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Tweaking - The Hidden Marketing Secret

Wonder why some people get better marketing results than others? It's because they tweak.
One rarely discussed marketing secret (except amongst rabid direct marketers or online marketers), is the arcane art of tweaking. Tweaking your marketing is literally the key to getting more response to any marketing activity you attempt.
Tweak means to adjust or fine-tune.
And this is exactly what people fail to do when it comes to their marketing. In fact, most do the opposite: They develop a web site and never change a pixel for years; they settle on a marketing message and never try anything new; or they give a speaking engagement and don't try various "pitches" to get cards from participants.

The Science of Tweaking
Tweaking is what scientists do. They test something using an experiment. They get a certain result. Then they change a measurable variable and see what new result they get. They keep at this until they get the desired result (or not).
Good marketers are like scientists, but they have more fun.
Instead of experimenting on rats, they experiment on prospects. They try one marketing tactic at a time and measure the result. Then they change a measurable variable and see if the prospect responds differently.
Good scientists, if they are persistent, get grants to keep experimenting. Good marketers, if they are persistent, attract more clients and often get rich.
Let's look at a few marketing experiments you can tweak.
1. Ezine signups from a web site.
Growing a big eZine list is a great way to grow your business. Let's look at the two main variables: a) home page of web site and b) eZine sign-up page of web site.
To conduct this experiment you must know:
a) how many people land on your home page in any given period
b) how many people click onto the sign-up page
c) how many people actually sign up
Using a simple web tracker that counts visitors and subscribers, you can get these statistics very easily.
So let's say in a week, 100 people go to your home page. Of those, 40% click onto your sign-up page. And then 25% of those actually sign up for the eZine. That makes a sign-up rate of 10%.
Now you start tweaking.
You work at making changes to your home page so that more visitors click through to the sign-up page. You might improve the design, the graphics, the headline, the offer for the report you get with the eZine, etc.
Several tweaks might increase the number of people who click on the sign-up page to 50%. Now your total sign-up rate is 12.5%
Next you tweak away on the sign-up page. Perhaps you change the name of the report (more results-oriented), and you change the sign-up form (by making it simpler) and the placement of this form (you put it higher on the page).
Several tweaks of this kind may increase the number of actual sign-ups to 40%. Your total sign-up rate is now 20%. You've doubled your sign-up rate. And that's how tweaking pays off!
2. Getting cards after a speaking event
What I used to say was, "I have a report that covers most of the material I discussed today. If you'd like a copy, just leave me your card and I'll send it to you by email".
That pitch got me 30-40% of cards. So I tweaked my pitch.

I now say: "Here is a report that covers most of the material I discussed today. Who would like a copy? (and I get a show of hands) Great, please give me your card with a current email address and I'll send it to you by email."
That pitch gets about 80% of people in the room giving me cards. The tweak is that I got people to raise their hands saying they wanted the report. It more than doubled the results.
3. Your Audio Logo
When I use a problem-oriented Audio Logo: "I help Independent Professionals who are struggling to attract clients," I get about five times the response than a solution-oriented Audio Logo: "I help Independent Professionals attract more clients."
Go figure.
You don't have to know all the reasons your tweaking changed the results, you just have to keep tweaking until the results improve.
What are you currently doing in your marketing that isn't working as well as it could? Time to start tweaking!

Robert Middleton
02 May 2007

Robert Middleton, the owner of Action Plan Marketing, has beeh helping Independent Professionals be better marketers since 1984. On his web site ActionPlan.com find valuable resources, products and programs for attracting more clients. Get a free copy of his Marketing Plan Sart-Up Kit.

Are You A Smart Marketer?

Polish your marketing smarts with this handy quiz. Just answer true or false to these eight questions, then read the answers for important insights that'll help you improve your marketing in the coming year.

1. On a small-business marketing budget, it's smarter to advertise a few times each in numerous print publications than to advertise often in just one or two.

