Marketers can and should test every individual campaign to see where they can improve customer response and learn important information for the future.
By testing only one variable (such as teaser copy, price, offer or format), you can see what makes a difference, and what does not. This information will lead to a higher return on investment with each mailing.
I created this week's test for SurfControl, a global provider of corporate security software. Their product, SuperScout, competes in a tough market against such giants as Norton, who bombard their targets with print, direct mail and personal sales calls.
One of the marketing challenges was reaching the high-level executive decision maker.
The solution? A magalog that looked like an industry magazine to target higher-level executives. Magalogs helped present the need for increased email security to top management, who then requested that the IT department look into the problem and propose a solution (SurfControl).
Magalogs have the added advantage of getting by the gatekeepers - mail rooms and secretaries.
The test: Two covers (pictured above) were developed. Each was designed to inform these decision makers of the dangers their unprotected email systems posed to their companies. One cover focused heavily on a graphic of burning 100-dollar bills, the other on a headline reading, "How an email joke cost Chevron $2.2 million dollars."
The results: Although both did well, the Chevron headline outperformed the burning 100-dollar bills by more than 24%. Overall, the campaign brought in a response rate of over 1% on selected lists.