iMarket sent a text email broadcast to 42,418 Web marketers offering a free market penetration report on up to 1,000 records from the buyer’s customer or leads database for those who signed up for a free demo of their CD ROM-based MarketPlace product. Anyone who purchased by May 31 got $150 off. A simultaneous campaign for their Web-based version of MarketPlace dropped at the same time.

MEDIA: iMarket Direct Marketing Manager Elise Lublin whittled down the list of “a million Postmaster Direct names” to get to the marketers she considered her best prospects. “It took me a very, very long time,” she said.

RESULT: Blah for the CD ROM-based product. Only 1.47% of recipients clicked through. “It’s not great,” Lublin said. “I was hoping for 5%. It was costing me $14.52 for each person to click through. Of the 608 click throughs, 103 registered.”

However the campaign for the Web-based version of the MarketPlace product fared much better.

NOTES: Lublin didn’t test creative, sending out only one version of the CD ROM campaign which was copy written in a fairly salesy tone. The campaign led her to two conclusions: marketers prefer Internet-based products and that she needs better-focused lists.

Next time around, Lublin plans on changing some of the copywriting and possibly testing snail mail lists “which are sometimes more targeted.”