Email marketing offers one great advantage: all reactions (openings, clicks, conversions, SWYN etc) can be measured accurately for each user. Due to their measurability mailings can be analyzed accurately. You can test what factor in what target group leads to the success of a campaign. This means: those who test, optimize. Those who optimize will eventually celebrate success. But what success is there to celebrate in email marketing? Testing is often used to optimize single KPI. However, the really relevant KPI, e.g. revenue, is often overlooked and forgotten.
Sender, subject line, wording, images, structure, design, extent, style, frequency: all these email components can be tested and improved. And each KPI is connected to one of those components. For example: An improved subject lines leads to a higher opening rate. But be careful: If, for example, you optimize your opening rate, you don’t necessarily optimize your essential KPI like revenue or number of generated leads at the same time. At least not to that extent you may have been assuming. It needs more than the increase of opening- or click rates to improve the “final” KPI.
Understanding interdependencies
Several stages are carried out in email marketing before e.g. revenue is realized. A “classic” chain of effects could be: dispatch → receipt → opening → click → conversion → revenue.
Smart marketers comprehend and survey this exact chain effect and pay great attention to the interdependencies. They understand how a 2% improvement of the opening rate affects the revenue.
Keep the stages constantly in your mind while you specify the key figures that lead to success. During testing you should in particular take interdependencies between the KPI into account. If you want to achieve sustainable and long-term success and if you want to optimize the really relevant KPI, consider all relevant factors as a whole and in their interdependency to each other.
This tests allow to optimize sustainably
There are different test methods, starting from A/B tests to multivariat tests that test several elements at once and independently. In order to gain first important insights, you can start testing in your email marketing with simple A/B tests. Then extend your tests up to multivariat methods, optionally realtime- or AI-based.
Multivariat test methods allow you to consider all factors that are important for your business goals. In addition to tests, you operate sustainably and you optimize over the long term – as long as you bear your main goal in mind. Use the obtained insights for the subsequent campaigns.