Why it’s important to test your marketing

The importance of testing and measuring your business marketing strategies

As a business owner, would you put a new product or service out for consumers without testing it and measuring how well it performed? Would you invest your time or money without some analysis as to whether there is a market? Similarly, would you hire a new employee without giving them some sort of a trial period before their formal contract? Most business owners would answer ‘no’ to all three of those questions, so why is the reality often so different within marketing? All too often, businesses put out marketing campaigns that are poorly received by consumers – why? Because we are not testing and measuring enough.

The dangers of not testing your marketing campaigns 

Once we have reached a design that we are happy with – such as a new website, logo, leaflet or advertising campaign – sometimes it is hard to take criticism about it, especially when you personally have been heavily involved in the process. Whilst we can sometimes disagree with consumer research, it is a necessary part of the marketing procedure and one that should not be ignored.  Any investment in your business needs to deliver Returns On Investment; effective testing can maximise the chances of your marketing contributing to your bottom line.

When a marketing campaign has a lack of consumer research, or what I like to call ‘testing and measuring’, the results may not merely fail to deliver – they can even be disastrous. An example from the 2018 World Cup illustrates why consumers need to be involved in the marketing process.

Mastercard took advantage of the hype surrounding one of the world’s biggest competitions to promote a ‘goals for meals’ campaign; the company offered the ‘equivalent of 10,000 meals to the World Food Programme to fight world hunger for each goal scored by Messi or Neymar Jr.’.  The initial reaction was not a positive one, with commentators arguing that if Mastercard had the money they should donate it anyway, with inevitable headlines dubbing the campaign ‘the hunger games’. This was only heightened when the two strikers in question both failed to produce any goals. Was this a preventable PR disaster from an ill-tested marketing campaign? Almost definitely, yes.

How can I prevent a PR disaster like that of Mastercard? 

The main advice I give to all my clients is test, test, test. With this said, testing can often be expensive, however you do not need to launch a full campaign to carry out research and smaller scale testing can also help you keep a handle on costs.  For example, rather than creating a campaign with all the costs of copywriting, graphic design and printing, you could test your marketing idea with a questionnaire, which is quick to produce and manage, and test with a small batch before running a larger campaign.  If you send out 20 questionnaires and hear back from 5, this could be seen as a respectable response (remember that questionnaires often have low response rates). You could therefore conclude that if you sent out 20,000 then you would get back 5,000 responses. If you ran the initial trial and heard nothing from your 20 questionnaires, it would be wise to presume that the same would come of the 20,0000 – or at least very little.

Another way to achieve a stronger marketing brand or campaign is to create multiple variations and do some focus groups to see which resonates with customers the best. The key in both of these approaches is not to do a sizable marketing campaign without testing it on a smaller level.

Why headings are important in creating engagement with your marketing

Headings are the first things that draw customers in to your marketing campaigns, it is therefore important that they grab your readers’ attention.  I’ve written a guide to Six Ways to Write Great Headlines for Marketing Content – you can read it here.

My clients benefit from a whole range of supporting materials to help them in all areas of their business*, including marketing. To find out more about the business areas in which I can help you

Call 01732 453 464

Or email julianweekes@actioncoach.com

Value Builder exclusive offer

Value Builder is an extraordinarily powerful tool to give business owners the insights they need to meet their business and personal goals, so I am personally committed to making it available to entrepreneurs in Kent, Sussex and Surrey, in the area indicated in the map.

Value Builder normally costs business owners £500.  However, I am delighted to offer it to selected businesses free of charge – and I am also pleased to offer the follow up 90-minute 121 consultation to go through your results at my expense.

Why?  Well, I want businesses to have the very best chance to grow and develop, delivering the results business owners and their families deserve.

Secondly, I want to see businesses thrive and recruit additional team members to further grow the business and help to boost the local economy.

The full list of towns where I can provide this service is below, but if you don’t see your location, give me a call or drop me an email I will let you know if I can help you.  If I can’t, I’ll put you in touch with one of my colleagues who helps businesses in your area.

To apply for your FREE Value Builder report and business strategy review

Call 01732 453 464

Or email julianweekes@actioncoach.com

I help business owners in the following towns:

Don’t see your location in the list? Drop me a line and I’ll let you know if I can help you – or put you in touch with one who my colleagues who works with business owners in your area.

*My clients benefit from supporting material and coaching in the following business areas:

Looking for support in one of these key business areas?

Call 01732 453 464

Or email julianweekes@actioncoach.com