Introduction
“**Email-marketing is competing for better click-through rates**”
E-marketing is all about creating a concrete consumer base. Attracting customers through email marketing is a largely followed marketing strategy.
But is sending an email guaranteeing you a click-through? Are your email templates able to drive enough traffic? You can’t be sure! The only way to be sure is to implement ab testing marketing.
This is where AB testing comes to play…
AB testing marketing will help you monitor the success of your marketing campaign and choose the template driving better CTR.
A/B testing is a statistical hypothesis testing conducted by organizations. With this method, a firm markets its product by sending 2 variations of their campaign to 2 different segments of customers. This type of monitoring will yield better results.
The variation, which is able to grab the consumers’ interest, will automatically generate a better click-through and visit rate.
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Variations will differ according to the size of the target consumers. Adding more variables to enhances precision. Once you’ve found the best template, it automatically becomes a base for further strategies.
Who doesn’t want sky scraping click-through rates!
AB testing marketing is an excellent way for generating more visits on your website. This type of testing is not confined to emails only. A/B testing goes perfectly with:
- web pages,
- sign up forms,
- apps,
- pop-ups, and much more.
Why should you opt for A/B testing?
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Comparative assessment:
A/B testing is a statistical analytic which will trace out a path for further decision making. The ultimate aim of marketing is to create product value in the target consumer.
Measuring the value created by your marketing techniques is a complicated task.
A/B testing, with a comparative analysis of your templates, will provide a clear assessment of which template is able to generate more visits.
Higher conversion rate:
82% out of a sample of 800 marketers have seen an improvement in the conversion rate due to the structural approach towards testing.
Conversion rate is the rate at which visitors get converted into buyers. When you create two versions of your campaign, make sure they are alluring enough to attract consumers.
A/B testing becomes an excellent way for increasing the conversion rate as you get the data which version works and which doesn’t.
An opportunity for improvement:
Once you get to know which template is most luring, it becomes a basis for further improvement. You can refine the luring template and get even better results.
Many times, it is a small tweak that can make a hefty contribution in conversion. With A/B testing, you will get an insight of what the visitors are liking and what not.
Factors that affect the AB testing marketing
Enumerated below are some of the variables that affect the A/B testing:-
1. Length of the subject line.
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The subject line is the part of the mail that the recipient sees when the notification of the mail pops up.
Since inboxes get hundreds of emails every day, the subject line is what will determine if the receiver will open the mail.
We all receive so many emails every day but do we open all of them?
We tend to open only those mails which catch our attention and interests. The mail application will show only 10 to 15 words and rest will be hidden until you open the mail.
These 10-15 words should convey the offer and tempt the recipient to open the mail.
A long and extraneous subject line fails to draw the recipient’s attention and the test fails because the recipient didn’t open the mail.
2.The subject line of the mail.
One of the most vital components of how you convey your offer is the length of the subject line. A concise subject line confers a higher conversion rate.
The consumer will open the mail only if the subject line tempts them to do so.
A long and extraneous subject line makes the campaign boring and reduces the visiting rate.
The subject line which triggers the needs of the target customer will compel them to open the mail. The variation with a luring subject line will succeed is compelling the recipient to open the mail.
3. Content quality
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It has been found that 55% of the people read a blog post not more than 15 seconds**….**
Digital marketing is more about how you say rather than what you say. The way you present your offer is what will determine the conversion rate.
A well-organized content will convey your ideas and offers. The content should have eye-catching fonts. The content should be relevant rather than putting extraneous information. Capitalizing the keywords fetches the recipient’s attention.
Conveying the product is worth purchasing, offers are worth redeeming and the content is worth reading is crucial for enhancing the conversion rate.
81 percent of the marketers put content quality at the apex for every email.
Creating good quality content will tempt the recipient to look forward and subscribe. People subscribe to only those templates which they find tempting and useful and hence, targeting their needs is crucial.
