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8 Simple Tests to Optimize Your Email Marketing Results
Email Marketing TestsTesting is an effective way for email marketers to refine their efforts to get the best results from their campaigns. The powerful thing about consistent email campaign testing is that you can continuously build your knowledge over time to steadily increase your email marketing performance - and your ROI.

If you don’t currently test elements within your email marketing campaigns, you’re losing out on a potent opportunity to drive more leads and more conversions.

Here are eight tried and true testing techniques that are guaranteed to help you optimize your email marketing campaigns:

1. Email Subject Lines - Do shorter versus longer subject lines (without going over 50 characters) perform better? Does the inclusion of a call to action in the subject line perform better than one without? What about including your brand or product name at the beginning or end of the subject line?

2. Email Format - Does plain text garner more leads than a complicated, graphics intensive HTML email? Does a more simply designed HTML email perform better than a plain text email? What about following up with a text-only version a few days after the original send to non-openers?

3. Privacy Statement - Does the inclusion of a privacy statement (i.e., “we will not share your email address…”) with a link to your privacy policy make prospects trust you and respond more often? Or do email campaigns without a privacy statement perform just as well?

4. Call to Action - Does Submit perform better than Click Here? Does Click Here perform better than Sign Me Up? What about directions specific to the desired action, i.e. Download this Whitepaper, Register for Webinar, Subscribe to Newsletter, or Buy Now?

5. Offer/Incentive - Does free shipping perform better than a 10% discount taken at check out? Does a free white paper perform better than a free demo?

6. Email Send Date/Time - Do you generate a better response when you send your email marketing campaigns or e-newsletter on Tuesdays at 8:00am Pacific Time versus Thursdays at 4:00am Eastern Time?

7. Email List Segments - When offering a free executive report, does one segment of your list, such as 35 year old male professionals in the mid-West respond better to your offer than 45 year old professionals on the West Coast?

8. Personalization - Does opening your email with “Dear Randy” perform better than “Dear Valued Customer?” What if you personalize the subject line or offer based on your subscribers' specific interests using dynamic content generated by their expressed preferences, past purchase or Web behavior?
These suggestions are just a small fraction of the test elements and testing methodologies that are possible. Any element of your email marketing campaign can be tested -- and tested using one of many testing methodologies (A/B split, multi-cell, multivariate and so on). But no matter what you test or what methodology you use, you will get results and valuable learning that will provide new ideas for more effective email campaigns.
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About the Author
Shannon Titus is the senior marketing programs manager at Lyris. She is responsible for creating compelling email marketing communications and programs to share with Lyris customers and prospects.

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