What is a test? Dictionary.com posts 8 results for the word “test.” Only one of those definitions refers to a test as a means of evaluating performance, which often is the SINGLE definition that most first-time direct marketers cling to. Does this sound like you?

In the Radio world, however, a test is a trial run-through, a method for trying and assessing the relative performance of both commercial copy and the individual radio formats and delivery platforms being tested.  Some radio copy will perform better than others and some radio stations and digital platforms will deliver results at a desirable ROI, while others may not.

In general, a radio test spans 4-6 weeks. The more we test, the more intelligence we learn. Each week, a generated report provides the results from the previous week. When your first report comes in, what do you do? Do you rush to modify the buy and put all your dollars on the best performing stations on the best performing day with the best performing radio copy? It’s SO tempting.  No, as hard as it may be, you do NOTHING! A well-planned test needs to run its course.

Radio results need to be evaluated over a period of time as there is no crystal ball to predict listener behavior. You see, people are doing other things when they listen to radio. Many will hear an ad, jot down the number and then call on days and times that will give a false read if we try and attribute calls to the exact days and times calls are received. Usually, the hills and valleys of any given day level out over the course of a week. But no two weeks are exactly the same. Some weeks are holiday weeks where typical lifestyle patterns are disrupted. Other weeks may be unusual due to severe weather, or the competitive advertising climate. And, you can’t ignore the fact that as more people hear an ad a second, third and fourth time, its message will begin to resonate and response will build. The point is you cannot make generalizations based on one week because you run the risk of making a very expensive, incorrect judgment. The toughest part of an initial test is patience.

Once the test is completed, numbers are crunched every which way to identify which stations and digital properties worked well? What message got listeners to take action? There will be some hits and of course, some misses. Bottom line, the overall test most likely will not hit the magic ROI number but we’ll learn what needs to be optimized to deliver the target metrics going forward.