False. Advertising with low frequency in numerous publications is like throwing your money away with both hands. Effective advertising requires frequency for your message to be remembered and acted on. It's much smarter to choose targeted publications that contain content that’s closely read by your core group of prospects and to buy larger-size ads with considerable frequency. In marketing terms, you should go for frequency first with the right prospects, even if that means using just one or two publications. Then expand your reach into other media as your budget grows.

2.When shopping for broadcast advertising on a tight budget, you should look for the media proposal that offers the greatest number of spots for your money.

False. Beware of any media outlet pitching a proposal based on a high number of spots. Chances are, many will be ROS (run of station) and can air during the middle of the night or during other less-desirable hours or programs when spots are typically free or sold at an extremely low cost. Instead, focus your buy on the programming that reaches your core target audience with appropriate content, and run your spots with sufficient frequency during those programs or hours.

3. Customers prefer to receive branded company information in editorial materials, both offline and online, rather than through ads.

True. A study conducted by Roper Public Affairs showed that most consumers preferred receiving information from companies through branded editorial content rather than ads. In fact, 85 percent said they preferred custom publications to ads, and 75 percent felt better informed after reading them. Branded content, generated by a company primarily for marketing purposes, may range from the company brochure you send following a customer’s inquiry to a specially branded custom publication, and offers an excellent opportunity to directly connect with and inform customers.

4. To yield the highest click-through rate on promotional e-mail, you should offer a percentage discount off your sales price.

False. Promotions that promise a specific dollar amount off a sales price enjoy 45 percent higher click-through rates than those offering a percent discount, according to a study from e-mail services provider Silverpop Systems Inc. It seems it’s more advantageous to offer $10 dollars off, for instance, than an equivalent percentage.

5. Since senior citizens rarely use the internet, marketers should direct their dollars to other ways of reaching this target audience.

False. According to Pew Internet and American Life Project data, 55 percent of all Americans aged 60 to 69 and 26 percent of 70- to 75-year-olds are online, so it's beneficial to make internet marketing a part of your media mix for this demographic. When marketing to this audience, it's important to build trust, such as by providing a phone number for assistance with online transactions. It's also best to stay away from the flashiest technology, since older consumers are less likely to upgrade their computers often and many of the latest design bells and whistles may go unseen or simply cause frustration.

6. The best way for retailers to increase sales from Latino shoppers is to offer frequent-shopper cards.

False. According to Advertising Age magazine, the results of a study by Unilever in four major markets found Hispanic shoppers highly resistant to using frequent-shopper cards because of concerns about privacy. Although more than half of those in the study had frequent-shopper cards, only 44 percent of cardholders used them. Entrepreneurs targeting Latinos should construct customer rewards programs that highlight privacy protections.

7. The best way to build positive word-of-mouth is to affect the media to which “advice givers” are exposed.

True. A BIGresearch Simultaneous Media Survey of more than 15,000 people revealed that “advice givers” don't always formulate their counsel on personal experience alone. Their sources may include articles on a product, newspaper inserts, internet advertising and more. To build word-of-mouth for your product or service, it's essential to identify where your influentials are getting their information about what you market and use advertising and PR tactics to shape their opinions.

8. When reaching and motivating B2B prospects, general media sources such as consumer magazines and TV are more effective than niche B2B media.

False. Executives report they're more engaged and involved with B2B media than with general magazines, television and newspapers, according to a study by Harris Interactive. The best way to reach your B2B prospects in the new year is through B2B magazines, trade shows, websites, conferences or seminars.

Kim Gordon
13 May 2007

Kim T. Gordon is the "Marketing" coach at Entrepreneur.com and a multifaceted marketing expert, speaker, author and media spokesperson. Over the past 26 years, she's helped millions of small-business owners increase their success through her company,National Marketing Federation Inc. Her latest book, Maximum Marketing, Minimum Dollars, is now available.