A question rolls in about testing…
“I’m totally confused by this testing vs. non-testing debate. If the concept of testing is not sound, then how does anybody know if anything works (other than generating a random quantity of sales?) What’s to say you should use one headline over the other if you can’t trust the results of either? Was Claude Hopkins full of sh*t when he coined the term “scientific advertising” for his book? Testing has to have *some* validity, right? Maybe only in broad strokes, but still usable.”
Who said you shouldn’t be testing?
I’m ALL for testing.
But realize testing emails is very unreliable.
And, can even harm your sales over time.
Example:
I’ve written many emails that kicked bootykis the first time I used them, but BOMBED the next time. I’ve also had emails do little or no sales the first time (and this spans multiple markets, btw), but drive in lots of sales when I lazily recycled them later.
See the problem?
The danger?
If I’d dogmatically relied on so-called “testing data” from tediously setting up A/B tests each day, I’d have missed out on lots of sales.
So I’m all about sales trends with email.
Not measuring metrics that are (at best) unreliable.
BTW, as a side bar…
This “testing” email stuff makes some people VERY emotional.
One blue-flame special went especially batty — including threatening to punch me in the face, demanding I show him a tax return, yada yada yada.
Amusing stuff.
My buddies and I found it hilarious.
Hey, I DO so love them haters.
They… complete me…
Anyway, where was I?
Oh yes, now, static pages are great for testing.
Especially opt in pages.
(And especially the kind of opt in page I’m teaching in the July “Email Players” — www.EmailPlayers.com — newsletter issue, which goes to the printer in a few days…)
But email testing data is highly unreliable.
Not always repeatable.
And, can cost you money as a result if you blindly follow it (it’s not a total waste of time, but you have to be careful).
Bottom line?
The real power is in regular communication.
In being consistent.
And, in knowing how to write to your market.
That’s my opinion.
And, as you know, I’m always right.
You can learn my email system at:
Ben Settle
