We all can agree that better open and click-through rates result in more website visitors and sales, and every marketer wants that. But how do you go about this? One remarkable way is to start running A/B tests on your email campaigns.
In a nutshell, A/B testing, in the context of email, is the process of sending one variation of your campaign to a subset of your subscribers and a different variation to another subset of subscribers. This is with the ultimate goal of working out which variation of the campaign garners the best results.
A/B testing varies in complexity, and simple A/B tests can entail sending multiple subject lines to test which one generates more opens. As for more advanced A/B tests can include testing completely different email templates against each other to see which one generates more click-throughs. That being said, here is how you can be successful in implementing your A/B test campaigns.
Have a Hypothesis
To have the highest chance of getting a positive increase in conversions from your A/B test campaigns, you need to have a strategic hypothesis about why a particular variation might perform better than the other. Take it as the opportune time to decide why you need A/B testing.
The best ways to go about this is by coming up with a basic hypothesis for the test before getting started. You can start by personalizing the subject line with the subscribers first name as it helps make your campaign stand out in the inbox and increase the chance it will get opened.
Prioritize You’re a/B Tests
Between subject lines, button colors, and copy changes, there is a good chance that you’ll always have a lot of ideas for A/B tests that you want to run. But not all A/B tests are created equal, and you want to prioritize the ideas that are most likely to get you the best results with the least effort.
The ideal way to handle this is by using the ICE score to set up some secondary metrics. For each A/B test you have, quickly assess it against the 3 elements of the ICE score i.e.; impact, confidence, and ease.
Ensure you plan your budget in advance and measure the performance of your website to see whether or not things are working in your favor. It is then that you can make the necessary changes.