Understanding Email Marketing Through Split Testing

The success of your email marketing campaign depends on more than a few factors. These factors can be evaluated and then improved upon by using specific testing tools. Split testing is one of these tools using which you can analyse the performance of the campaign and optimize it for further success. A split test basically allows you to test two different versions of your message among a particular group of subscribers. The message that performs better is then sent to the entire group of subscribers.

To get some workable and useful data, it’s advisable to have more than a few emails for every variation in an email marketing campaign. So if your list is a long one and you follow the best practices then the testing group size will be enough at around 10-15% of the total subscriber base. However one has to be cautious when making the changes between two different email messages being sent out for testing. These changes should be done one at a time otherwise it won’t be possible for you to pin point which particular change caused a difference in the response rate. An exception can be made when you are short on time and need to test quickly 3-4 email variations. In such a scenario multiple changes will do.

While testing for response rate with emails containing attachment, it would be a good idea to include smaller sized attachments. Most spam filters these days scan attachments for viruses. It’s a good practice to include the download link to that particular file rather than attaching that file to the email itself. Here an exception can be made for PDF files which seem to have no problems passing through.

Most people glance through their inbox and open an email only if they see a familiar or personal name in the sender’s name space. A number of split tests have confirmed the same and open rates are around 25% more for such emails than the ones having a more general email address/sender’s name. The days your subscribers receive your email also significantly affects both the response rates and the open rates. So, business to business emails achieve the best response when sent early mornings on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. When sending to consumers the best response and open rates are seen during the weekend period.

The layout of the email message plays a vital role in its success. Keeping it short yet precise is a good option but this can change with the gap between those email messages. Your content should be indexed; nature should be as per your website’s subject and can have external links pointing towards additional information. Emails should be sent only when you have something of relevance to tell your subscribers. So while business to business emails have a frequency of 2-3 emails per month, business to consumer messages can be sent 6-7 times a month. Using additional images, external links and informative text is a sure shot way to successful email marketing camping.

Author Bio: Mike Gates is a customer of HostGator. Hostgator is reliable web hosting provider. Read more about hostgator coupon at http://hostgatorcouponandreview.com/hostgator-coupon.html .

Category: Internet
Keywords: list, email, online, marketing, internet,

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