Email marketing has taken the world by storm. Well, our unique marketing world by storm, that is. With CTR (click through rates), open rates, subject lines to test and more, it is a never-ending process to strive for the “perfect email.”
At Zion & Zion, we conceptualize, design and implement a wide array of email marketing campaigns for our long list of clients, allowing us to constantly test new techniques, creative, subject lines, and more on a daily basis. For nearly every email we send out, an A/B subject line test is performed. Whether it is a small change such as swapping out the word “big” with the word “huge” when describing a client’s storewide sale, or something more drastic such as adding in some personalization in the subject line, we do it all. Depending on the type of client and subject of the email, different techniques and tests can be performed to ensure we are sending out the best possible email for each specific situation.
A/B Subject Line Testing
One of our most recent subject line tests was performed for our client Imperial Wholesale. The subject lines that we tested were:
- “Thanks for visiting us at KBIS!”
- “(Recipient’s first name), thanks for visiting us at KBIS!”
The reason for this email was to thank all of those who came out to visit the client’s booth at an industry conference called Leading Kitchen and Bath Industry Show or KBIS in which they showcased different home improvement materials such as flooring and countertop products.
Our hypothesis was that through the use of a personalization tag that pulls the recipient’s first name into the subject line, it would create a more personal experience with the subscriber, which would in turn cause them to open and engage with the email.
Subject Line Testing Results
To test, we send out the email with each subject line to two test groups within our client’s database. Once those emails have all been delivered, our email marketing team looks at the results; in this case we looked at the open rate statistics and were able to easily identify the winner. After our A/B subject line test, the personalized subject line won with an open rate 28% higher than its competition. We then sent the email with the winning subject line to the rest of Imperial’s email subscribers. Overall, the email’s open rate was 189.53% higher and had a 333.76% CTR than Imperial’s previous email campaign. This was a huge win for Imperial Wholesale, as they received dozens of calls for orders immediately after the email went out, and a huge win for our email marketing team as well.
While there are many different elements to an email which can be tested, this real-life scenario shows how subject line testing can significantly improve open rates. If you are not doing these types of tests with your email campaigns on a regular basis, to put it simply, you should be. Subject lines are the first thing a customer sees before they even open the email, which is the first chance you have to draw them in and encourage them to open it. If the subject does not interest them immediately, chances are that email is going in the trash before ever being opened, throwing all of your time and effort down the drain.