iContact does a great job as an email service provider and they have a feature which is a direct response marketer’s dream.
An A/B split test is a method to put up two competing elements to see which provides the best measurable response.
You’ll see it used to compare subject lines, email copy, image layout, or marketing offers. iContact has a method for doing split tests which saves you time and can get you better results. Here’s how it works.
(This isn’t an iContact tutorial but a discussion on the best way to use this feature.)
Step 1: Plan your campaign.
The most effective use of this feature comes before you even create your email–it comes from good planning. What you are going to do is test version A against version B on a portion of your list and then send the winning version to the balance of the list.
Give some thought as to which elements might make the biggest impact on your campaign success. Is it subject line, or the email copy, your design, or the offer itself.
Step 2: Prepare both versions to send.
Create your messages to send. At this point you can select how many names you want to send your test to. A good rule of thumb is to send a test message to 10% of your list. Personally, I like to send to a test segment anywhere from 1000 to 5000 names to give a valid sample size.
Step 3: Review your results.
Here is the true value of of the A/B split test. You can see a direct comparison of how well your messages performed.
Simply select your winner and send it to balance of your list to get the best results from your mailing.
I’ve seen split testing different messages produce a significant difference in results.
Don’t be afraid to test everything in a message. You might be surprised at what makes a difference.