Search BizReport
News by Topic
Marketing
- Advertising
- Search Marketing
- Email Marketing
- Loyalty Marketing
- Mobile Marketing
- Social Marketing
- Viral Marketing
- Trends & Ideas
- Internet Marketing 101
Beyond Marketing
BizReport : Email Marketing : December 17, 2011
10 email variables you should be testing
Despite the onslaught of social media and mobile, email marketing is holding its ground as one of the top marketing channels used today. Email messages must stand out in a crowded inbox or risk being renegated to the trash. How can this be achieved? By testing, testing and even more testing.
The vast majority of marketers plan to increase the size of their marketing budgets in 2012. Almost two-thirds of executives recently surveyed by StrongMail cited email as a channel they plan to increase budgets for next year.
A significant benefit of email is it's easy to test and refine. A simple tweak could result in additional clicks, opens or even extra revenue from subscribers.
Many email marketers are guilty of testing just the basics but there are far more variables than just the subject line, offer and copy.
To help you get more from your email testing I've put together a list of 10 different variables that can be used to fine-tune email campaigns and produce the best results possible.
1. Target audience
No amount of personalization or offers will get a disinterested recipient to open an email so make sure you hone your lists to ensure the target audience has been selected.
2. Personalization
Basic personalization is standard but testing a more in-depth approach by including previous order history or local area information can improve click-through rates.
3. Landing page
Even well-constructed and engaging emails can fall flat on their face if the landing page to which the reader is redirected fails to hit the mark. Expectations have already been set by the style and tone of the email and landing pages must continue this theme.
4. Call-to-Action
Consider testing an action-based call-to-action versus value-based. Other tests might pitch buttons against text links and placement of the call-to-action. Best practice is generally to place the call-to-action above the fold to avoid the need to scroll.
5. Time of Day
Whether sending a business or consumer email there will be a better day, and perhaps even time of day, to engage a target audience.
6. 'From' Field
Are open rates better when emails are addressed from a human, i.e. Dick Smith, or from a company?
7. Subject Line
Probably the most-tested variable in emails, and rightly so. After the introduction ('From' field) this is the start of the conversation and needs to generate enough curiosity and emotion to move the recipient to read the email content. Testing this variable may consist of subject line length, content, personalization and value.
8. Copy Length & Style
What works best for your target audience? Short and to-the-point, or informative and lengthy? Perhaps one font, or layout, performs better than another? Graphics or no graphics? And do remember to view emails with the graphics option turned on and off.
9. The Offer
There are different ways to express an offer and testing will reveal which has the most impact. Pitching free delivery against a discount, or a limited-time offer against a more open-ended alternative, may reveal interesting results.
10. Email Format
How does your newsletter render in different email clients and mobile browsers. An email that doesn't render properly is an email that won't be read.
Tags: a/b testing, email campaign, email marketing, email testing, email variables, html
Tweet
Subscribe to BizReport
Please enter your e-mail here:
Latest Headlines
- How the use of SPACs are changing publishers' business
- Study: More merchants choosing Facebook ads
- Reports: Shifting loyalty, better information key to shopper engagement
- Akamai finds fraudsters targeting tax filings
- Reports outline importance of connected TVs to brands
- Top 3 tips to create a stronger AI strategy
- Expert: How CX can reimagine branded campaigns
- Experts: A year after the pandemic, here's how we're coping