Email Optimization Opt-In List Builder Tested, Section 2 (Analysis) | Opt-In List Builder Tested, Section 2 (Analysis) |
| Friday, 05 October 2001 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
So do we recommend the List Builder Program? Is it an effective way to grow your list? We tracked 1082 of our original 1600+ names to determine the following:
We also analyzed two version of ad copy in an A/B split test. Here is what we learned about the profitability of this program. What was the unsubscribe ratio for the List Builder Program?In the 70 days immediately following our List Builder Program we lost 5% of the new subscribers. We estimate this number to be more than 10 times our average unsubscribe ratio, but it could still be a reasonable loss depending upon the productivity of the list. What was the undeliverable ratio for the List Builder Program?Here is an analysis of the net subscribers
13% of the new subscribers were undeliverable, BUT List Builder delivered an extra 103 subscribers. Our net loss was 4.8%. List Builder typically "pads" each order by 10% to negate the undeliverable factor. In this case, it wasn't quite enough. What was the percentage of secondary, free email addresses for the List Builder Program?Sometimes subscribers, concerned about their privacy, will provide a secondary email address from one of the FREE email providers. This can present a problem for publishers, as these secondary addresses are sometimes neglected by the subscriber -- often going for weeks "unchecked". (*2) Our researchers examined each address and determined the following:
What was the percentage of AOL addresses for List Builder?AOL addresses (though valuable) can pose a daunting challenge for the publisher. There are at least two reasons:
Our researchers discovered the following:
How do you write effective copy for the List Builder Program?OK, Marketing Pro, which ad will pull the greater response? ADVERTISEMENT A Marketing Experiments Journal - We test GoTo, Google, Ezine Ads, Sales Copy, Banners, Web Cards... Find out what works. ADVERTISEMENT B Researchers conduct scientific Internet marketing tests and publish the results - saving you time, money, effort. ADV A was prepared by our staff; ADV B was prepared by the co-creator of the List Builder Program, Marty Foley. We ran an A/B split test. and ADV A "out-pulled" ADV B by more than 20%. But why? What was the difference? While ADV A followed the traditional marketing approach stressing benefits. ADV B provided specific facts. We agree that stressing benefits is the holy and sacred obligation of the marketer... but we have (sadly) discovered that stressing benefits is of NO value if the prospect does not believe you. We suggest that when you have only 15 words to make your point, SERVE the prospect with specific, concrete facts that clearly INFER the benefits. Let him draw his own conclusions. The prospect is more apt to believe his opinion than yours. What are other advertisers with List Builder writing in their copy?Here is a sample of the ezines currently advertising with List Builder's partner, Freedback. Your ezine ad would be competing with ads like these:
What was the conversion ratio for the List Builder Program?We acquired 1600 new subscribers and, for 70 days, presented them with carefully crafted offers. Our objective was to determine how many sales we could generate. Just how productive was this new list? To answer that question, we need to COMPARE this list with another (average) list acquired through web traffic alone.
How profitable was the List Builder Program?If you have correctly interpreted the above data then the viability of the List Builder Program may seem bleak. Our homegrown subscribers were 2000 times better than the ListBuilder subscribers. Still, there are several factors you should consider:
Marty Foley, co-creator of the List Builder Program was extremely ethical in his help with our research, and we were impressed by his integrity. When we called (out of courtesy) to summarize our results, Marty did not try to dissuade us in any way. He encouraged us to publish exactly what we discovered. Marty candidly stated that the List Builder Program does not work for every advertiser, and that they are working on ways to improve ad targeting. In the meantime, he has accumulated many testimonials from satisfied publishers.
(*1) Please note that MEC accepts no commission or compensation from List Builder. (*2) The last version of Hotmail could not interpret mailto options). In the new version of Hotmail, Microsoft uses advanced JavaScript filters to edit all email that goes through its system. The result is that mailto options are not included in the tag link. |
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