Always Test The 3 Most Important Elements

May 24th, 2005 Posted in Business Monitoring and Reporting, General, Making Sale, Offline Marketing, Prospecting, Sales Tools

Always Test The
3 Most Important Elements Of Any
Marketing Campaign

a) The list (or who you target).
b) The headline of an ad, the opening statement of your letter, or the first
thing you say person-to-person over the phone.
c) The offer (or how you package what you are selling).

Recently I developed a new product promotion and tested 3 headlines. The
best one got 12 times as many orders as the worst one. I’ve listed them below.
See if you can pick the winner. The answer is at the end.

Headline #1:

Labour Law Warning To Employers: Don’t Hire Any Staff Until You Read This
Sub-headline:
New Report Reveals Shocking Truth About Unfair Dismissal And Sexual Harassment Laws

Headline #2:

Are You Having Sex At Work? New Report Reveals How To Protect Your
Business From The New Unfair Dismissal And Sexual Harassment Laws

Headline #3:

How To Protect Your Business From Unfair Dismissal And Sexual Harassment Claims.

Great marketing is nothing more than the scientific process of elimination.
It’s like a tennis tournament really. You start with a field of 16 starters and pit
them against each other until you get the winner.

The good news in marketing is you may often get several winners, but you
must follow the basic recipe I’ve given you here. The offer might mean that if
you sell beds you test by offering 6 months interest free payments, or a set of
sheets and a pillow with each bed. If you sell swimming pools you may offer 12
months free maintenance or a year supply of chemicals. Or you may vary the
payment terms. Or you may try different prices and financing packages. Or
servicing contracts and so on.

And of course the list (who you target) is the most important part. The
customers must want what you are selling and must be able to pay for it
Remember this: your existing customers are always the best prospects for any
promotion you run.

Headline Question
The answer to the headline question is that No. 3 beat No. 2 by 1200% –
that’s 12 times as many orders!

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