Drive Email Conversions with these 10 A/B Tests

Marketo launched the Dialog Edition in October 2013 to make email campaigns easier and faster. Amongst other cool features in this edition, the time consuming task for manually creating A/B test and split tests in Marketo was automated. During our yearly review, we rediscovered this information and decided to create a post on A/B testing for emails. This post will give you the lowdown on why A/B testing your emails is critical, elements that you should test, and some expert tips.

Getting Started with A/B testing for Email Campaign

A/B testing for emails on average improves conversion by 12.55%. As per a study by Optimizer companies have seen a 25% increase in direct revenue when audience segmenting was based on results of testing. A/B testing for emails is one of the smartest moves because for every $1 spent; $44.25 is the average return on email marketing investment, as per Experian. Poor and incomplete testing means non-productive email campaigns. So, now would you test or end up like these kids?

Here Are 10 Things to Test in Email Marketing

According to a report by Econsultancy, subject lines are the most frequently tested aspect in e-mail marketing campaigns (50%). This is followed by creative (39%), timing (35%) and finally frequency of contact (31%).
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1. Winning Subject Lines:

64% of people say they open an email because of the subject line. Experts recommend personalization, adding name of company or individual depending on targets, and keeping it short and simple.

President Obama’s 2012 Presidential Email Campaign had the simplest subject line: Hey. It turned out to be the most successful fundraising email campaign of his political career.

2. Interesting Content:

Best Buy made $300 million in annual revenue by adding two sentences of copy in their emails. Messaging in email includes the words right from the subject line to the body to the sign off. A/B test for the right tone, value to readers, content personalisation, length, and share-ability.

Take a cue from the creative email campaigns of ModCloth. This example shows how to sustain the interest beyond the subject line and throughout the content. The “Style Whiz Quiz” campaign got the readers to take the survey and in turn, help ModCloth determine a customer’s likes so they could better segment their lists.

3. Spot-on Images:

Test out different images and image varieties’ to see what strikes your readers. Experts recommend avoid using images for your key CTA’s. Rather, use HTML blocks and add text on them, which will give a better CTR for your campaigns.

Highrise ran an A/B test that helped them decide which images work best for their target audience. They tested on gender, age, race etc.

4. Clearer CTAs:

Test for colour, shapes, sizes, image/copy, placement, frequency, and offer type. Also, check for hyperlinks Vs. CTA, and try different combinations of text, text+icons, and only icons.

Check out the green vs. red. Same copy, same placement, different colours.

5. Engaging Videos:

Videos are an engaging way to improve your email readability. Although, not a very common tactic right now, but future is visual and experts recommend making videos an integral part of your email campaigns.

Check out the green vs. red. Same copy, same placement, different colours.

6. Appealing Email Signatures:

You got the subject line, the copy, image, and video right. Nevertheless, do not forget the signature. 75% of emails with irrelevant and incomplete email signatures result in uninterested consumers. Signatures that only contain basic contact information do not encourage readers as the ones with logo, deals, and links to newsletters/Ebook/free tools, and social presence. A/B testing can also help you choose the elements to include in your signature.

Look at how SunRiseSigns changed the email signature from a plain design to with that including a logo, resulting in more clicks and inquiries.

7. Best Day of The Week:

According to Email BenchMark Report, emails sent on Monday had the highest revenue per email, on the other hand some marketers have seen lowest engagement levels on Monday. The impact of sending day on open rate and CTR depends on the type of mailer you are sending and your target audience. What will work for you, only one way to find out 😉

On an average, Tuesday has the highest open rate and Friday sees the highest CTR. But, to get the best combination you have to play around.

8. Relaxed Hours during Work:

Depending on your niche and target audience, select the time of the day when your emails will most likely be read. With global audiences, you should schedule emails as per the local time of your audience, ensuring higher open rate. According to a Pivotal Veracity study, early morning email delivery has the lowest open rates. Generally, the best open rates tend to be seen in emails that are sent around 10 am in the morning or around lunchtime (noon or 1:00pm) because people relax with their inboxes at lunch.

After completing the rush hour tasks, people tend to relax and start really going through their inboxes. You should target this time.

9. Relevant Social Sharing Buttons:

Emails that include social sharing buttons have a 158% higher click-through rate. Experts recommend including social sharing buttons to extend reach of emails, identify influencers, send dedicated campaigns to biggest supporters, connect to a wider audience, and give email subscribers more options to connect with you. Consider including testimonials, third party verifications and other trust building social proofs to boost consumer’s trust.

This Email Header by HubSpot gives the reader the clear options to share the post and builds a connection by including its own social presence.

10. Converting Email Landing Pages:

Always make sure that the landing page is a close match to the email in terms of headline, copy, and content. You should also tie up the look and feel of the landing page with the email. Once you have the consistency in place, A/B test a few variants.

When you are done with these tests, do not forget to keep a log of all these tests. And, if after A/B testing the emails your final copy may not have everything you planned for, remember it is always better to follow the results else risk blowing up (remember the kids?) the hard work.Grazitti^™ helps you streamline your email marketing by leveraging expertise, dedicated teams and by providing cost effective quick turn-around for email marketing solutions. To know more drop a line at [email protected].

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