5 Ways Infomercials Can Help Improve Email Marketing A/B Testing

Your role as an email marketing manager is not as defined as you may think. Yes, you manage all aspects of your company’s email campaigns, but you’re also a bit of a scientist, as well. You may not work in a lab or handle corrosive chemicals, but as an A/B tester, you’re constantly running experiments and testing variables, such as your from line, landing page and target audience.

To improve your company’s email communications, make sure you conduct tests on these five variables-all similar to the components of a compelling infomercial:

1. The Headline: An effective infomercial has an exceptional headline that reels you in from the beginning. It grabs your attention, piques your curiosity and whets your appetite for the inevitable presentation to come.

   Headlines (in this case, the subject line) are one of the most important variables to A/B test-after all, the ‘awesomeness’ of your content means little if no one reads it. An easy way to test this variable within your email marketing campaign is to create two small groups of emails from your list. Test two distinct subject lines in order to compare CTR and conversion rates among the two segments, then, whichever performs better can be sent to the entirety of your list.

2. The Tone: Do you notice how infomercial announcers seem to speak to you as if you’re the only person watching? One of the reasons infomercials are so popular is because the viewer feels the product addresses his/her problem(s) alone. Knowing the ideal tone to use in your email marketing is important because it helps customers to connect to your company on an emotional level.

   Does your audience respond better to content that is conversational or do they prefer a more authoritative tone? Perform a split test and you’ll find out!

3. Bonus Offers: Every infomercial known to man has special, time-based bonuses that reward the first few people who purchase the product. These offers make the product seem even more valuable, and they usually prompt viewers to purchase quickly. You can use this same component in your email marketing to test your conversions by pitting one product using a time-based offer against another product that doesn’t.

4. Visuals: The most exciting part of an infomercial is watching the product live in action. Demonstrations allow you to really see what the product can do and can often answer any questions that you may have before you make your purchase. Similarly, posting an actual demo of your company’s product allows your audience to “test drive” the product before they actually make a purchase.

   Visuals don’t only apply to demonstrations, though-you can also test the effectiveness of images on your site. Test this variable in your email marketing by comparing different images, fonts or colors to determine which resonate with subscribers. Remember to incorporate mobile marketing into your campaign and to optimize all of your videos and images for smartphones and tablets.

5. Testimonials: Listening to actual users of the product rave about its effect on their lives is exciting and makes the product seem more authentic. But does this authenticity translate into more conversions? Your A/B testing will answer that question. You can test offers with testimonials against offers without testimonials to see which version has the higher conversion rate.

So the next time you’re up late watching television, pay close attention to the infomercials because they can help make your job as an email marketing manager much easier. And remember, if your emails are not reaching their intended inboxes, it will be nearly impossible to test anything. To learn more about email deliverability, download this free guide today!