Test & Adjust
Test and adjust is my #1 marketing tip. It may seem obvious, but it’s a challenge because testing competes with our desire for quick wins. Marketing doesn’t work if you give up too soon, or if you stop and start, but you can improve your marketing ROI by learning from every investment and using data to shape the next steps.
Consider a few areas to test and adjust:
Test Marketing Strategies
Be flexible in allocating your marketing budget and adjust based on issues or opportunities. For example, an ecommerce customer wanted to increase online sales. Digital ads with various offers and price points all succeeded in driving traffic to the website, but the conversion rate was low. A temporary shift of marketing budget from ads to improved landing page design successfully increased conversions.
Test Audiences
Refining your audience will help reduce expenses and increase relevance, for example, a special offer for top customers. Digital ads are a great way to target website visitors, or people who began an online purchase but didn’t complete it. Create audience segments you have budget and resources to address in a unique way.
Test Messages
Defining customer profiles, or personas, will help you create messages that address unique pain points or values. But you won’t know for sure if your message resonates until you test it. Test messages in social media, digital ad copy, customer emails, surveys/conversations. Reviews and customer feedback are great places to look for messages to test.
Test Offers
Offers can make a big difference in response rates, for example:
· Early bird event pricing has the benefit of both a time limit and a discount.
· A local dentist used a free spin-brush offer successfully for years in ads, but eventually offer fatigue set in and the response rate slowed.
· Online retailers provide a one-time discount for providing your email address.
Create offers that fit the customer’s readiness to purchase, for example, more information or a checklist may be effective for someone researching options, while a price offer works best for those who are ready to purchase.
What do you want to test next? Let me know how I can help…