This is a guest post by Michael Cusden from SimplyCast.com
Strangely enough, sometimes the best way to see whether your email marketing campaign is doing well or not is to do some internal testing. Just for a moment, you can disregard what your metrics and analytics tell you and put the changes you want to make out to your subscribers directly.
But, first, let’s figure out how to set up testing so that it provides you with honest-to-goodness results.
- Pull 100 random email addresses from your list
- Divide them into two separate groups
- Only test one change at a time
- Set one group as the control (what you’re already doing) and the other as the change
- Monitor the results
- Request feedback through directed surveys about which your subscribers prefer
We’re going to look at 4 of the most common places that marketers like to update in their emails and walk you through how to do it.
Content
What works better? Long content or short? Which content strategy provides more opens, clicks and sales?
Though email marketing best practices often suggest that content is better shortened, it truly depends on what type of business you run, what you’re offering and what your customers prefer.
If you’re considering a change in your content length, put it to your subscribers to help you make the right choice.
At the end of the day, it is your customers that dictate what you do. If you see results that show long newletters have a better result, well you know what to do. It is always easier to add more than edit it down.
Writing less and still having an impact is what professionals do for a living, so don’t worry if it takes some practice refining your message.
Subject Lines
Does you subscribers like teasing subject lines or those that get to the point about your call-to-action?
Subject lines, by nature, are a bit tricky. Again, it’s entirely up to who you are as a company and who your subscribers are. Sometimes, customers will open anything that is sent by a trusted company and other need a little incentive to do so.
That is the ideal, but for most doing email marketing, that trust has not been fully achieved. Simple is best and never be misleading. Customers are trained well enough now to spot a white lie or something that is too good to be true. Be to the point and if you can plug-in something creative, then all the better.
Graphics
Some companies prefer to have just one gigantic graphic, that acts more like an advertisement, than content explaining what the promotion is about (Victoria’s Secret, does this well). Others prefer to keep their graphics to a minimum, only including the necessities (like their logo, social media icons and a small graphic for their promotion) rather than plastering their email with pretty pictures.
Both strategies work, but what’s right for you?
This goes back to the content question. A graphic that lists all the details can cut down on the writing by a lot and graphics are much more attractive to read. The best bet is to get everything you need to sell your message in the graphic and if needed, add the full details in text below. That way you cover yourself either way. Most people won’t scroll past the image, so make it count.
Sender’s Identification
Often, major companies that have an e-newsletter opt to have their “Sender’s identification” remain anonymous, hidden under an automated name. Other companies opt to tie each and every email to an actual responsible person in their company.
It’s no secret that spam filters and customers alike don’t trust any email that doesn’t come from a human. This is especially true for subscribers who recently opted in for your emails.
Test both. You’ll never know what is preferred!
But before you send your email newsletter out to thousands of people, make sure you are ready for the flood of replies if sending from a human email address. They may not be able to keep up.
What tests do you use to improve your email marketing? There are so many more than the four mentioned here. Please let us know.
We are trying to perfect our email marketing and I can tell you that it’s turned into a monster! This article has some great tips and I can’t wait to share this article with my boss. Thanks so much!
Many think that making offers is an art. Your tests leave no doubt that it is also a science. Finding the right thing to say may be an art. But, testing like you recommend is a science.
Any little change may make a major difference in sales, so marketers must tense for every possible variable. You pointed that out.
Thanks for your summation of a topic that many of us have major difficulty with.
Hi Michael,
Nice points, I think it’s always best to test your email marketing strategy before applying it. You can easily test it on small number of subscribers and once you get idea what is actually working for you then you can go ahead with it.
I too agree with your point, basically best email marketing strategy depends upon your business.
Hi Michael,
The best way to master something is practise and of course in email marketing this translates to testing, really there is no other way to best know what it’s better for your subscribers since your subscribers might not like something that someone’s else subscribers like, it’s that simple but many people don’t understant it, thanks for sharing all these advices…
Michael
The subject line and the content. First off people will or will not click on the email just form looking at the subject line so we must make sure its good, eye catching etc.
and most importantly we must give great content inside the email for our subscribers to click our affiliate links
Definitely agree with Kenny …
It doesn’t matter how awesome the email is if the recipient doesn’t open the email. Create the best subject line possible, then create the best first line possible, the create the best second line possible … and continue.
Cheers
Testing is an essential part of email marketing. As some one once said test, test, test and when you think you have it right test again.
It is astounding how just one word can make a difference to your response in email marketing. Love the post by the way, lots of food for thought.
Some great tips there, but honestly – does email marketing even really work? I’ve never tried it myself but I know the majority of ‘unsolicited’ emails that I get typically go straight in the trash without even opening them.
Testing is the key for email marketing. The better you test, the better results you may get. I think for any blog, to monetize, email marketing is the key. Because money is in the list 🙂 Thanks for sharing.
I love the advice to test. It is such an essential step in any successful plan. There are many sources of great advice for running an email campaign, but really, to hone in on what your are looking for, you really should explore your options, and make sure you are tailoring what works best for YOU. Test things! It is ok to make a mistake and find something that does not work. That is the only way we grow. As Alfred says in Batman Begins, “Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up.”
outstanding. You get what you measure. People forget the best way to know anything is to test something. How well has this been working for you?