No, this isn’t a microphone check. Nor is it a nasal swab. We’re looking at the ways you can test in your marketing material and the benefits of an ‘always testing’ mindset.
The most difficult part of testing however is often identifying what you are going to test and why.
Orchard’s Digital Strategist, Jack Winter, takes us through three ways you can start testing, and why these tests are crucial to success.
Concept Testing
This is an invaluable tool to use prior to your product, offer or campaign being live in market. Concept testing provides you relevant data to base your launch decisions on and indicate what comms to develop, as well as what comms ideas can stay hidden in the ‘thought-starters’ cupboard.
Using qualitative and quantitative techniques helps establish a more accurate point of view as to what will resonate for your target audience, beyond any internal perceptions. Typically the best approach is to combine the two data gathering methods.
This helps to generate a larger audience response, to establish statistical accuracy, whilst you can hone in on areas discovered during your quantitative data capture in more detail during qualitative interviews and focus groups.
In a concept test Orchard ran with a healthcare client in the US, we tested what resonated for their staff versus what resonated with their audience, sharing three key value propositions for a new program. Whilst the internal team saw Option 3 as the strongest option, their audience overwhelmingly saw Option 2 as the strongest option with over 90% of their audience resonating stronger with Option 2.
A/B Testing
This form of testing is focused on identifying what triggers the strongest desired action by comparing two variables. The testing can come in many different iterations — from testing two different text styles on creative to testing two different sets of copy. However, in each test, only one variable changes, meaning you need to be clear on what specifically you want to test.
Regardless of whether the action is for buying a product, from enquiry to lead, or a softer metric such as increased brand awareness, A/B testing is another invaluable tool to build stronger insights into what triggers your audience to respond.
In an A/B test Orchard ran with Flordis, we tested two key messages to generate enquiries to learn more among GPs in Australia. Key message one was focused on the efficacy of their products. We tested this key message against the statistics behind the condition that this product aimed to address and help prevent.
We saw a 56% higher lead completion rate when we included statistics that Flordis’ products aimed to address.
Offer Testing
This is another great tool to use in your testing approach as it helps identify your strongest offer, providing you the opportunity to delve deeper into why.
It directly compares two distinct offers in order to identify what is most likely to trigger an enquiry, purchase or lead from your customer.
By testing offers you build a stronger understanding as to what is appealing to your customers, while equally importantly you identify the offers you have that are not appealing. This can be, in some instances, more important that the successful areas as it helps you continuously adapt and improve your product offering.
An example of an offer test Orchard has run saw two lead magnet offers tested against one another in a pilot run for Zoetis US. We tested offering a rebate to customers versus a sweepstakes draw to win 1 of 5 vaccine coolers.
The results were overwhelmingly in favour for the sweepstakes offer, with ten times more leads.
Putting Testing Into Action
So it’s pretty clear, testing should be a part of your marketing DNA. Without testing you miss vital insights that can change the game for your business.
The tricky part is identifying what to test and developing testing frameworks that identify what is going to be the most meaningful and effective from insights gathering perspective. Marketers should aim to invest in areas that are going to either produce strong results, or valuable insights that benefit your business past a single campaign.
That’s where we come in. From analysing your customer experience through to dissecting audience insights in relation to brand, our Strategy team are ready to tackle any challenge and make a real difference for your business.
Why not test us out? Reach out to the Strategy team at Orchard if you want to talk more.
