Testing a new Direct Mail Campaign? Think like a restaurant owner!
I’ve always thought that successful direct marketing testing was similar to cooking good food at a restaurant.
You may think I’ve lost it, but just think about how restaurants go about compiling their menu:
- The recipe for each item begins with an idea or hypothesis. This may be something completely new or just a slight adjustment to an existing dish. The idea is bounced off of marketing to see how it might fit in the competitive landscape and compliment the rest of the menu. Management reviews the cost to produce and the potential sell price to determine if it has feasibility for a positive ROI. The ingredients and portions are carefully documented in preparation for a test. (Starting to sound familiar?)
- The chef then prepares a small test dish for taste testing. This might be through a small internal group, a focus group or some actual customers.
- Restaurant management then evaluates the feedback. Is this a potential winner or loser? If the evidence supports moving forward, what adjustments need to be made? How does the next phase or soft launch model take shape? How will operations handle a roll out?
I think by now you see where this is going.
Check out the link below to see how one of the largest and most successful fast food chains is testing in preparation for adding a breakfast menu. (I wonder if hot sauce would be good on that waffle?0