subject: Why Testing Is Important To Any Marketing Campaign [print this page] When starting a marketing campaign, it is crucial at the start to ascertain the one vital objective that is to be accomplished. Make sure all efforts are designed to achieve that objective. How do you do that? Test your marketing!
Testing your marketing may make some companies uncomfortable with the thought of spending funds needlessly. However, it is important to remember that there is considerable worth by discerning not only what works, but what does not work as well. It is also important to quantify the results of the testing. If you decide from the beginning that the primary goal is to sell more widgets, obtain more subscriptions, promote more renewals or drive more trade, mark sure to use the correct metrics that will answer that question for you.
That is what Dr. Caine did.
Dr. Caine is Oak Hills favorite dentist. Known locally as No Pain Caine, he does a fair amount of business. The office has a wonderful team that increased three years ago when he took on an associate. Last month his son graduated from Dental school and joined the practice. With three dentists now on staff they are able to increase the hours of availability and take on more clients. Advertising their no pain services, committed workforce and extended hours of service was going to be a challenge.
Dr. Caine had no idea what kind of promotion he should design. The office manager suggested one, his wife another and his partner a third. Dr. Caine, Jr suggested designing three different ads and emailing the current clientele to see which one gets the best response. And that is what they did.
Version A was prepared with a lot text. The practice logo was on the top of the page and a picture of a smiling boy was on the right side, but that was it in the way of graphics. At the bottom of the email was a link to the website to find out more information.
Version B was the opposite. There were graphics everywhere. Almost all the text was in the form of blurbs or catch phrases that coincided with the graphics. A large icon with the phrase Check Out Our Website was centered at the bottom of the page. That icon linked to the practices website.
Version C was a combination of the two. Their logo was prominent as were graphics of the dentists in a group photo, the staff doing their duties and one showcasing the extended hours. An obvious but simple link symbol stood apart from the rest directing the reader to Find Out More.
Caroline, the office manager set up an email blast. One third of their clientele received Version A, one third to Version B and one third Version C. Caroline tracked the click through rate of the emails to observe the results. A week later the outcome was discussed at a company meeting.
For Oak Hill Dentistry, Version A was clicked through at a rate of 6%, Version B 18% and Version C 41%. With Version C they also had a dozen appointments scheduled! It was obvious which style promotion to implement. The rest of the meeting was spent deciding on the mediums to use for the marketing campaign. It was determined that marketing to the residents of Aspen Ridge may be a good idea too. Their goal was, after all, to solicit new business.
Within a month of launch, the new campaign was doing well. Caroline confided in me when I went in for my semi-annual cleaning that the practice is now looking for a larger building and possibly setting up a separate office in Aspen Ridge. When the time comes to make that decision, Dr. Caine has already decided to do more market testing.
