Email Marketing Tests to Get You Started

If you're utilizing email marketing, you should be utilizing email testing. But it can seem complex and costly, and many small business owners aren't quite sure where to start. If you'd like to use email testing, but aren't sure where to start, here are 4 of the easiest tests to get you going:

** Test Your Subject Lines

Your subject line is basically the headline for your message. And any good copywriter will tell you, the headline will determine whether the rest of the copy will get read. So, in essence, your subject line is the most important component of your email marketing campaign.

The easiest way to test your subject line is to simply divide your mailing list into 2 equal lists. Then, you send the first subject line to the first list, and the second list receives the second subject line. And finally, you compare your open rates.

Not sure how to set up the two different subject lines? Consider these ideas:

• Subject line one defines the offer while subject line two refers to a benefit
• Subject line one is personalized with the reader's name and subject line two mentions your company's name
• Subject line one points out a current event while subject line two asks a question
• Subject line one offers a dollar amount savings and subject line two offers a percentage off savings
• Subject line one says "How To..." and subject line two says "Here's How You Can..."
• Subject line one says "Urgent..." and subject line two says "Open Now..."

** Test Your From Address

Today, most email clients can display a name in the From field that is different from the actually email address. I typically send my email messages for "Karen Scharf, Modern Image Communications" but my actual email address is Karen[at]ModernImage.com. The from address you display can actually have a huge impact on your open rates.

Here are a few "From Address" tests to get you started:

• From Address one is your personal name and From Address two is your company name
• From Address one is your company name and From Address two is your website url
• From Address one is the name of your newsletter, From Address two is your actual email address

Do keep in mind that your From Address is not something that you want to change very often. If you change your From Address, your readers might not recognize that the message is from you, and therefore they might not open it.

** Test Your Message Copy

You need an enticing subject line and a great from address to get your message opened, but it's the copy of the message that will actually encourage your readers to click through to your website. When testing message copy, here are a few things to try:

• Test 2 different headlines
• Test 2 different calls to action
• Test different anchor text
• Test dollars off versus percentage off
• Test long copy versus short copy
• Test a PS versus no PS

** Test Your Message Design

You can present the exact same text in a different design and end up with different results. Just about any design element can be tested, but some of the easier ones to start with include:

• change the color of your table borders
• change the color of your headlines
• use larger images
• use smaller images
• remove the images
• design for a different size preview pane
• move your log to the bottom of the message
• replace your logo with a photo of yourself

Before diving into your first email marketing test, keep these few tips in mind:

Stick with a/b testing and only test a single element at any one time. It is possible to use multivariate testing for email, but it's not recommended for a beginner on a limited budget.

It's a good idea to divide your mailing list evenly among the email domain names. If you have 200 gmail addresses, put 100 in each list. If you experience email delivery problems with a particular provider, it won't muddy up your test results.

Email response is typically higher with "fresh" names, so if at all possible, divide your mailing lists evenly based on the subscription date.

Your test results will also be more accurate if you can divide your subscribers based on their relationship with you, customer status and response to previous offers.

When making changes to your email design, you want to make sure to use code that is supported in modern email clients.