Hey Guys,

I'm just going to rant a little... but... I think my point
will be well worth it.

Listen, I do a lot of offline direct mail and space ad
direct response. And, in every single case, I always
write two or three different sales letters or ads. And
I always test three or more direct mail lists or
magazines to find the right sales message and the
right "audience".

However, it seems to me, a lot of online marketers
(including copywriters with their own site) never
split test their copy.

I am amazed!

This past weekend at the Copywriting Success Seminar
Michel showed all of us how simple changes to a website
can increase response by several hundred to several
thousand percent.

Imagine that!

And the easiest way in the world to split test your copy
is to get two similar domain names for the same product
or service. Then put two different versions of your letter
up and drive half the traffic to one site and half to the
other.

Or you could buy tracking and split testing software.

Doesn't matter.

A lot of people post their promotions on this site and ask
for critiques. That's fine. But, at best, a critique is only
an educated (sometimes) opinion of what you should do
to improve your site.

Why not let your customers - the market - tell you if they
are interested in what you're selling?

Why keep guessing?

You know, almost a century ago, a guy who some people
have called the "Aristotle of Advertising" wrote a book
titled... "Scientific Advertising". His name is Claude Hopkins
and Michel is offering his book for free on this site. The
whole premise of that book is that testing ultimately determines
results.

Then another guy... who wrote what many consider to be the
most ripped off headline in history... wrote a book titled...
"Tested Advertising Methods". His name is John Caples. His
book also proves that testing eliminates the guesswork and
lets marketers know FOR SURE if their copy and marketing
concept holds water or not.

Anyway, I guess what I'm getting at is this...

START SPLIT TESTING YOUR COPY... AND... STOP GUESSING!

Thanks,

John

P.S. Any comments on this topic by other marketers and
copywriters who actually test their promotions would be
welcome.

I wouldn't dream of not testing...both offline and online. Although my offline marketing outpulls my online 5 to 1. But I still test. I've increased revenue substantially by testing. Anyone who doesn't test is just flushing $$$ down the toilet!

John

Tell me this...

Do you think using the results of online testing is relevant to offline campaigns? I'm getting ready (I've been saying this for over a month) to launch my first mail campaign, but don't have near enough mopey to test with it. I thought that I would use the best results that I got online.

But then again, the traffic I attract online is already looking for a copywriter...so perhaps an entirely different approach is better.

theengel,

Boy, that's a great question.

Here's my take on it:

The online and offline worlds are quite different.
Online you are basically lead generating to a website
and then following up with autoresponders. The follow
up process converts the maximum response over time.

Now, unless you can find BUYER email lists of whatever
product or service you sell... then... lead generation is
really the only way to go online. It's what most people
do.

Offline offers, in my opinion, a better shot at making a
sale faster. Because offline you can find BUYER lists and
send them a sales message.

There is a big difference between people who are somewhat
interested in something and google in a keyword... and...
people who have actually spent money.

However, I know that test results show in some cases a good
website sales letter (modified slightly) will work like crazy to
a good offline list.

So I'd test a good website sales letter offline to see how it
works.

Regardless, I personally believe that when you are selling a
service you are much better off doing lead generation.

Online you can do a google adwords campaign.
Offline you can send lead generation letters or postcards.

In both cases, when selling a service, I believe lead
generation combined with a follow up campaign gives the
best results.

Test it.

John