This Is Only A Test…But An Important One

September 15, 1999 at 6:00pm
hosted by Marketing Partners Inc.

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THIS IS ONLY A TEST…BUT AN IMPORTANT ONE

You’ve just spent the last six months to a year or more starting a new company, revamping your existing company, or developing a new business model. Now what are you going to do?

What you should do is test what you’ve accomplished through a limited direct mail or telemarketing campaign (or both), examine the results, and then adjust your marketing as necessary so you can more effectively reach a wider audience.

In order to test your market, you’ll need to gather the “right”prospect list compiled from your best assumptions about your particular market. Next, you’ll need to compose an effective letter or postcard for direct mail, or an effective telemarketing script if you test by telephone.

A #2 pencil is optional and only required if you want to relive your standardized testing days.

Finally, determine what the normal success ratio for your direct mail or telemarketing approach is, then choose a sample size that will give you accurate results. Whether you reach your sampling by mail or phone, make sure you or your staff records where the new customers come from.

Also, make a log of exactly how the program was implemented. Without this kind of tracking, you won’t be able to determine the effectiveness of your marketing campaign or where to make changes.

Okay, you’ve got your test campaign prepared and ready to go. Now, launch it. Send out that direct mail or dial up those sample prospects. Then…

Wait...Wait…Wait…And wait some more.

Normally, a typical and logical time period to test a marketing campaign is between three and six months. That gives your marketers enough time to contact your sample prospects several times. That way, your message gets the exposure it needs to have an impact on your prospects and you can accurately measure the response.

Just be sure not to change your test program in midstream. Changing the limited campaign could skew the results and make it difficult for you to accurately track the change(s) you implemented or measure its effectiveness. You’re only working on a partial assumption. Once you launch your overall campaign then, you could find yourself devoting too much of your marketing budget to a less productive part of your marketing campaign.

It is more cost effective to see the test marketing program through to its planned end. With an accurate track record of the test campaign before you, you can scrutinize your marketing with a critical eye and make whatever changes are necessary. The full scale program you launch after that will have more impact, be more effective, and make all your preparation and testing time worth the effort.

This has been a test. Had it been a real marketing emergency, your Marketing Partners professionals would have instructed you to do exactly the same thing. This concludes this message