If you've been around the direct marketing business very long, you've heard the advice that you must test your marketing.
I am frequently asked, “Ray, how do I get started with testing?” Here are 3 simple ways you can start testing today – without complex math, expensive software, or arcane technology.
- Test your current headline against a new one. Don't worry about getting software or other tools just yet. Simply run one headline for a while — then run the other headline for an equal amount of time. If you can run equal amounts of traffic past both headlines, you will have at least a general idea which one works best.
- Test your current price against a higher one. That's right — I said higher. If the higher price loses the test, THEN test a lower price. It may surprise you that higher prices often bring more orders! So, this week track your numbers at your current price — and next week test a higher one.
- If you use graphics on your page, test the page without a header graphic. Often, the page without the header will produce more results. The theory is that the graphic distracts from the copy, possibly causing your prospect to bypass reading the headline. But don' t accept the theory – test it yourself. It is true that to do mathematically reliable tests, you will need some kind of software to track the results.
If you're not doing any testing at all, start with these 3 simple tests. You may end up increasing your profits!