Marketing-Fix: 100-Words-On

“Listen, I know what our customers want, they’d never want [insert 'fact' here].  No offense, but that’s just a waste of time and money.”
-E Marketing Manager

“That is so…1951, and it’s 2011.”

According to Marketing Sherpa only 46% of electronic marketers actively test
emails, landing pages and such.  True or not – this amazes.

Testing’s never been easier, faster or cheaper than today. Two examples of simple, but powerful testing we’ve done recently:

* Subject-line testing limited to the difference between using ‘watch’ versus
‘see.’  Open rates improved almost 20% with ‘watch’ and click-throughs
increased 15%.

* Content-testing in retail emails that offered product details as bullets
versus paragraphs.  Conversions to sales improved 15% with using full
paragraphs – unexpected, but long a standard in ‘snail mail.’

We’re inclined to believe that we ‘know’ what works – understanding our
customers better than they do, but it’s not true.  From conducting focus groups
to quantitative research to multi-channel testing and being inquisitive wins.

P.S.  If you’re as intrigued by testing as we are check out: www.whichtestwon.com.  It’s fun, provocative and reinforces that our gut can be wrong.

“Whoever is winning
at that moment
will always seem invincible”
-George Orwell

Business coach and sage, Roy Friedman re-introduced us to Appreciative Inquiry.  This encourages success by looking at strengths and maximizing them, instead of ‘fixing’ problems. This reminded us to:

Look inward: Nordstrom leveraged their great service tradition and now offers customers real-time access to inventory across all channels.

Look outward: Apple surveyed the failed tablet computer landscape and believed in the potential.  Applying their unmatched skill at intuitive user-interfaces—voila, the i-Pad!

Look out: while Google stumbled with the Google phone, by making the Android operating system available to all, they’ve surpassed both Apple and RIM/Blackberry in ‘smart phone’ market share—in six months.

There’s never time rest on your laurels.

When the going gets tough—innovate.  But why wait?

“We really need to email less often.”

“Of course, they need to be more effective.”

Clients have been suggesting communicating less frequently to reduce ‘clutter’ and ‘email fatigue’ while expecting better results.
Wholesale reductions in frequency rarely make sense. For optimum results, we consider:

• Relevance. If you’re a promotional retailer—say Bluefly, Gilt or Wine Express, daily communication keeps customers engaged.  Hearing daily from your accountant wouldn’t be relevant.

• Realness. Recently, applying the discount offered in a Hertz email promotion doubled the cost of renting.  We needed a car, but the bogus promotion quashed the sale.

• Ready-to-go. Don’t be creepy, but ‘know me’ and make it easy to engage.  There’s only seconds to spare between clicking-through and abandoning your email.

Finally, be inventive. Subject lines and creative treatments still dramatically affect results.  Who wouldn’t be intrigued by FTD’s subject line encouraging you to: ‘Tell your boss how you really feel about him’?

“I don’t look to jump over 7-foot bars;
I look around for 1-foot bars that I can step over.”
–Warren Buffet

Reviewing direct response results recently reminded us that: timing is everything—in marketing as in life.

We see a tendency to fall into two camps:

“If it’s not broken, why fix it?” laggards and “Why not change it now?” anticipators.

A middle ground may be better, albeit less dramatic.  We’d propose:

Analysis—very few efforts hit a wall, most wither slowly away.  Monitoring results closely signals when it’s time to change.

Patience—we tire of campaigns long before customers do. When something works, keep at it.  If it’s new give it time to sink in.

Testing—when it’s time to move on, move carefully. If possible, hedge your bets by trying several options.  None of us “know” what works without trial balloons.

See you at the 1-foot bar!

Slice
Dice
Mix

Better results aren’t a mystery.

Why not live test your ideas on-line? It’s often cheaper than market research.  You’ll have results–not possibly biased “findings”–that translate to other channels.

Use Google’s AdWords and DoubleClick applications to test key-words, phrases and alternative creative–it’s almost effortless.

Slice robust email files into segments to test subject lines and creative treatments easily.

Both options deliver valuable information–fast.

For one client, simple subject-line testing increased open-rates 20%; unfortunately when dicing results, click-throughs and sales didn’t improve.

We then mixed formats–making minor design changes–and found a recombined landing page that improved conversion 20%.  Months later, sales remain 30% better than before testing.

Step into the electronic test kitchen–give it a try.

You’ll like the results.

Marketing Sherpa’s 2009 benchmarking survey suggests a paradox:

Most B-to-C and B-to-B marketers believe their email performance continues to improve, but only 27% plan on investing more in their email efforts.

Feels odd, particularly when email’s the preferred communication medium, unless consumers are under 26.

Sure, email’s not sexy, clutter abounds and growth is slow, but it’s effective, inexpensive and instant.

Surprisingly few marketers employ the following performance enhancers:
List Segmentation–behavior-based segmenting can reveal your most responsive groups and best creative options.

Subject Line testing–open rates can vary dramatically by changing just a few words.

Format testing–click-through rates and sales conversion can be improved dramatically by testing the look/feel or links locations.

Are you optimizing your marketing efforts?

Testing may be the best way to find out.

Testing has always been key to success in every form of direct marketing. Many marketers face diminished response as clutter increases and conversion to sales decreases. Testing can improve results.

Marketers have balked at the cost of testing, but the electronic world has changed this dynamic–delivery is virtually free.

Yet, only 40% of electronic marketers test–according to a recent JupiterResearch report. This confirms our worst fear: traditional, proven techniques may be falling by the wayside as channel migration rises.

And, we’ve learned that electronic testing isn’t difficult and it can make a difference, regardless of your business.

What can you test? And why?

Almost everything in the electronic world can be tested. Looking at email alone, key testable variables include:

• Subject Line–the equivalent of headline testing. Open and click-through rates can vary as much as 50%.
• Long vs. Short Copy–just as in print, we’ve seen better response to both long and short, depending upon the product type.
• Format–the equivalent of a layout test. Electronically, there can be the added advantage of testing the location of click-through buttons and finding the best place for your “call to action.”
• Personalization–adding a personalized salutation can boost or suppress response.
• Frequency of communication–targets may want to hear from you weekly, monthly or quarterly depending upon your message and product. Optimizing frequency helps prevent message fatigue.

Most of these tactics can be applied to web-based and multi-channel campaign, and combining the “best” of your tests can dramatically change your marketing dynamics.

Bottom line: testing gives you the best chance to improve results.