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Rules for Testing Direct Mail Creative
By Lee Marc Stein
Most direct marketers face limited funding and time
for testing creative strategies and executions.
Overall budgets have been cut and what’s left is
used to test media/lists and offers. With the little
bit of money available, managers must structure
creative tests very carefully. Here are about a
dozen rules for doing that.
In a new product launch, always test two very
different concepts (and not tactics). If you test
only one and it doesn’t work, you have no idea what
to do next.
Similarly, when you are far from meeting budget, you
must test radically against your control.
Never mix apples and oranges: the wording of the
offer in your test must be exactly the same as in
your control.
Similarly, don’t mix concept/creative strategy
testing with format testing. If you need a quantum
leap in response, go with concept and creative
strategy testing first.
Test the big ideas. These would include vertical
and/or horizontal positioning of your
product/service; what customers call it, how they
use it, and what they tell their friends about it;
and how the package leverages societal trends.
Consider creative segmentation. It’s not a big idea,
but it can provide the same kind of lift in response
if you harness database technology and digital
printing properly.
Next to testing big ideas, envelope testing is most
important. You have to decide if you’re going with a
one-to-one correspondence strategy vs. envelope as
store window. In B2B mail to executives, one-to-one
almost always wins. Promotional envelopes haven’t
worked for most mailers for some time.
Letters are still the prime selling vehicle in most
direct mail. (The latest trend, in fact, is to
insert letters into self-mailers.) Key parts of
letters to test are the headline or Johnson box,
opening two paragraphs, P.S. and cross-heads or
sub-heads.
If your control package is working fairly well, you
may want to engage in component testing – new
letter, new brochure, lift note, or even response
form.
Go with your best effort first, then see what you
can do to cut costs. Try eliminating the brochure
first. You can also look at eliminating the response
form and BRE, particularly if you are driving people
online to order.
Learn from your competitors. Don’t bother testing
what they haven’t been able to make work.
Test on a plan, not on a whim. You need to be
strategic about improving your performance.
--- Lee Marc Stein is a direct marketing consultant
and copywriter. He can be reached at 631-476-5395.
His website is leemarcstein.com.
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