24 Benefits of Test Marketing

Have you ever done something and later regretted having done it? Or wished you could change part of what you did? There is a way you can minimize mistakes in producing and marketing your books. And this one simple step can help you become more profitable. It is not difficult and can even be done for free.

The one step is test marketing—asking people to comment on your cover design, page layout, one-sheet, piece of selling literature, or even a sales presentation. If you experiment beforehand with different ways of accomplishing a task, you can reduce errors and make the end result more productive in generating revenue.

Test marketing does not have to be an expensive focus group (although it can be if you so desire). For example, get feedback on potential titles, content and pricing while exhibiting at trade shows. Or, post different cover designs online (your website and Facebook page) and ask for feedback. Even make a sweepstakes out of it by offering a free copy of the finished book to people who respond. If you are a member of a publishing group, ask associates for feedback. You can conduct a media interview or practice a sales presentation asking employees or friends to give you a critique.

Regardless of how you do it, experimentation before implementation yields success-acceleration. Here are several benefits of test marketing:

1. Discover manuscript improvements
2. Get product-placement ideas
3. Sell rights (foreign, movie, electronic, serial)
4. Publish books with better cover designs and page layouts
5. Win more award competitions
6. Get more testimonials and endorsements
7. Build buzz
8. Increase the size and involvement of people in your platform
9. Build awareness among prospective buyers in your target markets
10. Predict life-cycle stages, and plan strategies for each
11. Improve your website
12. Determine if you have the resources to succeed (personal, financial)
13. Increase traffic at your tradeshow booth
14. Come up with a better title for your book
15. Test order-fulfillment processes
16. Make promotional campaigns more productive
17. Improve media performances
18. Create a more realistic timeline for putting your promotion plans into action
19. Determine the applicability of content to trends
20. Limit your financial risk
21. Test your overall marketing strategy
22. Create more accurate forecasting
23. Generate new sales opportunities
24. Build strategic partnerships