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If You Ain't Testin', You Ain't Trying

by Mark Pescetti
12 replies
The #1 key to internet-marketing-success is (drumroll please!)...

...testing.

Here's something I've noticed about a lot of online marketers:

They're complacent.

People seemed to get really attached to their website and copy - even if it's massively underperforming.

Heck...

Even if it's massively over-performing.

You should never, never, never settle for just one sales letter, VSL, autoresponder, OTO or solo ad.

You can ALWAYS do better. No exceptions.

For instance:

Let's say you have the top selling product (in your niche) on Clickbank.

Do you just keep milking your control (i.e. sales letter or VSL) - until the well dries up?

If you are, I promise that you're setting your business up for a massive downfall.

It's so incredibly important to keep testing new material, messages, branding, etc., to see if you can beat your own control (or at least develop new ways to increase profits.)

Likewise...

If you have a sales funnel that's either underperforming or outright bombing, you've got to meticulously figure out why and test different approaches.

Sometimes, you can just tweak a few things about your design and/or copy to increase conversions.

But remember...

Just because you made the investment in whatever you have - doesn't mean you shouldn't always be pushing the envelope to innovate something that's even MORE effective.

Like I always say:

If you ain't testing, you ain't trying.

So ask yourself:

"What can I do TODAY to test against my current campaign tomorrow?"

That's something you should constantly be questioning inside of yourself.

High achievers are NEVER complacent. Ever.

And you shouldn't be either - whether you have the control to beat in your niche... or not.

Mark
#testin
  • Profile picture of the author Michael Levanduski
    Well said. Always trying new things is essential for any business, online or offline.

    Some people say practice makes perfect, but actually, testing makes perfect!

    Michael
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  • Profile picture of the author hbhanot
    Very well said. Testing if you are going to drive traffic from and ocean.
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      If you have something that's working like gangbusters, it can be very daunting to think of messing with success. But playing "beat the control" is the way to stay on top.

      No one is saying that you have to send half of your visitors to something untried. Send 10%. Just keep testing.

      When considering things to test, you also have to consider the principle of diminishing returns. Is it really worth testing whether or not a quarter-shade variation in the color of your headline yields an extra tenth of a percent response when you could be testing something totally out of the box?
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      • Profile picture of the author Matthew Shelton
        Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

        No one is saying that you have to send half of your visitors to something untried. Send 10%. Just keep testing.
        When considering things to test, you also have to consider the principle of diminishing returns. Is it really worth testing whether or not a quarter-shade variation in the color of your headline yields an extra tenth of a percent response when you could be testing something totally out of the box?
        These are great ideas - it's good to be reminded that "split test" doesn't mean split 50-50. And sometimes an out of the box idea can knock it out of the park.
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      • Profile picture of the author Mark Pescetti
        Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

        If you have something that's working like gangbusters, it can be very daunting to think of messing with success. But playing "beat the control" is the way to stay on top.

        No one is saying that you have to send half of your visitors to something untried. Send 10%. Just keep testing.
        Here's the thing:

        Someone is going to beat your control.

        So why not do it yourself?!?!

        Conversions are all about making an emotional connection.

        If you have a control, great. You've made a connection.

        Now deconstruct it.

        Figure out WHY it's working.

        Once you isolate a few of the key ingredients, do something else with them in another letter or VSL.

        Test, test, test.

        You don't even need to use your own traffic.

        Run a solo ad.

        Collect data.

        And yes, think outside the box.

        Explode the box.

        Rinse and repeat.

        Mark
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        • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
          Originally Posted by Mark Pescetti View Post

          Here's the thing:

          Someone is going to beat your control.

          So why not do it yourself?!?!
          No arguments here...

          Originally Posted by Mark Pescetti View Post

          Conversions are all about making an emotional connection.

          If you have a control, great. You've made a connection.

          Now deconstruct it.

          Figure out WHY it's working.

          Once you isolate a few of the key ingredients, do something else with them in another letter or VSL.

          Test, test, test.

          You don't even need to use your own traffic.

          Run a solo ad.

          Collect data.
          My only point was that many people are afraid to upset the apple cart, so they don't test at all until whatever they were doing quits working.

          Or they go so far down the rabbit hole that they lose sight of the big picture. Instead of testing a new letter, offer or traffic source, they worry about trivia.

          Originally Posted by Mark Pescetti View Post

          And yes, think outside the box.

          Explode the box.

          Rinse and repeat.

          Mark
          That reminds me of the kid that won the Next Food Network Star competition a couple of seasons ago. One of the judges commented that the kid certainly thought outside the box. His mentor on the show said he wasn't even sure if the kid knew there was a box.

          That's the kind of approach that can tack extra zeroes or even a comma to your profits.
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          • Profile picture of the author Mark Pescetti
            Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

            That reminds me of the kid that won the Next Food Network Star competition a couple of seasons ago. One of the judges commented that the kid certainly thought outside the box. His mentor on the show said he wasn't even sure if the kid knew there was a box.

            That's the kind of approach that can tack extra zeroes or even a comma to your profits.
            Shows like The Next Food Network Star are measures of testing new controls (or in this case talent.)

            If The Food Network was complacent with the success of Chopped or The Iron Chef, their ratings would drop over time, and eventually, the channel would fizzle.

            It's the same in marketing:

            You have to keep developing, evolving and changing your controls.

            Sure...

            Some controls last for years.

            But most don't.

            I'm not a fan of contests.

            There have been a few done over in the copywriting forum.

            However, done right (like putting the prize money in escrow and posting the testing data daily,) business owners of top Clickbank products or WSO's could follow the lead of shows like The Next Food Network Star.

            Mark
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  • Profile picture of the author jcbond
    I agree, you should always test new things to find out what works and what does not.
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  • Profile picture of the author heavysm
    Originally Posted by Mark Pescetti View Post


    High achievers are NEVER complacent. Ever.

    And you shouldn't be either - whether you have the control to beat in your niche... or not.
    That really is the name of the game for the higher income warriors/gurus/ whatever you want to call them. Complacency is the start of a declining income. You need to test the sh!t out of your sales funnel, squeeze page...whatever you got to ensure every last drop of result is pulled from your efforts.

    I still remember the days of being up for days on end split testing for various projects. If that's what it takes, then that's what it takes.
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  • Profile picture of the author Raydal
    I must admit that I did a lot more testing when I first started
    Internet Marketing many moons ago, but I got lazy after a
    while. But I still study the testers. There are a few websites
    who specialize in testing and a couple marketers as well
    who I follow because I know they are big on testing.

    -Ray Edwards
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    • Profile picture of the author Mark Pescetti
      Originally Posted by Raydal View Post

      I must admit that I did a lot more testing when I first started
      Internet Marketing many moons ago, but I got lazy after a
      while. But I still study the testers. There are a few websites
      who specialize in testing and a couple marketers as well
      who I follow because I know they are big on testing.

      -Ray Edwards
      Lazy? Nah. Lazy isn't a word I'd use to describe the effort I see you make.

      Why did you really stop?

      Are you "where" you want to be in your business and don't feel the fire to keep pushing?

      Or?

      Mark
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  • Profile picture of the author vojohn33
    very well said. i was exactly like that when i first started. i kept waiting on sales conversions for the longest time thinking that it was traffic that was the problem and my visitors werent interested. it wasn't until a few weeks later when i re wrote my sales copy that conversions started happening.
    testing is the key.
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