Email Marketing- A/B testing Done Right!
Maximize the open, click, and response rates with SpiceSend. Ensure that no email is left unread by using A/B testing to create the best version of your Email Marketing.
What Makes A/B Testing Important for Email Marketing?
The Long Story Short
There are many ways to create an email. But what works and what does not? What are the odds of hitting the bullseye on the first try? Successful email marketing is not some random activity. It is systematic and scientific, and this is where A/B testing comes in. An email includes various parameters that can influence the open and click-through rates of your emails. A/B testing using an email marketing tool makes it easier to identify the best combinations of the subject line, copy, and call-to-action button that can increase the click-throughs.
What is A/B testing?
The Easy Way Out
The basic understanding of how A/B testing improves the quality of emails comes from understanding what it is. A/B testing is often known as split testing in email marketing, but both the terms are in fact different. A/B testing involves comparing two versions of the email by changing one element, such as the CTA text or image in an emailer, whereas Split testing involves comparing two separate designs.
A/B testing is essentially a process, wherein one variation (Version A) of the email is sent to one subset of the subscribers and another variation (Version B) is sent to a different subset of subscribers.
Things to note here are that:
- The subset is just a small part of the whole subscriber list.
- For best results, only one element is different in version(A&B). For example, the CTA, in which case the rest, i.e. copy, subject line, etc. remains the same in both versions.
- Based on the element that is changed, the metric to be analyzed would change too.
How it Works
Breaking the Process Down
Email Marketing tools make things that were otherwise complex, quite easier. A/B Testing is one such must-have features that SpiceSend email marketing tool offers too. The process is simple, A/B testing is apart of campaign creation in the tool menu. The testing itself works in different ways, and one key variable is changed for each test. But before getting started you should be clear about why you want to test in your email campaign. Depending on the goal be it increased open rates or click rates, or testing the messaging style, the variable to be tested can change. Set up the test using SpiceSend's A/B testing feature, create 2 (or more versions of the email), select a sample or subscriber subset, and check the email by varying one element for each test.
The metric that determines the result is usually the Click-through-Rate. At times, it is not about the subject line, but the content that makes or breaks an email strategy. Test for text length, placement, headings, text sizes, and even color.
There are various things that influence the CTA. It can be the text itself, or the color of the button, or even its placement. Test for each of these aspects individually to get an optimal result. The metric that determines the effectiveness is the Click-through-Rate.
The use of images has been proven to be effective in email marketing. But that too often depends on the target audience and the industry. Test using banners, product images, other relevant images, videos, and even GIFs. But, as it is often said, take one step at a time.
The time at which an email is sent can make a significant difference too. So, use A/B testing to determine what time works for your audience. This understanding can help in segmenting the audience for future campaigns too. Click rates are the metrics that determine whether the send time works or not.
The metric that will allow to understand which subject line works and which does not is the open-rate. The changes in two versions can be subtle, like the addition of an emoji or adding a number, or can be entirely different subject lines, of different lengths. But, the rest of the email remains exactly the same. The use of personalized subject line vs. generic subject line could be a test too, depending on the audience and the market your business is catering to.
While these are the most popular A/B test elements there are other parameters too like length, word order, personalization, style, and even tone that can influence an email's click rates, click-through's, and actual conversions. The key is to keep testing and constantly adapting to the needs of the audience, and staying updated with the changes in the market and technology.
Why You Need SpiceSend's Email Marketing Tool?
Some Key Benefits
Using SpiceSend Email Marketing tool, gives you results that are analyzed immediately. While controlled tests help in figuring the best combinations, the tool handles the monitoring, hence decreasing the manual efforts.
Creating variations and testing using the A/B testing feature of SpiceSend's email marketing tool, helps in creating the best version of an email campaign, which in turn increases the engagement and hence the conversion.
A/B testing helps in testing various metrics that can increase conversions, and turn more visitors into buyers. While A/B testing may take a bit of time to analyze the different permutations and combinations, it can help in identifying the best combination that can help in converting more leads.
The benefit of SpiceSend's A/B testing doesn't end at conversion, but extends to building a brand value. Good copy, good subject line, carefully tested content, and images all imply the dedication a brand puts towards its products, and such refining also helps in understanding the customer expectations better. This in turn translates as an improved brand value in the long run.
The Expert Opinion
A Word from the Wise
Chad S. White, the Head of Research at Oracle CX Marketing Consulting, author of "Email Marketing Rules" and more than 3,000 articles and posts about email marketing, shared numerous tips in his post, A/B Testing Pitfalls: How Marketers Can Avoid Costly Mistakes. Here are the top aspects he highlighted.
- When it comes to deciding What to A/B Test, it is important to focus on the most impactful elements, and always keep your target audience in mind when testing.
- Chad emphasizes on the need for Establish Clear A/B Testing Goals, for which he advices to clearly understand whether you're testing to learn or testing to win and to have a clear hypothesis.
- Good Execution of an A/B Test, Chad says weighs down to, testing one element at a time and using test audience segments of similar subscribers.
- Determining the Winner of an A/B Test he says depends on choosing a victory metric that's aligned with the goal of your email, and not ignoring the negative performance indicators.
"Listening to your customers is vital, and A/B testing is just one more way that you can listen to what your customers are telling you that they prefer."
Test the performance of the emails and make effective changes using SpiceSend's Email Marketing Tool.
