Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach potential customers, but how do you know what kind of content they actually want to see? A/B testing provides a great solution – by allowing you to compare different emails and track which ones perform better, you can ensure that your email campaigns are engaging and effective. This ultimate guide definitely help you in increasing your email conversion through A/B testing. Read on to find out more about how A/B testing can help you make the most of your email marketing efforts!
What is A/B testing, and how can you use it to improve your email marketing?
Whether you’re a digital marketer, entrepreneur, or business owner, A/B testing can help you maximize the success of your email marketing campaigns. A/B testing allows you to optimize your campaigns by testing different versions of the same email, and see which one yields the best results. A/B testing is also called as split testing.
A/B testing can be done based on email marketing elements such as subject line, sender name, email template, sending time, preview text, CTA, and more. You can effortlessly conduct A/B testing by using email marketing platforms. Some of the best email marketing platforms, such as GetResponse, Aweber, Moosend, and ActiveCampaign, provide numerous options for A/B testing.
What is A/B testing for?
- This is the quickest way to boost email marketing efficiency and revenue. Such testing aids in the rapid testing of hypotheses.
- With split testing, you can take the right decision to increase email conversions.
- A/B testing will tell you which content, subject line, and sending time is working best for your business and help you understand your target audience.
- A/B testing can help you reduce risk and campaign failure.
- Easily identify issues while running email campaigns.
- A/B testing also helps you in improving sender reputation by increasing the open and engagement rate.
- Split testing also helps to avoid spam filters and improve inbox placements.
A/B testing stats you should consider
For those who only consider empirical data, here are two A/B testing statistics to help you understand the significance of A/B testing your emails.
#Brands split on A/B testing
A/B testing is not used by 39% of brands for their broadcast or segmented emails. This has an impact on low open rates as well as campaign performance. You can improve the email conversions of your campaign by using A/B testing.
#Small changes make huge differences
When running an A/B testing campaign, you will quickly realize that small changes make a big difference. One of the best examples is here.
Hubspot made minor changes to their sender name. Instead of using the company name as the sender, they tried using the person’s name, which increased the open rate and clicks rate by 0.53% and 0.23%, respectively. In addition, with minor changes to their email campaign, they generated 131 leads.
In general, the same email and email campaigns are used, but one small change can make a significant difference in an email marketing campaign. A/B testing or split testing can be a powerful tool for improving campaign performance.
Types of A/B testing:
The type of A/B testing depends on the email marketing platform. A/B testing types listed below are common in all email marketing software.
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Email Subject line
In the email subject line, you can use two variations for the subject line. In that, whichever performs better you can send the rest of your campaign.
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Preview Text
Use two different email preview texts. And then determine which works best and use the best-performing preview text.
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Sender Name or Form Name
Another factor to consider when performing A/B testing is the sender’s name. Simply use two variations of the sender name, such as an individual name for one email and a company name for another. Evaluate the campaign’s performance and select the winning sender name.
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Whole Email
You can experiment by altering the entire email design, content, and CTA. Create two versions based on changes and compare the conversions of the two emails. And choose the best email based on clicks, opens, and unsubscribes.
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Sending Time
You can also experiment with your campaign’s send time. Send an email at two different times and compare the results before making a decision.
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Open and Clicks
While running an A/B testing campaign create two versions of an email template. And decide to send a campaign based on a higher open or click rate. Whichever email gets a higher open or click rate that email will be sent to the remaining contacts.
Best practice for A/B testing
- The most important thing to remember is to only test one element at a time!
- While running an A/B testing campaign, ensure that all aspects of email delivery are in order. Otherwise, the entire campaign effort will be in vain. To ensure deliverability, it is preferable to use email deliverability tools.
- While testing, run an A/B testing campaign to the same audience.
- Use a larger sample test size to get accurate data on campaign performance.
- Plan an A/B testing campaign before launching an actual campaign. So that your team gets enough time if there are any changes needed.
What all changes can be done in A/B testing campaign?
#Email Subject line
Crafting a compelling email subject line is crucial for the success of your email campaigns. It’s the first thing readers see and it can make or break whether they open your message or delete it. The best subject line can boost your open rate by 15% to 30%. To draw attention, the subject line should include a compelling reason to open this particular email.
