your immediate effectiveness, regardless
of your budget and your success
timeline. However, testing the
effectiveness of the media channels has
to be done as part of the actual
campaign.
Before you do your buy: Create test alternatives and do your testing up-front with focus groups, peers, kitchen groups, or any other group that would be likely to buy your brand/product. You might survey some of your current customers or dealers and get their feedback. Don't be afraid to organize an advisory group for such feedback. This will flush out some poor creative and copy before you execute your buy. This is the first
testing strategy we suggest at Integral
Media.
In developing your
campaign, testing should focus on
weeding out four mistakes that
advertisers often make:
-
Demanding 'polished and professional' ads.
Testing will
identify ads that are too stiff, forced
and predictable. Such ads will fail to
grab the attention of the buyer and will
not persuade a positive response.
-
Informing without
persuading
is the quickest way to lose a potential
buyer. Testing will make sure the copy
always substantiates the claims and
will identify weaknesses in explaining
benefits to the buyers.
-
Entertaining without
persuading
is another trap testing will highlight. The creative group will gravitate to 'entertainment' because it's their job to make the ad sing and dance but the real purpose is to sell your product or service.
-
Decorating without
persuading is an on-going challenge that testing feedback will bring to your attention. Graphic artists will tell you how the colors create the right mood and the images feel exactly right. Unless you are selling a fashion, a fragrance, an attitude or a lifestyle, that's a false argument because your intent is to persuade buyers to take action.
For testing direct response ads, the primary objective is to identify those ads that do not effectively persuade or influence a response. Set your objectives, turn your talent pool loose, weed out the obvious weak ads and then do up-front sampling and testing - either formal or informal, depending on time and budget restraints. Promote the best ads while carving out some test samples to try alternative copy and creative across all media channels. Those samples may be random or spread among various demographic segments in your target buyer groups. Then, measure the results and modify your next campaign to improve on your previous one.
If you want to discuss this topic in
more depth, please contact us either by
e-mail below or call us. We would love
to open a dialog with you and help you
plan and execute your next direct
response campaign.
Eric Sims and Willi Abbott
