(Direct Newsline)—Less than one-quarter of marketing professionals surveyed said they usually or always test marketing communication campaigns before releasing them upon their audience, according to a new study.
Another 27% indicated they “occasionally” test their campaigns, with the rest saying they seldom (34%) or never (15%) test before rolling them out.
Among those that don’t test, just over half said they didn’t have time to test, while nearly one quarter indicated they didn’t have the budget to do so. One sixth said they didn’t have a means of tracking tests, while 8% claimed they didn’t have a need to test their campaigns.
Among those that do undertake tests, 41% responded that the audience was the most important test variable, followed closely by offer (39%). Nearly 15% indicated that the copy was the most important element to test, while 5% felt that testing media was crucial.
“Successful direct marketers have always touted the value of testing in making the ‘scientific’ decisions they’ve made about their campaigns,” said Mac McIntosh, publisher of Sales Lead Report and the test’s sponsor. “In today’s economy, sadly, testing appears to be considered an optional activity—one that is used only for very large campaigns or when prospecting for new audiences.”
The survey was sent to 940 subscribers to Sales Lead Newsletter, and is based on 280 completed responses.
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