Email Marketing Articles

Newsletter Software Split Test

Many companies are using split testing today in their marketing campaigns, but are those companies using this powerful tool to its full potential? As you are aware, split testing allows for the sending of multiple versions of the same email to a percentage of your client list for the purpose of collecting information about how those clients react to your email. Split Tests gather and present to companies the valuable information they need to refine future emails. The amount and different types of information gathered through its use is limited only by the user's imagination. So let's take a moment to look at some of the ways we can implement split testing to get to know our clients better.

• 1. Subject Line
  
  Sometimes clients open an email while others simply do not wish to be bothered. What is it about an email that causes a client to WANT to read it? Should we put our company name in the subject line of the email, or do we instead use a sentence explaining briefly the content of the message? Test it!


• 2. Layout
  
  There's a fine line between presenting information and dressing it up. This line varies in width with the type of business you're doing, and the type of clients you're trying to reach. What works for you? Do you send the email in HTML or plain text format? Test it! Do you include lots of colorful graphics, text enhancements, and other pizzazz, or do you stick with a simple company logo? Test it! Should you use a standard paragraph format to present your information, or incorporate multiple columns of text? Test it! What background color is most pleasing to your client? Test it!


• 3. Links
  Embedded links can be a fantastic way to direct a client, but when placed inappropriately they can be downright annoying. Where should you place your links? Is it best to put links in the body of an email, or at a list near the bottom? Test it! When presenting a link to the client is it better to use an HTML address, or do clients prefer to click on an image (box, dot, picture, etc.) to access the linked page? Test it!


• 4. Time
  We are creatures of habit. Some of us like to read our emails first thing in the morning over our cup of Joe, while others prefer to read them in the evening. Are we sending our emails at the right time and on the right day? Would it be better to send them on a Monday, or perhaps Wednesday? Should we send them out in the morning, or just after lunch, or maybe in the evening? Test it!


• 5. Frequency
  Sometimes it is not enough to contact someone once. With the flood of information people are subjected to daily, it is easy to get lost in the crowd. So you will want to know if you get better response from clients when you send out an email once a week, or once a month. Is it better to send an email daily for a three day period, or every other day for a week? How does the frequency of your emailing affect unsubscribe rates, click through rates, open rates, etc? Test it!

Of course, as I stated above, the ways with which we can use this tool to gather invaluable information are limited only by our imagination. Imagine a world where every client is dying to do business with you, and with that dream tucked safely away in the back of your mind, put Split Testing to work and make the dream a reality!