zain

Imagine you're looking to expand your business by growing your customer base. You've just completed a new email with your latest announcement to be sent to a cold, but targeted audience. Wouldn't it be great if you knew in advance how effective it was likely to be?

Well, you can, with just a little bit of work - known as "Split testing".

There are various strategies to apply when split testing a cold email, and your approach could vary depending on the size of your email list and the batch size you test.

For instance, if you're working with 1000 emails, you might choose to send one type of email to 100 recipients and a different type to another hundred.

Split testing , allows you to effectively compare open rates , click-through rates , and booking rates between the two versions of your email.

We'll run through what to do step by step later, but first lets make sure we understand some principles...

List Size Matters

If you're working with a smaller list, say 150 emails, your split test might involve smaller groups - perhaps 10 emails of one type against 10 of another.

A key component of this process is understanding your benchmarks. Without conducting split tests, it can be hard to know what constitutes a good response.

Are There Any General Rules of Thumb?

Yes... a robust campaign is one that sees an open rate of 10 - 15%, a click rate of 5 - 10%, and some resulting bookings.

But it's important to note that while email responses could be considered, they're not always a reliable metric due to their infrequency .

Bookings , however, are a tangible measure of success, and even phone calls, albeit less common, can indicate the effectiveness of your campaign.

If your open rate falls at 5% or lower , it's time to revisit your strategy.

Either your subject lines aren't compelling enough, necessitating further split testing, or your contact list may need re-verification, as your emails may not be reaching the intended recipients.

The key here is to identify what's hindering your emails from being opened.

On the other hand, achieving an open rate of 20%, 30%, or even 40% is a fantastic result.

While these percentages are more common with 'warmer' emails, in the context of cold emails, a 15% open rate indicates a successful campaign.

If your campaign is smaller, it might be beneficial to focus on warm leads to optimise results.

However, no matter the size or nature of your campaign, remember that testing and adaptability are vital components of success.

General Steps For Running a Split-test and Determining an Minimum Sample Size

1. Define your goal: What do you want to achieve with your email campaign? Are you trying to get more people to open the email, click a link within the email, respond, or perform some other action?

2. Decide what to test: This could be anything from the subject line to the content of the email itself, to the time of sending, and more.

3. Determine your sample size: To achieve statistically significant results, you typically need a substantial sample size.

For email campaigns, it's common to send the A/B test to a small percentage of your audience (say, 10-20%) before sending the winning version to the rest.

The sample size needed can also be calculated using a statistical significance calculator, available online, where you input your audience size and desired confidence level.

4. Split your sample randomly: Divide your sample into two groups. One group will receive version A of your email, and the other group will receive version B.

5. Send your emails and track your results: Use email marketing software that provides tracking for opens, clicks, responses, etc.

6. Analyse your data: After giving sufficient time for your recipients to respond, look at your results. Which version of the email achieved the results closest to your goal?

Remember, even a small improvement in response rates can be significant, especially when you're dealing with large email lists. Therefore, it's always worthwhile to test different approaches to find what works best.

Final Tip

Always be cautious about privacy and spam laws in various jurisdictions. Ensure you're sending to people who have consented to receive emails from you, and always provide a way for them to easily opt-out.

Click Here To Discover More FREE
Email Marketing Tips

How Effective is Your Email Marketing? Split Testing is the Answer

List Size Matters

Are There Any General Rules of Thumb?

General Steps For Running a Split-test and Determining an Minimum Sample Size

Final Tip

Terms of Service

Privacy Policy

Core Modal Title