Full Service Marketing
Website Promotions
Are you searching for Consumer Lists?
Reach your target market.
In the case of magazines and newspapers, testing is more simple. As mentioned above, an A–B split test means that you provide two different ads, each of which is printed in alternate copies of the publication as it comes off the press. The randomness here is that every other reader sees only version A or version B.
In a publication test, the only variable should be the difference in your ad design and copy. You don't want a publisher to split up your ads by assigning one to a particular regional edition and the other ad to a different part of the country. The ads should also appear in the same place in each publication.
With as many of the variables as possible under control, you can proceed to test factors that normally affect your results. Some direct marketers and paper companies have conducted tests that show changing the color of an outside envelope can increase responses. These changes may make a slight difference, but when you're testing it's best to focus on elements that can make or break your advertising.
Avoid testing minor issues. Even if you limit yourself to testing only offers and lists, you will have more than enough possibilities to keep you occupied. After you've controlled the variables and focused on testing only major marketing factors, you should still be skeptical of your tests.
Just because a test mailing of 5,000 names from a large list turned out to be successful is not a good enough reason to spend your life savings to mail to the 250,000 people left in the entire list. The test is a good indication that subsequent identical mailings will do well, but it's best to progress slowly.
Increase your mailing in small increments. At this point a skilled, professional list broker can provide valuable direction. Many brokers would advise you increase your next mailing to 10,000 names. Some might say 20,000 or 25,000, depending on the type of list you're using and your offer. One of the reasons for increasing your sample size on a follow-up test is that, statistically speaking, the larger the sample, the greater the confidence level of the results.
A test mailing by PaineWebber, the nationwide securities firm, showed that shading portions of a mailer with blue ink increased responses.
More about Consumer Lists. See also: Business Lists and Response Lists.
Response Makers - Consumer Lists
