Email Marketing Should Include A B Testing

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Email Marketing Should Include A/B Testing

By Rich Brooks
Expert Author
Article Date: 2007-07-25

I recommend Constant Contact as an email service provider to our clients looking to do email marketing.

I feel they have a great product and a competitive price, and their customer service cannot be beat. However, I always tell them my one pet peeve with Constant Contact: no a/b split testing.

What is A/B testing?

It's when you test two similar versions of the same (in this case) email blast. You randomly split the group into two groups, a & b, and deliver a unique message to each group to determine which message is more effective.

For example, you may send the same email out, touting your new vanilla ice cream. One group gets a subject line that says, "Creamiest French Vanilla Ice Cream Available Now" and the other reads, "Lowest Prices on Vanilla Ice Cream Around!" You can then test version A against version B to see which has a higher open rate, click through rate, and even conversion rate.

As a Web marketer, a/b splits are a necessary tool of the trade. I feel naked without it.

Let's Get Constant Contact to Add A/B Testing

Recently, Constant Contact talked about the importance of A/B testing in their own email newsletter, so it's even more incredible that they don't offer it! Let's change that. If you are a Constant Contact customer, you can let your voice be heard. Follow these instructions:

* Login to your Constant Contact account

* Click on Get Help in the top right corner. A new window will open.

* Click on the Home tab in the top left corner.

* Click on the Provide Feedback link near the bottom middle of the page.

* Enter the info and select New Feature Request

* Request A/B split testing!

Constant Contact offers great customer support, so I'll be surprised if this doesn't put this on the fast track for getting done.

Thank you for your support.

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About the Author:
Rich Brooks is president of flyte new media, a Web site design and Internet marketing company in Portland, Maine. Flyte works with small businesses to build professional Web sites that often include e-commerce, Flash and content management systems. They promote their clients' sites through search engine optimization, e-mail marketing, business blogs and podcasts, and viral marketing.