Make time for these four simple email tests
27 Jun 2012
Don’t let time constraints and competing priorities get in the way of testing your emails when there are quick and effective testing options are available, says Mark Brownlow .
If you're reading this, then you probably already know that testing is a ‘good idea’ in email marketing. That’s why you can find numerous articles on the benefits of testing and how to go about it: I've written one before in this very newsletter. In my experience, though, the problem with testing isn’t understanding the practicalities, but rather is finding the time and energy to implement a regular testing regime.
After all, there are a host of other things to take care of and lots of ‘good ideas’ we'd like to implement. And, frankly, sometimes we're just happy to get an email out the door on time (or is it just me?). As a result, testing often gets pushed down the priority list, or is limited to the occasional A/B subject line comparison.
Of course, if we knew just how much a difference an email test could make to results, then we might have more incentive to do it. Here are four examples of simple email tests that brought impressive benefits to the marketers who conducted them. I hope they can inspire us all to follow suit.
Subject line tests
Typical test options: length, capitalisation, order of content, use of symbols, use of branding, use of personalisation, use of urgency, punctuation, wording, etc.
- A software manufacturer tested subject lines on the sign-up confirmation email for a double opt-in subscription process. The winning subject line produced 60% more sign-up completions.
- A large retailer tested ‘Happy Holidays’ against ‘Merry Christmas’ in a subject line. The latter attracted 88% more clicks.
From line tests
Typical test options: use of personal name, business name, personal name + business, brand name, list name, etc.
- A B2B telecoms equipment provider tested using the name of the recipient's account manager in the ‘from name’ and email body, rather than a standard sender and company name. The new approach increased open rates 70%.
- I tested adding my name to the ‘from line’ of my B2B newsletter, instead of the usual website name only. It lifted total CTR by over 20%.
Call-to-action tests
Typical test options: buttons versus text, position, size, colour, contrast, shape, wording, number of CTAs, etc.
- One ESP tested two buttons: ‘download the guide’ earned 43% more revenue than ‘get the guide’. Click rates were only 2% better, illustrating the importance of judging tests by the most meaningful metric: what is it you actually want to achieve with your emails? The same ESP also gained 33% more revenue by moving a CTA to the top of the email.
- An email marketing service added a relevant image to an email's text CTA and found it raised total clicks by over 50%.
Design tests
Typical test options: use of preheader, copy approach, colours, images, text versus HTML, etc.
- A semi-conductor company tested three different images in a campaign covering Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Emails with the winning image produced 770% more clicks than those with the losing image.
- A design agency discovered that a light email template background gathered 150% more clicks than the dark background equivalent.
Don’t become complacent
While the kind of tweaks and changes outlined above are obviously worth testing for the potential response improvements they can bring, it's not all quite as rosy as it seems.
Different lists can react differently to the same test. The three images tested by the semiconductor company, for example, all performed the same when emailed to the sender’s Asia list. Short-term gains can also fade with time, and even reverse if a novelty factor wears off.
That's why regular testing of old assumptions is no bad thing and it pays to be circumspect about transferring tests results between lists: what worked for me may not work for you.
Also, truly long-term, meaningful improvements in results often come from more dramatic or deep-seated change. So once you maximise response to what you already do through minor changes, it might be time to try a complete design revamp, a new content approach, or new tactics and strategies to take things to the next level. But only after appropriate testing of course!
Mark Brownlow is a freelance business writer and publisher of the Email Marketing Reports website and blog.
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