I’m often asked by clients what the best way is to run a split test on ReachMail. Here’s a step-by-step tutorial to running a subject line split test, it takes a bit of leg work but the results can be worth it.

Overview and Goals

Split testing (or A/B testing) is the process of testing varying content to a select portion of a list and comparing the results to see what content performs better. A common method is to run subject line test. In other words does ‘A Special Offer for {{first_name}}’ perform better than ‘{{first_name}}, a special offer for you!’

Our goal is to create a split test of four different subject lines on a list of 10,000 records, each subject line will be distributed evenly amongst the list (2,500 records per subject). Furthermore we will not split the list into 4 smaller lists to do it.

Here’s the short version of how it will all go down.
We’ll create four different mails, each with a different subject line. Then using demographic filters, we’ll create mail filters that will be applied in the sending process. The mail filters will select the recipients which receive the mail allowing use to reuse the main list. Then we’ll use the Compare Mailings report to view the results.

Prepare and Import Your List

The constraint that we’ve applied to this split project is that the list can’t be broken into smaller bits. The list will need to be modified to include an mail key code for each record so that demographic filters can be used to create mail filters for each of the four mails.

So what we need to do is upload a list with a column for mail key code. Each record will need to have a value in that column. For the sake of this example I’ll be using 100, 200, 300 and 400 for the key codes.

Note: If you have an existing list that you want to use, you can export the active records, add the required column, and add it via import to it’s source in ReachMail, saving duplicate values from the uploaded list.

The easiest way to add the column would be to open the list in Excel, insert a column named ‘Mail Key’ and then enter your key value in the first cell. Grab the lower right corner of the cell and drag it down to copy the contents to however many cells you select, 2,500 in our example. Repeat until the whole list is updated.

The list should look something like this when done.

Frank Aker,faker@reachmail.com,100
Bob Jones,bjones@reachmail.com,100
...2,498 more records...
Dave Little,dlittle@reachmail.com,200
...etc...

Upload the modified list and you’re ready to roll.

Create Mail Filters

Once the list is in place, the next step is to make the mail filters for each of the mail keys. The mail filters are built using the demographic filters. You will create one filter for each mail key. Use the filters to select all records in which the value of the mail key code column matches the mail key you want to filter for. In other words, if I’m building the mail filter for mail key ‘100′ I would choose to include all records in which the mail key code column value matches ‘100.’ Make sure to name the filters something obvious, like ‘MARCHSPLIT-MAILKEY100′ so they can easily be applied when scheduling the mail.

For the sake of brevity, I won’t do a step-by-step here. Check out the Demographic Filters on Send video at ReachMailTV.

Create the Mails

Now that the list is in place and the filters are generated it’s time to make the mail. To keep things organized, make a group for the mail and then name each mail for the key which it will be applied to. For example in the group ‘MARCHSPLIT’ you would have mails MAILKEY100, MAILKEY200, etc.

Don’t forget to customize each mail with a different subject line or any other content that you want to test.

Schedule the Mails

Now it’s time to schedule the mails. Make sure that when scheduling you apply the mail filter to the correct mail. See screen-shot below.

Notice in the screen-shot that the mail filter has been carefully matched to the mail name. That’s why it’s helpful to use the same naming conventions on the filters and the mails.

Compare the Performance

Once the mails have been delivered and you’ve allowed a couple of days for all the data to be reported, it’s time to see what worked and what didn’t. Use the ‘Compare Mailings’ report to see the summarized statistics from each mailing. Don’t forget to move beyond the open rate and check the individual mailing reports to see the click data too. Once you’ve considered all the data you should be able to make an informed decision about what subject lines are most compelling to your subscribers.

Summary and Conclusions

So why do it? Split testing is an easy way to poll your subscribers without asking them to take a survey or a poll. Simply by measuring their reactions you can get a general idea of what works and what doesn’t.

When should I do split testing? It’s easiest to do at the beginning of your subscriber life-cycle. For example, if you’re a retailer with a new store and you’ve been collecting email addresses at said store, you’re first mailings to those addresses would be a great time to run split-testing. If you’re in the middle of the subscriber life cycle and you’ve got a winning formula already, strong open rate, solid click through, I don’t see a need for any split testing. On the other hand, if your open rates have been flagging and click through is down, split tests would be a good way to re-evaluate your content.

Can I test content beside the subject line? Sure, but don’t go nuts. You might also consider changing your navigation links or the color or link style in the call to action. Keep it simple though and don’t change too much per split test. You’ll actually learn less if the emails are too disparate. Pick one think to test and stick to it,

Combining Video and Email

Video has quickly become the hottest way to deliver content on the internet. As compared to just a few years ago, today’s internet videos are easier to integrate, better quality and with more and more users connecting with a high-speed connection, easier to deliver than ever. Manufactures are showing product demos online, real estate agents are serving video walk-throughs of properties; with a little imagination the possibilities are endless.

So how does this integrate with your email marketing campaign?

The first thing to remember is that you cannot embed videos in an email. It simply won’t work. The technology that drives email programs has not caught up to internet browsers. But that shouldn’t stop you
from linking to your video content. Few links are more compelling than links to video, so don’t skip them just because you can’t directly embed video in your email.

Let’s take a look at an email with good technique.

This is a simple postcard style email and it’s used very effectively. Not only is the video link icon backed-up with text just below it, there are two links in the body copy. This email will certainly generate some clicks.

The really nice element here is the video icon. It’s instantly recognizable and it’s inviting too and that is very important. A lot of emails will use screen captures as a link to the video, which is fine if you have the ability to overlay a “play” icon, otherwise it just looks like any other image. Consequently there is very little incentive to click the link; how often do you click on images just to see if something will happen. The video icon is readily available and easily recognized and can invite clicks in a way that simple screen-captures can’t.

