Testing Your Direct Marketing Ad

Photo Credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/n-JCPSUXWfQ

Direct marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach your targeted audience, raise response rates, and increase conversions. While setting up your initial direct marketing campaign is the first step in the process, your overall marketing strategy can only be made successful with regular testing.

Aside from keeping up to date with how well your direct marketing ads are generating interest, testing your direct marketing ad is also a critical part of comparing one campaign to the other. By testing all of the possible variants of your direct marketing ad, you can easily identify which is generating the most attention and focus your marketing efforts there.

At Davant, we know the value of implementing direct marketing ad campaigns that reach your audience. Today we’ll be giving you the tips you need to make your direct marketing ad a success.

What is Direct Marketing?

Before we get to the question of why it’s important to test your direct marketing ad, you should know what direct marketing is. It is equally vital that you understand the benefits of direct marketing ads in strengthening your overall marketing strategy.

Put simply, direct marketing is a form of an advertising campaign that targets a specific group of consumers in an effort to create a certain action. From generating an increase in customer requests for information to getting more of your consumers to visit your online store, direct marketing ads are a valuable component of any marketing strategy.

The most effective forms of direct marketing seek to elicit an active response from a targeted audience. Some of the most powerful direct marketing ads include email marketing, direct mail marketing, and telemarketing. Whether it is an email campaign featuring an attractive graphic design or a personalized “happy birthday” email for customers signed up to your mailing list, direct marketing is a great way to pull in new and current customers alike.

Why Should You Test Your Direct Marketing Ad?

Now that you understand what a direct marketing ad is and how it can benefit you, it’s time to get to the real question at hand: why should you test your direct marketing ad? After launching a direct marketing campaign, do not just sit and wait for results. Instead, take an active role in your direct marketing efforts and assess the effectiveness of your campaign. This will make it easier to develop even better direct marketing ad campaigns in the future.

Testing your direct marketing ad is also a top concern because it helps your business save resources and money on direct marketing ads that have proven to be ineffective. Instead of spending on direct marketing ads that haven’t delivered the desired result, test your campaigns and identify where you should be focusing your efforts.

Consumer response is one of the most useful tools in your marketing tool belt, so make sure you’re putting it to good use! Without testing your direct marketing ad, you’ll have no real idea of what pulls your customers in and keeps them coming back for more.

How to Test Your Direct Marketing Ad

When it comes to determining the “right” way to test your direct marketing ad, things can get a little foggy. This is because the interests of your target audience can change and evolve at any time. A proven direct marketing ad that led to a significant increase in sales conversions one month may not work as effectively the next, which is why it’s vital to test your direct marketing ad campaigns regularly. So how should you start the testing process? Here are some of Davant’s best tips on testing your direct marketing ad.

View Every Promotion as a Testing Opportunity

No matter the desired effect or format of your direct marketing ad, one thing is universal: your direct marketing ad is a valuable testing opportunity. Make sure to view each and every promotion as a testing opportunity.

Regardless of how well a direct marketing ad does once it reaches the public, there is valuable data to review and information to be gained. Never launch a direct marketing ad campaign and just forget about it. Pass or fail, every direct marketing ad has something to tell you about your product, service, and audience.

Don’t Just Study Your Tests, Act On the Results!

All too often, marketers launch a direct marketing ad and immediately move on to cooking up the next. If you get too wrapped up in creating new promotions one after the other, you will neglect to learn from the ones you have already launched.

Launching a direct marketing ad and not utilizing your findings to create bigger and better promotions is almost as ineffective as never testing your direct marketing ad at all! Evaluate what may have caused your direct marketing ad campaign to draw in customers or fall flat. Take this knowledge and apply it to regularly improving your overall marketing strategy.

Avoid Testing Too Many Direct Marketing Ads at Once

Lastly, it is critical that you don’t test too many direct marketing ads at once. Every direct marketing test should be designed to deliver valuable feedback about your audience. Well-designed direct marketing ads seek to answer one basic question: which is better? Closely compare direct marketing ad A to direct marketing ad B and find a pattern. Ask yourself the important questions such as, “what made this ad more attractive than the other?” and “how can I apply these findings to future variations?”

While you may be tempted to run several tests at once, this should be avoided in most cases. When you’re focusing your attention on too many direct marketing ads at once, things can start to get a bit murky and you’ll have a much harder time analyzing the returned data.

If you have the ability to test several ads at once rather than A vs. B, make sure each direct marketing ad is for the most part the same, with the exception of that one differing factor. When testing your direct marketing ad, it is vital that things don’t get overly complicated.

Choose Davant For Your Direct Marketing Needs

Do you need a little help putting your direct marketing plans into action? Davant is here to help! Of the many services that we offer, you will find our direct mailing service particularly helpful. In working with Davant on your direct mailing strategy, you can effectively increase sales and educate your customers on your products and/or services.