Unlocking the Power of A/B Testing in Email Marketing

Considering that data is a key factor in many brands’ success stories, it’s shocking to see how few companies (and even agencies) take the time to include ongoing A/B testing in their marketing strategies.

The fact that email marketing is still one of the most profitable marketing channels should surprise no one, especially when you consider the low costs involved. However, a lot of companies are not seeing the results they should and, sadly, abandon email marketing altogether. Many things could contribute to this failure to launch, but the answer, more often than not, is two key factors: segmentation and, most importantly, A/B testing.

A/B testing is the simplest way to improve email marketing success rates. If you’re not doing it already, how can you get started? What should you be testing? What do you do with the data from those tests to ensure you get the ROI you need? Keep reading to discover how tweaking seemingly minor elements of your email campaigns can have a significant impact.

What Can I A/B Test?

The short answer is every single thing. The beauty of A/B testing is that it’s a technique you can apply to all aspects of your email marketing program.

At the heart of A/B testing lies the drive to synchronize with your customer base. When you start asking questions about those customers, you can compile a list of possible A/B tests. When does your audience prefer to read emails? Do they like image-heavy emails, or do they prefer blocks of text? It can depend on the age of your audience and whether they are predominantly looking at your campaigns on their desktops or a smartphone.

That’s just the beginning. You can also test longer and shorter subject lines, hero titles, and email content. Try questions versus statements in your subject lines or using certain words versus not using them.

As mentioned above, the best way to create these tests is by basing them on your specific audience and product or service offering. If, for example, you’re marketing a baby brand, testing sending times becomes incredibly important, as you’ll need to catch parents during the hours they’re not attending to their little ones.

Once you’ve added your A/B tests to your email marketing program, how long should you run them for? Let’s find out.

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When Should I A/B Test?

Every day, 365 days a year, seven days a week. Well, almost.

Ideally, you should integrate A/B testing into your email calendar as part of your Always On strategy. However, there are a few caveats. For pivotal campaigns like big product launches or Black Friday sales, you can waive A/B testing. During these periods, you should focus all your energy on ensuring that your campaigns are as impactful as possible rather than creating variations.

Another reason not to test your BFCM or holiday campaigns is the spike in traffic which can lead to skewed results and inaccurate data. What’s more, you don’t want to risk any decrease in engagement or revenue on the most massive sales days of the year.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday aside, you should continually be testing both your email campaigns and automated flows. You may find that sending your first cart abandonment email a half hour earlier, for example, has a significant impact on whether or not customers return to purchase.

As a rule of thumb, A/B tests for automated flows should be revised every 3-6 months, and specific A/B tests should be performed until there is a tangible result. It may mean using the same test across different campaigns 3-4 times.

How Do I Use A/B Test Results?

A/B tests are there to help you create campaigns tailored to the specific preferences of your audience. You can only achieve this if you put the data you receive to work.

Once a test delivers a conclusive result, add that result to a spreadsheet. After a few months of testing, these results will present a framework that shows what your audience responds to.

You should then implement these learnings into your campaigns in order to achieve optimal results.

Repeat the cycle and constantly tweak your campaigns and automations to ensure every touch is as appealing and effective as possible.

Why Don’t All Companies Use A/B Testing?

Essentially, A/B testing does require time and effort. Many companies choose not to invest in A/B testing because of this, even though it can be incredibly beneficial in terms of engagement and sales.

In addition, many companies may not know what types of A/B tests to perform in order to understand their audiences. If you find yourself in this position and you’re unsure where to begin, read on.

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Ideas for A/B Testing

As mentioned earlier, the variables you can test in your email marketing campaigns are almost endless and will depend on your specific business and subscriber base. To help you get started, here are some tests you can use for most email marketing programs.

Subject Lines

• Long vs short
• Sentence case vs title case
• Emojis vs text only
• Fun vs straightforward

Sending Times

• Morning vs afternoon
• Weekdays vs weekend
• 9 AM vs 11 AM
• 1 PM vs 4 PM

Call-to-Action Buttons

• Warmer colors vs colder colors
• “Click Here” vs “Shop Now”
• Larger vs smaller buttons
• Above the fold vs below the fold

Body Content

• Text-heavy vs image-heavy
• Informal tone vs professional tone
• Longer vs shorter body copy
• Personalized copy vs non-personalized copy

The list can go on, but the most important thing to remember is consistent testing, reporting, and implementation.