June 28, 2002, Newsletter Issue #32: Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3...

Tip of the Week

Testing Publication Ads
Business people often spend thousands of dollars on Yellow Pages ads, newspaper ads, billboard ads, etc. A serious mistake is to publish an untested ad in an expensive publication. Never place a large Yellow Pages or magazine ad, or half a page in the New York Times unless itīs thoroughly tested. Why waste your money on something that hasnīt been proven? Refunds donīt come easily!

Plan ahead so you have time implement thorough ad testing. A week before the Yellow Pages ad deadline, is not the time to start testing ads. Do a test run of a smaller version of the ad in a newspaper or relevant industry publication.

But a word of caution: Make sure you target the ad. An ad for computers under the Yellow Pages heading "Computers," is broadly targeted and will naturally attract prospects who are looking for your services. So consider this principle when using "test ads."

Donīt just throw them in any newspaper where your audience is not targeted, and complain when few results are delivered. Keep the testing environment targeted.

If you place your various test ads for computers in the local paper under the computer section, youīll have a clear indication of how effective they are. Test a few variations of the ad so that the best responding one can be used when you do the final draft for a major more expensive publication.

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