Testing every piece of marketing your business is currently producing or has produced for you is one of the fastest ways to increase sales in your business.

Every piece of marketing, whether it’s a website, a blog, a magazine ad, a newspaper ad, or a TV ad, should be able to pass what I call the bull’s-eye test.

The whiteout test is a highly effective test that I recommend my clients run on their marketing every business quarter to ensure that their marketing continues to stand out from the competition.

The whitening test works as follows:

Gather marketing pieces from your competition in the same medium you’re currently advertising. For example, print the first page of your website and the first page of your contest website.

Have an assistant, or do this yourself, delete the business domain name or phone number so when you look at the page you only see the marketing message at the top of the page.

After you’ve gathered the front page of your website and your competition, spread them out on a desk and look at them. If you can’t tell the difference between your marketing piece and your competitors, you have a problem on your hands.

The website should be able to be highlighted by the title or main marketing message at the top without having to see the company name. This headline should immediately grab your attention and compel you to read further down the page. Looking at your marketing, if you don’t feel compelled to read below, your marketing message or headline needs to be adjusted.

Bringing in a trusted partner or advisor to review your marketing alongside your competition can also help you get a second set of eyes on your marketing.

With any type of marketing, the amount of time you have to entice a prospect to continue reading is only seconds, so making the most of that first impression is critical to success.

When you want to improve your marketing, I’d invite you to get my free marketing manifesto at www.ToddBatesSystems.com that has helped over 15,000 small business owners and entrepreneurs increase sales regardless of their marketing budget.