A Guide To A/B Testing And How It Can Help Your Campaign

Do you want more mailing list subscribers and more engagement in your mailing list, but you’re not sure what to do to get started? It all starts with a/b testing.

A/B testing for email marketing is all about using a variation of your current campaign and sending it out to a section of subscribers. You’ll then send out another version to another segment in order to see which leads to the most success.

Read on for a guide on how to get started with a/b testing for your email campaigns! 

Start With Subject Lines

The simplest and most effective way to start is to identify the best subject line for your email campaign. This is because people decide whether or not they want to open and engage with an email based on the subject line alone.

An effective subject line will intrigue your audience and cause them to click on your email. It’s also relevant to the content within–you’re not using deceptive tactics. 

Personalization 

You’ll also want to see whether personalization within the body of your email will lead to more conversions. You can do this by trying out first name only emails, first and last name, or last name only. 

You may also want to see how your open rates compare with the first name in the subject line versus no name. Overall, you may find that adding personalization makes your subscribers more invested. 

Time Sensitive Words

Email testing is also important in order to break down your own barriers and hesitancies. For instance, some business owners are afraid of using time sensitive language because it may seem too transparent–no one wants to feel like a car salesman.

However, adding some kind of time sensitivity to your email subject lines may make them seem more urgent, especially when discounts or limited-time products or services are involved.  

Visuals

Visual can be another tricky part of email campaigns. Although most people are attracted to photos and imagery with people, the current trend is also to use minimalistic email templates with little to no formatting or visuals.

For this reason, see what your audience responds to best–visuals or no visuals. If engagement is higher with emails with visuals, you can then start A/B testing whether engagement is higher with photos or illustrations. 

Call-to-Action

The call-to-action in your email may be one of the most important elements. This gives people instruction on what to do next in order to engage with your brand. This can help them progress through your sales funnel. 

Try using different action words in your call-to-action. You can also use variations of different-sized buttons and colors. You also may find that a call-to-action midway and at the end of your email is more effective than just at the end. 

A Guide to A/B Testing: Start Researching Today

A/B testing is all about research. You shouldn’t expect your PPC ads, social media ads, or email marketing to pull in massive amounts of traffic and conversions the first go-around.

Instead, start with a reasonable weekly budget and test your ads so that you can find the perfect combination of imagery, copy, and call-to-action.

Ready to learn more ways to enhance your marketing campaigns? Keep reading the blog for more quick tips!