Advertising is expensive. And it costs you the same amount
of money to run an ad (or mail a letter) that brings in 2
customers as one that drives in 20 customers. So that
difference is in your ad (or letter).
Let's say you've come up with what you think is a good ad
(powerful headline, good offer, sizzling copy, etc.), now
you're ready to test.
Testing will help you:
1. Save yourself a bunch of money.
2. Improve any results you're currently getting.
3. Stop guessing about what works.
I'd say those are some pretty good reasons to learn all
about testing and how to apply it to your business. So
before spending loads of money on your new ad you can (and
should) do a few low-cost/no-cost tests:
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The Sleep On It Test
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First, you should let your ad sit for at least a day. Then
the next day you can come back to it with new eyes and a
fresher perspective. You can find errors that weren't
apparent before. Also, your chances of writing a good ad
are significantly improved with rewriting. (I will rewrite
an ad or letter 3, 4 or 5 times before I'm done.)
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Reading Aloud Test
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I don't know what it is about reading something aloud
versus reading to yourself, but you'll pick up lots and
lots of insight into how good (or bad) your ad really is by
reading it aloud. All the bumps and rough spots jump out at
you.
Or a variation on this is to have someone else read it you.
This is even better. As they're reading it, you should take
out a copy of the ad and make notes on it. One big
advantage of this is your reader is completely impartial.
He won't stress certain phrases or words to make the
meaning clearer. And if the reader is having trouble you
know that's an area to edit.
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Sneaky Opinion Test
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This test is really great. Take your ad off your printer
and make a xerox copy of it. Then go around to a few people
who should be in your target market and say something like,
"Take a look at this, I just found this in a magazine." Key
point: Do not tell people you wrote the ad because they'll
be say how nice it is.
You're gauging their response. If they say something like
"Did you write this?" or "This is really good." What that
really means is your ad stinks.
But if you start hearing "Do you know how I can get this
done?" or "Do you do this?" then you know you're on to
something good and ready to spend money on your test.
Opinions are great, but the only votes that really count
are the ones that are paid for. The first thing you *don't*
want to do is call every newspaper, magazine, throw-away,
etc. You need to start by testing small. And that means
spending as little as possible to get accurate results.
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Test Small
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Joe Sugarman (He sold millions of Blu-blocker sunglasses)
tells how he would test all his ads in the Southwestern
edition of the Wall Street Journal. Because this was the
cheapest and smallest edition of the Journal to test.
That way he was able to read results quickly and then
decide whether or not to 'roll-out' to other editions. So
how can you apply this information to your business?
Easy.
Let's say you've been running ads in your local paper.
Well, usually newspapers have zoned editions based on zip
codes. So instead of paying for your ad to appear in the
entire circulation, you simply put it in one of the
cheapest and most representative zones available.
And by tracking the response (using a specific phone#,
person, extension#, etc.) you can safely predict what
results you'll get once you go out to the entire
circulation.
One more point: It's better to run your test ad in a daily
paper instead of a monthly magazine. Simply because you can
ascertain information more quickly.
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Don't Fall For Your Ad Rep's Traps
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You cannot multiply zero. That means if there is no life in
your ad -- kill it before it drains more money and time
from you.
Don't listen to your media rep's b.s. about repetition and
getting discounts for multiple insertions. Remember, these
guys have no clue about how to create advertising that
works. If they did, they'd be running ads in their own
magazines and making tons of money.
Infomercial marketers realize this point. Imagine spending
$100,000.00 to produce one single 30 minute spot and then
buying $400 - $1,000 in media to test it out. That's what
infomercial companies do.
They know if the phones aren't ringing after a couple of TV
spots -- they're definitely not going to ring if they throw
tens of thousands of dollars in media at it, either.
Follow these tips and you'll be able to save a lot of money
plus increase response. Just test until you come up with a
winner and then keep running it!
(c) Surefire Marketing, Inc.
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Yanik Silver is recognized as the leading expert on
creating automatic, moneymaking websites...and he still
doesn't know how to put up a website.
He is the author, co-author or creator of several best-
selling online marketing books and tools, which can be
found at http://www.SurefireMarketing.com
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