Split testing, or A/B testing, is a method of testing two versions of an email against one another to see which one performs better. You can use the results of these tests to improve future email marketing efforts and send emails that really resonate with your audience.
What should you change in your email variations in a split test? Try using different subject lines, layouts, send times or content. Split testing can demonstrate how even small changes can have a big impact on opens, clicks and conversions.
To set up a Split Test, you need to have already created your Email Send and added at least 3 recipients. On the Email Send record, choose Split Test.
The Split Testing Wizard will open. On the left are the details for the Email Send you've created, which is automatically assigned as Strategy A. The information in Strategy A cannot be edited. On the right side is the information for Strategy B. At least one of the fields should be edited (Subject, Preheader, From Name, From Address, or From Record Owner).
You can also choose a different template as well by using the lookup field to select an existing template. If you would like to edit the email content for Strategy B, click on the Edit button. This will open the editor an allow you to make changes just for version B. Just be sure to save!
If using the Send Time variable in your test, you can select a scheduled date/time on the Email record for version A to send at, and then in the Split Test window select your version B send time. For version B, just switch Send Immediately to No and you'll see the date/time field display so you can designate the scheduled send time.
Click Next when you're ready to move to the next page of the Split Test Wizard.
This page allows you to set the size of the test groups and winner group. The test and winning groups are Split 50/50 by default: 25% to each test group and the other 50% to the winning group. To edit the size of the test groups and winning group, slide the bar to the left for smaller test groups.
- Winning Strategy indicates how the winning test version will be determined. This can be set as the version which receives the most unique clicks, or the version that which receives the most unique opens.
- Select Winning Strategy Automatically denotes whether the system should automatically select and send the winning version, or if you would like to manually select and send the winning version. If this field is set to Yes, you can set a value in Select a Winner After to indicate how long the system should wait before sending the winning version to the winning version group of recipients.
If Select Winning Strategy Automatically is set to No, you can wait for however long you would like for the split test to run, then when you are ready to select a winning version, return to the Email Send record again, click Send again, and you will be shown a screen with the results for version A and version B that prompts you to select a winning version to send.
The information entered in the Split Test Wizard can also be found under Split Test Preferences in the Email Send record:
The email will be moved to the Split Test view while it is in the initial testing phase of a Split Test (A/B Test). Once a winning version is chosen and distributed, the Email Send will move to the Sent View.