4. Selection of words or word order
Word selection is much important in getting better CTR. Careful selection of words will create a vivid picture of the idea in the minds of the readers. Selecting precise words will leave a great impact on the readers.
The choice of words indicates the style of expression. We have already discussed that the content should be informative and concise.
Concision automatically implies the use of a minimal number of words. The words which can be read by customers are better at generating a good CTR.
5.Visuals
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Recipients will read the entire content only if they find a glimpse compelling. Visuals are much appealing and provide an idea of what the mail is all about.
55% of the marketing leaders prioritize visuals over text-only templates.
“GIFs are much appealing.”
Emails with GIFs fetch customers’ attention. Recent study states that GIFs improve the mail by 103%. People crave for visuals. Adding customized GIFs makes the version appealing and boosts click-through rate.
“Videos are informative”
Since more than half of the Americans are visual learners, videos get more number of clicks. Customized videos, realistic or animated, provide an extensive overview of what the mail is conveying.
6.Personalization
“Serve the customers what they want”
AB testing marketing is based on randomness as the target consumers are segregated randomly. You will prefer the variation which got the highest conversion rate i.e. which is preferred by the majority.
But what about the other version?
Even if the version A was able to drive more traffic, it doesn’t mean that version B is ineffective.
Personalization refers to identifying the needs of each target customer and serving him according to the identified need. If the offer/product meets the need of the customer, it will automatically generate a click-through.
7.Style and design of the mail.
The style and design of the mail is a key determinant for the Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO). Style and design which succeeds in driving interests from the readers succeed in providing better CTR.
The style and design of the template should be eye-catching. Attractive borders and frames beautify the content. Word art and fonts also are much effective in compelling readers.
The CTA buttons, which are clearly visible, convey the method of proceeding further.
Colors also play an eminent role in grabbing the reader’s attention and getting more visits. Using text-only content will diminish the CTR.
8.Images
A firm conducts an AB testing marketing with the sole motive of getting good visiting and click-through rates. This is possible when the mail is able to grab the attention of the recipient.
Studies show that images increase willingness to read the content by 80 percent. Also, 65% of the people prefer emails containing mostly images, while the rest 35% prefer text.
Combining text and images will increase the clicking rate.
Around 65% of Americans are visual learners.
The selection of the right image will speak volumes about your product. Using pictures of people has proved to yield better results.
We are naturally drawn to follow the gaze of others. Pictures of people make people directly stare at the people.
The version with relatable pictures will show a better clicking rate than the one with less or no pictures.
9.Length of the mail body.
In 2016, Boomerang conducted a study by taking 40 million emails and checked the variables affecting the response. The study found that emails with 75 to 100 words were successful in achieving the highest response rate of 51%.
Also, shorter emails with 95 words showed a 40.19% CTR, while the longer emails with 170 words showed 34.38% CTR.
The results from the study are a clear indication that shorter emails perform better than the longer ones. The version with a word count between 75 to 125 words will generate more click-through rates. Whereas, a long email will fail to generate a visit.
10.The tone of the mail.
The tone of your email indicates your attitude towards the customer. It should be used according to the message you are trying to convey. The tone you are using can be serious, whimsical, or funny.
The tone should be consistent throughout the mail. Conversational emails have been known to generate a higher click-through rate as it succeeds in conveying the message effectively.
11.Hyperlinks or buttons.
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Creating tempting versions but still not getting enough visits? The problem lies within the Call To Action button (CTA)! If you are able to compel the recipient, he might not know how to proceed.
The mails with simple and clear CTA buttons initiate more number of clicks. This way you will be able to tell the customer the way to proceed further. Larger buttons grab the reader’s attention more effectively than smaller ones.
Adding shadows, gradients, and colors to the hyperlink button can beautify it further.
Conclusion
AB testing marketing is an effective way of planning your marketing strategies. The structural approach towards testing will help you overcome the shortcomings and carve a base for the development of your future marketing strategies.
