By Omri Yacubovich | Head of Marketing @ Commerce Sciences
Email campaigns can be an effective tool to target customers and attract new and repeat business. Carpet bombing your subscriber list with email blasts may be a quick solution, but will not lead to a positive email CRO.
In order to maximize your email optimization, here are 11 A/B tests that you can run to verify your results and generate the best ROI.
1. A/B Test Email Subject Line Variations
Emails with no subject line are the domain of spammers, and are a one-way trip to the recycle bin and spam filter. Make it easy for your customers–tell them why you’re writing to them.
According to a recent study by Smartinsights.com, approximately 25-30% of business emails are opened by recipients. With stats like that, your subject line becomes essential and finding the right words for optimal email CRO is time well-spent.
2. Optimize Subject Line Length
In addition to A/B testing the subject line, test for length, as well. Busy people check emails on the fly, so the subject line should fit on smartphone screen. Too short, and your message will be lost. Too long, and your customer will scroll on to the next one. Get rid of unnecessary words and get right to the point.
Recent research from Return Path shows how subject line length can affect read rate:
Test 3-4 variations of your subject line, varying the number of characters to find the sweet spot.
3. Problem or Solution?
Are you identifying a client’s problem, or offering them a solution? A/B test an email that leads with a question such as “Are you wondering where your clients are?” and a contrasting subject line such as “Easy ways to build your client base” and see which offers the best email CRO. That way, you have data to personalize a client’s web experience when they visit your site in the future.
4. Experiment with and Test Your Tone
Busy business people might appreciate a just the facts approach, while others might feel they are bombarded with keywords. Test both conversational and formal tones to identify which generates the best email CRO. It might surprise you.
5. A/B Test Words vs Images
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but not necessarily on a smartphone. Many email programs, including Gmail, Yahoo and AOL block images by default. Test both plain text and image content to determine your best email CRO.
Which images to use is just as important as whether to use them at all. Are you including product images to entice your customers to click through, are you using images of people using your products as they go about their lives? Why not test both and see which delivers the best CRO?
6. Test Email Form vs Function
While it is true that each communication needs to reflect your company brand, using an email template can backfire. For one thing, over 50% of email is now opened on some form of mobile device, predominantly smartphone, and templates don’t always translate well to the small screen.
While plain text may seem uninspired, if your A/B testing confirms your client base prefers a conversational tone, plain text appears more like a text from a friend. Sometimes bells and whistles are just noise, after all.
7. How Much Email Content is Too Much?
The length of your email message is just as important as the length of the subject line. According to Buffer, the optimal length of a paragraph in an email is 40-50 characters, which allows the reader to see the important information.
Try testing different lengths of message to determine what works best for your email optimization strategy.
8. Test Urgency vs Reassurance
Does pushing your client’s panic button get results, or could a, “We’re here to help” message more beneficial? Often, the fear of missing out can be used to create urgency, which is a powerful motivator in e-commerce and email alike. Test both and find out.
9. Optimize Your Email Call to Action
Have you sprinkled calls to action throughout your email message, or do you have one clear call to action at the end of the message? There’s only one way to check effectiveness.
And what do you want readers to do? Do you want them to click through to the website to read more of a blog post or report, or do you want them to click through to download something? Different verbiage in the CTA will create different responses. For example, a “Read more here” click through come generate a different response than a “learn how to” click through. You won’t know until you test.
10. Day and Time
There are many conflicting theories about the optimal time to send an email to create optimal CRO. Business is no longer 9-5, Monday to Friday, and people can check business emails at any time of day or evening. However, your audience’s preferred time for email might be completely different from another company’s depending on vertical and other factors. MailChimp recently shared a number of insights from their email send time optimization testing:
Try sending your message for delivery on different days and times to determine what works best for your client base.
11. How Much is too Much?
There’s a delicate balance between contact and nuisance. Some customers will expect weekly updates, while others will be fine with a few times a year. Do you get a better response by providing tips and news in addition to product news and sales? Segmenting your testing will give you a good understanding of what your clients expect from you.
In Email Optimization, Patience is a Virtue
It’s easy to get caught up in the intricacies of A/B testing, but patience is required. If you test everything at once, you will have no idea what is actually driving your CRO. Segment your testing to specific areas to give clear, actionable results.
Remember that email CRO extends beyond just getting people to click; it’s important to track metrics that show whether you’re sending the right traffic through to your site, as well. Test the impact of your email optimizations on conversions to sales, average order value, and customer lifetime value, as well.