These are the changes that can be done in the subject line for A/B testing campaign.
- You can test with a general subject line and personalize the subject line like using a person name or company name. Use whichever subject line performs better.
- Use questions in the email subject lines by adding some mystery.
- Try to use numbers, percentages, prices, discounts, etc.
- Use emojis in the subject line to increase the open rate.
#Preheader Or Preview Text
The majority of users access email via mobile devices, tablets, and small-screen devices. The preheader becomes extremely important in capturing the attention of the customer. A preheader is also referred to as a second subject line. It can be used to effectively optimize your email campaign.
- Be relevant and use a preheader as a continuation of the subject line.
- Grab their attention by providing interesting content and making them an opening email.
If the email contains multiple topics or names, mentioning two at once with the help of a subject and a preheader will pique the reader’s interest (hence, the open rate will be higher).
#Sender Name Or From Name
Adjusting the sender name makes a huge difference in the email open rate. People generally see who is sending emails that’s why the sender’s name becomes a very important factor. With A/B testing you can experiment with sender names and take decisions based on performance.
These are the different Sender name variations you can try.
- Your name or team member
- Job title or department like marketing, sales, pr, operation, HR, etc.
- Your name + Job title
- Company name
- Your name + company name
#Email format – text or HTML
You can experiment with different email formats, such as text email or HTML email. Run A/B testing with both formats to compare the performance of the two versions and make the right decisions accordingly.
#Email Content
Email content is the core part of an email marketing campaign. Experimenting with email content is most important than any other factor. The email content is the main element that converts customers and generates revenue. A/B testing is extremely important in email content optimization. Choosing a better email copy and design improves the effectiveness of your email campaign.
What can be experimented with in email content?
- Try using text, images, or video
- Email text font and size. Do not use more than 3 fonts in email
- Try using one column, 2 columns, or 3 column email layout
- Experiment with text color, style, and design of the email
- Make sure the email design and color are pleasant to read
- Try campaign with an image vs no image
#Links
Website or landing page links in the email are the main source of email conversion. Experimenting with various links will give you a good idea of which is the best performer. When you use too many links in an email, it ends up in the spam folder. So be cautious if you use too many links.
You can conduct A/B testing with one link and another email with many links to determine which email to use based on click rate and conversion. Additionally, test the link format. Text+link, a link within the text, or a link within a button can all be used.
#Call to action
Another aspect to consider when running an A/B testing campaign is the call to action. You can experiment with different Call to action formats, colors, designs, styles, placements, buttons, text links, and more.
#Sending Time
The most important factor in increasing email open rates is email sending time. In your email marketing campaign, you can also experiment with send time. A/B testing enables you to send email campaigns at different times. The best time for sending emails is between 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.
A/B testing with send time can help you improve the results of your email campaign. Read also – “Best Time to Send an Email to Get More Opens and Click-Through Rate”
#Email Subject line and Content Length
Don’t make your subject line too long. Customers may not be able to see a lengthy subject line on a mobile screen, resulting in a low open rate. For a better user experience, keep it between 9 words or 60 characters.
You can do the same thing when writing email content. Nobody wants to read long emails. Content that is brief and to the point is always preferable. You can run an A/B testing campaign to compare differences between short and long copies.
#Color of buttons and links
Because specific colors attract and are preferred by people. That means you can’t change the color of your brand. Maintain a consistent brand color that stands out in crowded inboxes.
#Offer Vs Without Offer
Try running an A/B testing campaign with and without an offer. You will see a huge difference in your email campaign response. If you have an offer try using price, percentage, and discount in the subject line, email content, and call to action. It will give you better campaign results than a standard email campaign.
Conclusion
A/B testing can be a great way to optimize your email marketing campaigns and get better results. With just a few simple steps, you can easily set up A/B tests for your emails that will help you measure the effectiveness of different strategies. By consistently monitoring the results, you’ll have access to valuable insights that can be used to continuously improve your campaigns and reach more people. So if you’re looking for an effective way to boost your email marketing efforts, give A/B testing a try today!
To implement A/B testing effectively in your business you should have the right email marketing platform. Here is the list of email marketing platform that helps you run effective A/B testing campaign.
