Learn more about your subscribers: Test

A robust testing regime of your email marketing program is an absolute must. Not only will it allow you to better understand your subscribers, it will also help you understand what motivates them, what interests them and what appeals to them.

The first thing that comes to mind when they hear “testing” regarding email programs is subject line. This is fine but there are several more areas to test as well.

From lines:

It’s the first thing other than the subject line a person sees, therefore it’s the first impression they will have of your brand. Test a couple to get it right.

Content:

Try different headlines of varying lengths and font sizes.
Try testing your images, such as positioning, resizing, static vs. animated, etc.
Testing the copy itself with things like different lengths, it’s position relative to the images and promotional vs. non-promotional content.
Test your call to action with methods such as using a button image vs. text link, different wording and different positioning.

When testing make sure your test groups aren’t too small or the results will generally not be so reliable. Use larger groups of several thousand active subscribers. Make sure they are randomized to ensure the results are statistically relevant.

As a case in point, testing doesn’t have to be overly complicated. Check out what Whirlpool did with their campaign in this case study. Great results from a simple change in content.

So keep at it! Testing your campaigns can give you invaluable, actionable information to improve future campaigns right away.

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