50 marketing mistakes / Mistake #45
Mistake #45 of 50Don’t print 10,000 pieces before testing 500.
Test the message, offer and audience before the big commitment.
What it costs you
Big order, big guess.
The bigger the order, the lower the price per piece. So you order 10,000.
Of something you’ve never tested.
If the offer is wrong, you just bought 10,000 copies of wrong.
If you’re about to print 10,000, print 500 first.
Mail them. See what happens. Ask people how they found you. If it works, print the 10,000. If it doesn’t, you just saved yourself a lot of money, and you learned something.
A real example
Two versions of 250
An insurance agent wants to mail 10,000 postcards to homeowners in her town.
She has two versions. One says, “Great rates. Great service.” The other says, “Free 15-minute policy check. Book by the 30th, and we’ll give you a roadside emergency kit for your car.”
She can’t decide which one is better.
So she prints 250 of each, with a different code on each one, and mails them to two similar neighborhoods.
The first one barely gets a call. The second one fills her calendar for a week.
Now she prints the big run, of the one that worked.
Same budget. One is a bet. The other is a decision.
Why it happens
Why owners skip the test
A small test is cheap. A big mistake isn’t.
Do this instead
Test small. Then go big.
That’s not waiting for perfect. That’s being smart. Test one thing at a time, and give every version its own code, so you know which one brought people in.
| Test | How |
|---|---|
| The offer | Same piece, two offers. Which one gets the call? |
| The headline | Same offer, two headlines. Which one do people mention? |
| The audience | Same piece, two neighborhoods or two kinds of customer. |
| The item | Hand out 100 pens and 100 magnets. Which one comes back across the counter? |
| The count | A code on every version. “Mention SPRING10.” Then ask, “How did you hear about us?” |
| The big run | Only now. Order more of the winner. |
Write the result down: what you tested, how many went out, how many people called. Next time, you start from what worked, not from a guess.
Do this today
- 1
Find the next big order you were about to place.
- 2
Write two versions of the offer or the headline.
- 3
Give each one its own code, and plan a small first run of each.
- 4
Decide today how many calls would make the big run worth it.
Test 500. Count what comes back. Then go big on the one that rings the phone.
From the book
Chapter 2: Stop Waiting for Perfect
Starts on page 17. The whole chapter, plus 250+ ways to market your business, in the free book.
Download the free bookIdeas that fix it
Start small. Then order more of what works.
Idea 174 · book page 348Roadside Emergency Kits$8–$25 eachKept in the trunk for years. A lifesaver when it's needed.
Idea 86 · book page 304Magnets$0.75–$2 eachOn the fridge right when the pipe bursts.
Idea 66 · book page 294Promotional Pens$0.30–$1.50 eachUseful, cheap, and passed from person to person.
Idea 64 · book page 293Stickers$0.25–$1 eachGood stickers end up on laptops, bottles and cars: free ads.
Idea 158 · book page 340Basic T-Shirts$6–$15 eachAn advertisement people wear for years.Want a plan to test before you spend?
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