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Insider’s Guide to A/B Testing
Repost: Original article by: mailinglistsworldwide
What is A/B Testing?
When deploying a new email campaign, you have two choices, one where every recipient receives the same message or an A/B campaign also known as split testing. Below is an explanation on A/B testing and why it may make sense for you to take advantage of this idea with your
next mailing campaign.
Using the A/B testing method is a way to be able to see which of two different messages results in being most effective when it comes to customer response. This insight will be very helpful with future offers and making sure your mailing campaigns are getting you the most return for your investment.
What should you A/B Test?
You always want to be getting the best results (open and clicks) with your email campaigns and customer response with mail campaigns. A/B testing allows for a variance so that you can measure what is working best. The following items are typically what are varied between message A and message B:
- The call to action – wording, method, size, color and placement
- Subject line
- Headline
- Teaser copy
- Product or service description
- Layout and style of the mailer
- Product pricing and promotional offers (discounts, free shipping, etc.)
- Amount of text on page (short vs. long)
These are only a start. Anything you can think of that is of importance can be tested. Bethesda Emedia Marketing believes you will find the resulting data very important for your future business marketing campaigns.
The 40/40/20 rule of direct mail
Bethesda Emedia Marketing wants you always to remember the 40/40/20 rule. This is simply that 40% of the campaign result is based on the quality of the list you are using, 40% is dependent upon the perceived value of your offer or promotion and 20% relies on how well your layout, copy and production are put together.
Since the 40/40/20 rule is so important to remember, not all tests will produce the same level of results. You will most likely have to conduct quite a few rounds of A/B testing simultaneously during a single campaign to see a clear pattern forming. Once this pattern is analyzed, then you will see what version within the campaign bought the most bang for your buck.
A/B testing is the simplest and least expensive way to determine your best approach during a direct mail or email campaign. A specialist on email marketing concluded “A/B testing is not rocket science, and it’s easy to put into place…A/B tests provide statistically significant results.”
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