It's widely understood that an email marketing campaign that uses best practices will always outperform a campaign that doesn’t. However, the process shouldn’t end with design. It's critical to test your campaign components to determine which ones pull the best results for you. It may seem like unnecessary work at first, but you might be surprised at how a few tweaks can make the difference between a satisfactory campaign and one that really performs.
Every audience is different, and preferences are continuously changing. Well-designed campaigns are a solid starting point for testing and improving. But you should adopt the ABT mantra—Always Be Testing—for all your campaigns in order to maximize results for your business.
Good Reasons for Testing Email Campaigns
- Your email needs to be properly viewable in all media. Responsive design will ensure that your email design and messaging is intact regardless of the digital device used by your recipient. Nothing turns off viewers more quickly than having design elements that don't appear properly. When you test your email on different devices you can immediately see how your potential viewers will see it and can adjust accordingly.
- Your emails have to land in the correct inboxes. If your emails aren't making it past a spam filter or your email ID is not authenticated, your sending score and reputation can be severely impacted by ISP and corporate filters. Make sure to do your authentication work up front for a solid sender reputation—and then test, test, test.
- You need to know what impact certain words in subject lines have on the open and conversion rates of your emails. By changing subject lines, you'll garner a better idea on why you're getting the results you are and you have the option to change to improve campaign success. Certain words appeal to certain audiences. Don't be afraid to dig in and make the adjustments that will increase the number of opens.
Two Types of Email Campaign Testing
The two most common types of email campaign testing are A/B split tests and multivariate tests. In A/B testing just one variable is changed and tested between the control and test option to see if it provides a significant lift. An example of this might be an email that simply changes a headline or the inclusion of an image in an email where everything else is the same.
In multivariate testing, multiple components of the email are dissimilar. They are a great way to begin a campaign where a proven winning standard or combination has not been established. Later the most successful version can be optimized through A/B testing. Common testing variables include: subject lines, sender, headlines, calls to action, offers, layout, images, personalization and time of send.
