A/B Tests Part II: Discover the digital playground for your newsletter.
Discover the digital playground for your newsletter
In for a penny, in for a pound, we thought. In part one you’ve already learned a lot about A/B testing your newsletter and the advantages of A/B testing. We hope that you have already been able to immerse yourself a little bit in the exciting topic and successfully complete the one or other A/B test for your email-marketing.
Today I have compiled some more helpful tips on the subject of A/B testing. You will also learn in detail what you can test with an A/B test. Let’s get started!
6 things we recommend for successful A/B testing.
1. Follow a defined process.
Find out exactly where the problem areas are. Look at your statistics and make a hypothesis. This way you avoid simply going wild.
2. Set yourself a clear goal.
Then your A/B tests can be carried out in a more targeted manner. For example, would you like to increase your sales, increase the opening rate or improve the click rate?
3. Test one thing at a time.
Start with your subject line, for example. If you test several areas at the same time, this can lead to errors or make evaluations more difficult. We recommend to concentrate on a single element.
4. Stay tuned, because once doesn’t count.
This phrase can be wonderfully related to A/B-Test. After the initial enthusiasm about the first successes, it is worthwhile to carry out A/B tests regularly, e.g. to test different elements and sending times.
5. Select your test groups large enough.
You want the test result to be representative at the end of the day. It is also important that you are selected at random.
6. Send two versions immediately after each other.
If there is too much time between sending the two different newsletters, this can falsify the result.
In order to get comprehensive test results to optimize your newsletter for your email-marketing, it is recommended to evaluate not only the opening rates and click rates, e.g. also the unsubscribe and complaint rates, bounces, purchase cancellations and retention time.
15 things you can test, compare and evaluate in your newsletter.
Now we come to different elements that you can test with an A/B test. Your newsletter is a playground where you can play and test yourself. It is best to test only one component at a time.
1. The wording of your subject line.
It is known to be the door opener among the components. Which variant generates more curiosity? What is better – short & crisp or the longer version? Do I prefer to formulate a question or a statement?
2. The preheader text.
This is the small text that appears immediately after the subject line. It should encourage the reader to open the newsletter. This text is automatically generated from the first lines of your newsletter.
3. Fonts.
Make sure that your font is easy to read and has a positive visual impact. Very small and very squiggly fonts are rather hard to read. Helvetica and Arial, for example, are legible and therefore recommended.
4. The salutation.
Do I choose a formal or a casual address? Do I address my subscribers by their first or last name? Which address suits you and your recipients?
5. Writing style.
Can I have a good sense of humour? Yes, please! Test whether a rather humorous style of writing is better received by your readers. Send out a more serious and a more humorous version. You don’t have to overdo it, but a little wink can’t hurt.
6. Position and division of the text.
Here you can test what works best for your subscribers.
7. The content of your text.
Sometimes, for example, I have two of the even three ideas, one of which is most likely the strongest. Test two different text approaches.
8. Time limited offers.
Test, which variant, with or without time limit of an offer leads to more sales. Or also which form of limitation is better suited. E.g. Only this week! Our June offer! Summer sale until… etc.
9. Prices and discounts.
Compare different formulations such as Save 10% or 1 0% off any purchase over 20 Euros, up to the placement or size and color of the pricing.
10. Test Social Media Buttons.
Today there are many different channels through which you can contact us. Try out different arrangements, icons and sizes of your buttons.
11. The Call-To-Action Button (CTA)
CTA buttons are among the most important elements in your newsletter. Because about that, your subscribers are asked to act. Play with the placement, colors, text and size of the Call-To-Action button.
12. Adding elements.
Graphics, arrows, icons help you to highlight or visually enhance important parts of your newsletter.
13. Test images.
In principle, images are always perceived first. From the placement, over the number of pictures, up to how you want to represent your products. Test different variants and see which one is more popular with your subscribers.
14. Color and design.
The design of your newsletter is an important factor in how your recipients perceive it. The design should of course be coherent and fit your company’s CI. Nevertheless, you can test different colors for certain elements in your newsletter.
15. Sending time
Test different weekdays and times and find out which shipping time is the most suitable. The timing can vary greatly depending on the target group.
Your benefit:
A/B tests offer you numerous possibilities to optimize your newsletter and thus to receive more openings and click rates over time. To make your email marketing even more successful, test different elements, test regularly and test at different times. And last but not least: Enjoy every small or bigger success!
