Email testing?

Numbers are everything. They, of course don't tell the whole story, but they can give a lot of insight. Checking the analytics on any test is beneficial, but especially so on email, it's the way we know that things are working. Whether it's the open or click through rate, sign-ups or unsubscribes, the delivery and bounce rates, or what type of device they're using, these numbers give insight into the success of the emails being sent. If you find something that works, by all means, keep doing it, but it's always a good idea to run test.

What does this look like?

• Test the subject lines. Different things work for different audiences. Test various ways of structuring your subject line to see what gets the most opens. Maybe it's written as a question, maybe it has an image attached to it, or maybe it's a snippet of the intro. Get creative and start testing.
• Try different graphics and Calls to Action. Your audience make like a straight forward traditional approach with real life imagery, they may be more enticed by an illustration, or maybe it's a unique font. To some, these details may sound minor, but font size and choice of colors can be the difference between something being readable or not. Likewise, the imagery can be the difference between whether or not your email looks professional.
• Try out different send times.Your specific demographic has a times when emails are best received. Certain companies send on Tuesday because less companies send on Tuesdays, while others will send on Friday because of something specific to Saturday. If you have a weekend event coming up, then maybe you send an email at the beginning of the week and then a reminder email the day before. Again, try different approaches and then check the numbers.

What to remember: Look at what others are doing, at the emails that you both like and open, look at what the industry is doing, and then test by adding some of the features that you see in other emails to yours. Of course, when this is done, check the numbers.