To get the most out of an email contact list, marketing strategists need to take advantage of the technology available to them. Analysis software gives companies a wealth of information that can reveal patterns, customer click rates and content that is most likely to lead to conversions. Every bit of data needs to be taken into account when crafting a marketing campaign that yields the desired effects. A great way to begin cultivating good habits with regard to data utilization is the A/B test, determining the customer’s preferred email message when given two options to choose from.

Consumer feedback should never be underestimated
Despite temptation to adopt new channels of communication and stay ahead of competitors technologically, companies need to listen to their customer first and foremost if they want to see the best results. According to Mobile Marketing Watch, email is still the go-to method for reaching out to customers with promotional content or educational newsletters. Supplementing campaigns with consumer testing makes it easier to track results compared to platforms such as social media and text messaging.

Businesses are acknowledging the importance of email as a pillar of consistency in digital marketing campaigns that tend to follow constantly-changing consumer trends. In fact, Mobile Marketing Watch pointed to companies increasing their email expenditure in 2013 to cash in on the steady returns that email marketing offers. The importance of optimizing email with tests is especially true when it comes to mobile devices. The news source mentioned that 90 percent of today’s consumers prefer to read their email on a smartphone or tablet.

A/B tests provide quality feedback fast
No strategist can deny that consumer behavior can provide more insight to a marketing campaign than any product or trend that claims to bring results. A/B tests are one technique that marketers use to avoid flipping a coin when it comes to determining the better message between their two best options. While the message choices in a test might seem nearly identical to the untrained eye, minor changes in calls-to-action, subject line phrasing, design and visual content can all have a substantial impact on whether a campaign will be a success or a flop.

Many strategists optimize their marketing initiatives perfectly, building a quality email database, crafting excellent content and providing plenty of opportunities for recipients to find out more about products and services. Nevertheless, these painstaking efforts can fall flat if sufficient testing is not incorporated before launch. According to Business 2 Community, A/B testing is often overlooked, resulting in missed opportunities for many businesses to attract and convert more customers. The source gave marketers a primer on how to conduct the tests properly.

Engineering an effective test for more results
Like any element of a successful email marketing campaign, A/B tests need to be well planned and executed. Business 2 Community suggested that strategists take a small portion of an email contact list, send the ‘A’ messages to the control group and ‘B’ messages to the variant group and wait until they are delivered. In the following days, marketers should analyze which message sees higher click-through rates and conversions to decide which email will be sent to the entirety of the database.

Business 2 Community also mentioned that factors such as personalization and using specific words can make a significant impact on the results of an A/B test. The news source found that in trial tests, recipients preferred that subject lines include the word “you” and an urgent message that inspired individuals to take action. Shorter subject lines were also more successful, likely due to the rise of mobile platforms and their smaller screens.