Email Marketing Needs A/B Testing

I recommend Constant Contact as an email service provider to our clients looking to do email marketing. I feel they have a great product and a competitive price, and their customer service cannot be beat.  However, I always tell them my one pet peeve with Constant Contact: no a/b split testing.

What is A/B testing?

It's when you test two similar versions of the same (in this case) email blast. You randomly split the group into two groups, a & b, and deliver a unique message to each group to determine which message is more effective.

For example, you may send the same email out, touting your new vanilla ice cream. One group gets a subject line that says, "Creamiest French Vanilla Ice Cream Available Now" and the other reads, "Lowest Prices on Vanilla Ice Cream Around!" You can then test version A against version B to see which has a higher open rate, click through rate, and even conversion rate.

As a Web marketer, a/b splits are a necessary tool of the trade. I feel naked without it.

Let's Get Constant Contact to Add A/B Testing

Recently, Constant Contact talked about the importance of A/B testing in their own email newsletter, so it's even more incredible that they don't offer it! Let's change that. If you are a Constant Contact customer, you can let your voice be heard. Follow these instructions:

• Login to your Constant Contact account
• Click on Get Help in the top right corner. A new window will open.
• Click on the Home tab in the top left corner.
• Click on the Provide Feedback link near the bottom middle of the page.
• Enter the info and select New Feature Request
• Request A/B split testing!

Constant Contact offers great customer support, so I'll be surprised if this doesn't put this on the fast track for getting done.

Thank you for your support.

Rich Brooks
Split Personality