Less than a quarter of marketing professionals polled said they usually or always test marketing communication campaigns before releasing them to their audience, according to a new study sponsored by B-to-B e-newsletter Sales Lead Report.
Another 27% indicated they “occasionally” test their campaigns, with the rest saying they seldom (34%) or never (15%) test such efforts before rolling them out.
Among those that don’t test, just over half said they didn’t have the time to do so, while nearly 25% indicated they didn’t have the budget for it. One-sixth said they didn’t have a means of tracking tests, while 8% claimed they didn’t need to test.
Among those that do test, 41% responded that audience was the most important test variable, followed closely by the offer (39%). Nearly 15% indicated that 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 Sales Lead Report publisher Mac McIntosh. “In today’s economy, sadly, testing appears to be considered an optional activity.”
The survey went out to 940 of the e-newsletter’s subscribers and was based on 280 completed responses.
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