Email Newsletters: Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3 - Testing Out in the Open
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Before anything happens with an email newsletter, the subscriber has to open it. As many email marketers know all too well, getting the recipient to click to open the message is a huge part of the battle. With careful testing of different techniques, the message can be read by more people. All that is needed is a bit of imagination and a careful examination of the test results.
Many email marketers have discovered a significant improvement in open rates by simple changing the day of email delivery. The time of day has also proven to have a huge effect on the number of emails being read by subscribers. While such mundane issues are often overlooked by marketers, they can have a large effect on the business bottom line. They are also easily and cheaply tested.
To test different days, simply send half of the emails on one day and the balance of the newsletters on the next day. Splitting by alphabet or by random selection are both suitable division techniques. Should one day prove substantially stronger than the other, after carefully examining the open rates of the two days, a marketer can then shift the entire mailing to the better day.
The best time of day for the mailing can be tested in a similar manner. Don’t make the mailing times too close together. Use significant time variations. Testing the newsletter for morning, afternoon, or evening open rates are a great place to begin. The added cost of testing time related changes is minimal, so they should be checked by every marketer. The same caveat regarding spacing tests too closely together also applies to time of day comparisons.
Try not to employ delivery date tests too closely together, as you want to create an expectation of your newsletter arrival. By randomly trying different days of the week, in rapid succession, weaker than expected returns may result. One the day has been tested, move along to a different newsletter element.
Be sure to test the email headlines. They are possibly the single most important aspect of the newsletter campaign. If no one opens the email, nothing happens, resulting in a lost opportunity to communicate with your customers. Comparing different headlines should be a key component of any testing program.
Send a pre-sample to a random group of recipients and chart the percentage of openings. A low open rate, as measured by your tracking system, should warn you to rewrite the failed headline. It’s better to have a small test group of emails rejected by subscribers, than to have the entire campaign turn into a failure. Testing pays in saved money and more sales.
Next: Testing the Clicking Rates >>
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