Consider these guidelines when adding video links in your email:

Use either a high-quality screen-capture or icon as the visual point of reference for your link.

Avoid using low-quality screen-captures that look like plain images.

Re-enforce the image or icon with an adjacent text link such as “Click here to see our product in action!”

Try to have two links to the same video in close proximity to your visual point of reference.

Build Your List while you sleep

One of the great features the ReachMail has is the Form Wizard. You can create a list sign-up form on your website that automatically adds new subscribers to any of your lists in ReachMail. Follow the step by step instructions and you’ll be provided with HTML code that you can add to your website (or newsletter). You can choose from a number of options on both the list level and the permission level. For lists, you can choose double opt-in (where an email is automatically sent to the recipient for them to confirm the signup or single opt-in where no confirmation is required. If you’re really strict you can also set it up to require an administrator to confirm the sign-up. On the list level, you can add as many fields as you like (ie. postal address, interests etc) and choose to make some (or all) mandatory. Keep in mind that you need to create the list first before you create your form. If you need assistance email support@reachmail.com or call us at 888-947-3224

Improve Deliverability by Branding your email

Who sent this? That’s the absolute first question email recipients think of when they receive an email. It may seem obvious to you but keep in mind that your recipients have to sort through dozens, if not hundreds of messages daily. If it’s not absolutely clear then the recipient reaches for the “delete” button or, horror of horrors the, “This is Spam” button. What to do?

Brand Your Email – Stephen Pollard wrote an excellent column in ClickZ http://www.clickz.com/3632346 discussing how to do it. Here’s what he recommends in a nutshell:

1. Brand the sender line. This means your company, your brand or your newsletter name, whatever you think your readers would recognize first. Be as specific as possible.

2. Brand the subject line. This is your fail-safe, in case the recipient doesn’t recognize or look at your sender line. Just because it’s there doesn’t mean people will see it, after all.

3. Brand your message copy in text as well as images. With images off, readers won’t see your gorgeous company logo. You can name it in alt text that appears inside image boxes when images are disabled, but that doesn’t always show up. Name your brand in the first line of text (the snippet or preheader line) or elsewhere in the top left quadrant of your message body to accommodate the skimpiest preview pane or mobile-phone screen.

4. Always review messages with and without images enabled before sending. Look at your e-mails the way your recipients do. How far do you have to read into them to learn who the sender is or what the e-mail is about? If you’re halfway down and still can’t answer the three Ws, revise your copy.

Holiday Marketing Gift – more customer email addresses
Growing a permission email list takes time, money and effort. If you have customer contacts that are missing email addresses there is one way to quickly obtain their email addresses as well as ensuring that they’re permission based. How? ReachMail’s Email Append Service. Properly done, Email Append allows you to extend the relationship you have with your current customers from the postal world to the digital world of email marketing.

ReachMail Media Services partners with three of the largest data providers including Axciom, InfoUSA and Experian to build the largest database of opt-in email addresses to our customers. Simply provide us with the complete postal record of your customers and ReachMail Media Services will compare it with the databases of all three providers. If there is a match ReachMail will arrange for a “Welcome” email message to be sent to the email address. If your customer prefers not to be contacted by you via email they have the opportunity to opt-out at that time. Opt-outs and undelivered records are then removed from your new email list. This new email list is then placed in your ReachMail account for you to market. Questions? Contact Brian Peiffle VP of ReachMail Media Services at 888-947-3224 x 703 or bpeiffle@reachmail.com

Getting the most out of ReachMail – Checking the performance of individual lists

Email lists are not static and neither is their performance. For example you may have gathered email addresses from a trade show two years ago. How do those lists perform over time versus subscribers to your newsletter? A list may initially perform well but nose dive in response rate 6 months later. ReachMail makes it easy to see changes in open rates, undelivered email and other metrics. Check out the “List Reports” tool from the Reports section.

List Reports shows you at a glance how many active recipients you have in a list, your bounces (hard and soft with a history of each for every mailing you’ve done. To run the report simply select the list you want.

The report has two sections. The first shows you graphically the current breakdown of your list, Active recipients, opt-outs and bounce detail. Plus a section on html or text preference

Want to see how your list performed over time? The second section lists the most recent mailings including open rates and bounce details. The key indicator to look at is “Total Read Recipients” over time. Don’t remember what the content was? Simply click on the mailing name to be presented with your HTML copy.

Deliverability Tip – Beware of old Hotmail or MSN email addresses
Unique among major ISPs, Microsoft looks for spammers by how often emailers send email to “old” hotmail or msn addresses. ReachMail has found that if you have a list that has not been mailed to in a long time that you may inadvertently have a spam trap within your list. How? It appears that Microsoft monitors dormant/unused accounts, typically hotmail accounts that are no longer being used by the recipient.
These are legitimate email addresses that have been abandoned by their owner a frequent occurrence since hotmail accounts are free. If you mail to one of these then Microsoft “hits” you as a spammer and reduces your deliverability for at least two weeks we’ve seen. Our advice: if you’ve not emailed a list in over 6 months and it includes these domains contact us for the proper procedure. We’ll keep you on Bill Gates good side….and your response rates up!

ReachMail API – Beta Testers Requested
ReachMail is nearing completion of a full featured API that will allow you to synch ReachMail with virtually any database. You’ll be able to access and control your ReachMail account from programs such as salesforce.com, ACT or any other database such as SQL Server. If you’re interested in becoming a beta tester for the new ReachMail API or if you’d like to be personally contacted when it becomes available – please email Greg Gulik at ggulik@reachmail.com