Testing and tweaking copy budget

by 8 replies
11
For u serious copywriters,

How many copy variations do you test?

How much traffic will you send to each variation?

On average, how much do you budget for copy testing?

Adam.
#copywriting #budget #copy #tweaking
  • I'm pretty cereal...

    It depends on the traffic source. For good PPC traffic, 35-50 clicks usually does the trick for a variant. For colder traffic, perhaps more.

    As far as how much you spend? It depends on your CPC. The higher your CPC, the more you'll end up spending on testing...

    Also, you want to start with wide tests of wildy different variants if you can, and then start doing more narrow testing on the winners.

    Hope that helps.
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  • In my case, it depends upon the project. There is no one right answer.

    That said, conducting ongoing testing is what I shoot for.

    With regards to the budget, it's not so much the adspend, but the lost revenue that implicitly comes from testing the losing variation.

    Some Clients would rather just throw all the traffic at the current winning control and be done with it.
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  • How big is the market? What is the copy supposed to do?

    First, you need some preliminary results.

    Then you would test one thing at the time against an equal number of readers coming from the same source. IF the market were big enough and warranted the time and expense of testing.

    Most IMers I've seen usually test headlines, then offers, then other things like design and a SERIOUS copywriter might even conduct eye tracking studies.

    My opinion, unless you have serious tracking tools in place and an Infinite universe (evergreen) of prospects, most IM products for smaller markets can test against a control, changing one element at a time until a new control emerges. I think the kind of testing the OP is asking about is best done by an analyst rather than the copywriter getting bogged down with minutia.

    Today there are tons of software products and even integrated analytics in programs like Infusion Soft to do all this for you.

    Just one opinion, but most of the time, maybe 80% is spent perfecting the copy before rollout, then a little time on testing variations.

    gjabiz




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    • Adam, as you widen your knowedge base
      of different formulas and methodologies,
      plus see hundreds of split tests resulting
      In response and revenue lifts...

      then you get addicted to carrying out a/b split
      tests.

      You read the chapter on Intensify from Breakthrough Adverting
      so you apply it to your promo.

      You read Tested Advertising Methods chapter on
      the Appeal, so you go their next.

      You read Motivation is the key driver to buying
      from marketingexperiments.com so you speak
      to those pissed off.

      You read another split test result, which is one
      of hundreds freely available at marketingexperiments.com,
      so that becomes the start of a year's experiments.

      If you are in continual growth mode, then that's
      where you get your front end revenue
      along with traffic.

      Best,
      Doctor E. Vile
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  • You've got a major flaw somewhere in the sales process.

    I can understand why you wouldn't want to give links here with the thievery of ideas...but I'd suggest you get someone else to take a look at what you've got.

    PM me if you want and I'll take a look and see if I can give you some suggestions.
    • [1] reply
    • I can only reinforce what Ewenmack and Max5ty have already stated.


      Something is going badly wrong during the 'phone process.


      Might I suggest that next time you're trying to close over the 'phone you record the entire process from start to finish. Then go back and listen to it in minute detail. If necessary call in a respected 'phone selling expert and pay them for an hour or two , it'll cost you a few hundred dollars, but if as you say...


      "My end sale is worth around $30,000 in year one and on-going around 10k/year"


      ...then you should recoup that on your first sale.


      You're already $6k down, plus 70 hours of your time.


      Your prospecting is working OK-ish, the problem is in the closing.
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