Email marketing has been around for relatively a while, but over the last couple of decades, it has thoroughly revolutionized. There is less guesswork, and we will far more quite figure which marketing techniques are successful and which of them flop.
Even as marketers are being held more accountable, they now have higher methods to measure which techniques they use work and which won’t.
Even as marketers are being held more accountable, they now have higher methods to measure which techniques they use work and which don’t. Up to now, the answer to why aren’t we generating sufficient leads? Now the intent behind the lackluster outcome can be pinpointed.
One of the ways for marketers to best optimize their work is with A/B testing.
A/B testing, or a split test, is a way of comparing two variations of the same email with the final goal to identify which version gets better results.
Failure is Acceptable
When you’re split trying out, every failure wants to notify you of anything. With rose-colored glasses, you could get the idea that each variation is going to outcomes in a just-right end result. The truth is, quite a few them don’t. After they don’t, you shouldn’t pack your luggage up and head house, however instead dig in and look for solutions.
Let’s imagine you run a scan altering your website home page. Your important purpose with this modification is to up conversions from first-time viewers. It doesn’t take long so that you can see that the proposed change isn’t working. Conversions are down on the brand new homepage.
However, upon some digging, you find out that returning visitors are staying on your website longer. Something about the new UI is having this effect.
Now you’ve realized that first-time viewers and new users interact with your website another way, and you have got the tools to maximize the experience for both segments. Definitely, this test didn’t carry concerning the desired results, but it wasn’t fruitless.
However, not all checks are going to provide such an obvious silver lining. We could say after digging in, you’ve found nothing about the new design that’s working. You could have to scrap the new design altogether, but use the experience as a justification for extra trying out.
And, when you conduct further testing, use the previous outcome to notify these tests. That you may continuously use lessons learned from earlier tests to generate hypotheses for future checks.
Without the benefit of trying out, your organization may have made the swap without realizing what the results would have been. That would’ve been a killer for business.
What does the term A/B testing mean?
A/B testing, or a split test, is a way of comparing two variations of the same email with the final goal to identify which version gets better results.
To bring this test in, divide your subscribers into two equal groups. Send the first group an existing variant of your email. Then, change one element in it, for instance, a call-to-action button, and send it to the second group of your subscribers.
After that, set a condition for the system to determine the winning campaign. Wait 24 hours to collect the results and send the champion-email to the remaining subscribers.
But before you start testing any element, keep in mind three rules for a successful A/B testing:
First of all, form a hypothesis you want to confirm or reject, and don’t change it during the test.
Secondly, change only one element at a time. Don’t check the size of the image, colour of the template, and the body copy all at once.
If you have too many variables, it won’t be easy to understand what element has influenced the result.
And finally, set your end goal and choose a metric corresponding to it. For example, I assume that the conversion of a bright CTA button is higher than a soft one.
So, I will be testing the buttons and measure the results by comparing the click-through rates. Now that we’re done with the theory let’s move on to the A-B test ideas.
Purchase a tool
There is no scarcity of A/B testing tools for you to purchase. These tools will range in usability, however, although you’re no longer a whiz, that you may frequently find something simple adequate to use.
There are two main questions that you will have to ask your self before purchasing a tool.
Does it work well with the application you already use?
You have to make sure the software you purchase will combine along with your content management method, another analytics tool you use, your e-commerce platform, and exceptionally whatever else you think might be significant.
An A/B testing tool doesn’t stand alone, so do your study before making a selection.
Does it match your price range/budget?
This one is obvious, but it needs asking. Tools will vary the range of fees so that you need to be sure of the one you want to get. Just as you prioritize what to scan through ROI, this decision will have even to be based on ROI. Given the aspects supplied, your implementation of them, and the fee of the tool, will the advantage outweigh the rate?
You’d be amazed at how small that fee is. It’s not tough to get your arms on a device with A/B testing functionality for low priced. ActiveCampaign is a tool that offers split testing in email campaigns that’s incredibly easy to use.
Communication
When split testing for two factors then communication plays a vital role.
Reason #1: It keeps you Organize
Relying on the size of your organization, you will be trying out several things immediately. And it’s feasible that some of these matters could influence every aspect.
For illustration, let’s imagine you’re testing your electronic mail signal-up kind to your homepage and you’re also trying out a further meta description to your homepage. You would see a lift in email subscriptions; however, that would be an effect of the brand new form or the accelerated click through from the meta description.
The excellent option to remedy that is by way of appointing a checking out the lead. This personal responsibility is to oversee and manipulate all the testing that you’re doing to your web site. Now only this restricts the competencies of a couple of checks impacting each other; however, it also gives your organization a go-to person for any testing-associated questions.
Rationale #2: Clarifies the value of A/B Testing
Some companies don’t have a 100% purchase-in with regards to checking out. Unquestionably their weight in it, however someone and not using a talent may see it as needless. By naturally communicating the results of your assessments, you could get again up its worth with rough numbers.
You are probably not capable of promoting someone to your group on designing a web page multiple times, but theirs no argument in opposition to higher results.
Start with a subject line
Test various subject line formulas to determine the one that will improve the open rate of your campaign. Compare a regular subject line with the one which states the recipient’s hometown or a product they recently looked through on your website.
Check out the examples. It’s enough to add a subscriber’s name to make the subject line a little more personalized. Another idea is to test emoji in your subject line.
Although researches show that smileys boost open email rates, they might not appeal to some users due to their age, status, or occupation.
Let’s say; your mailing list is mostly composed of business people. They are used to get formal emails from your company. In this case, a sudden cat emoji in the subject line may seem away from the point.
By the way, the sender’s name can be a key to the open rates too. Here we get a new hypothesis: “Putting the name of the company in the sender’s name line will bring higher opens compared to putting the name of an employee only.”
So, test and check it. Let’s imagine, the variant with the company’s name has won the battle. But you can’t give up the idea of using the staff’s name in your sender’s name line.
Here’s a way out test the name of a company against the name of an employee plus the name of the company.
Use Discount
One more element to test is a discount. Adding value to your campaign is a good conversion booster, but you should try different ways to present it, for example, one deal of 20% off or two values of 10%, a complimentary gift for the order, or a percent off.
CTA button
If we continue talking about conversions, we can’t go past the CTA button. You can test this element in a bunch of ways playing around its design and copy.
Let’s say there is a new feature in your service. And you want to provide two-month access to it at the price of one month. But you are not sure whether or not to mention this bonus in your CTA.
To dispel your doubts, test a standard copy versus a more detailed one. How else can you improve conversions? Find the best way to present your content.
Some marketers think that a plain-text email with a short lead to the video will work better. Others suggest adding a video thumbnail. They are convinced that visual content catches the eye of a recipient and brings more clicks. Just like that, come up with the hypothesis for our A/B test.
Analyze the Results
Once you’ve run your email campaign with the two different email versions, it’s time to take a look at the outcome. There are a few different categories of results you’ll want to look at:
- The open rate.
- The click-through rate.
- The conversion rate once they’re on your website.
Best Practices
Listed here are a few first-rate practices to preserve in mind when going for an email A/B testing:
- Regularly test at the same time to reduce the chance time-based factors will skew your results.
- Test as large a sample as you can for a more accurate result.
- Listen to the actual data collected, not your gut instinct.
- Use the tools available to you for quicker and easier A/B testing.
- Test early and often test for the best results.
- Only test one variable at a time for best results. (If you want to try more than one, look into multivariate testing instead of A/B testing.)
What’s your strategy on A/B testing? Do you think the above article can help you to get maximum out of your A/B Testing?
Either way, let me know in the comment box.