Everybody knows you should be testing your email marketing messages.  A/B testing, split testing, time of day testing,  and day of week testing are just a few of the programs you can choose to run.  For something that seems so basic and mission critical, the email marketing industry as a whole does a pretty awful job with testing.

Today, I wanted to share a list of my top 5 mistakes that I’ve observed email marketers make.

1. No Testing – For all of the testing mistakes that are out there, it is shocking to find out just how many senders don’t do any testing.  If you aren’t testing your messages today, don’t feel embarrassed, you are not alone.  There is always room for improvement in your marketing programs.  Without testing and benchmarking, you will never know where those areas for improvement (increased loyalty, retention, and possibly revenue) exist.
2. No Test Plan – If you decide to do testing, congratulations.  The first thing you should build is a test plan.  What do you want to accomplish with your program/campaign?  How long will the test run?  What will you test?  Put it on paper before you begin and don’t get distracted.  Have a plan.
3. Too Many Variables – You should run testing to answer a specific question.  Answer ONE question at a time.  Testing a call to action in 2 segments with different subject lines doesn’t necessarily tell you much about the call to action, although it might.  Be patient, test, learn and move on.
4. Sample Size – We tend to want our test results to come very quickly.  I see senders do a single test to a small percentage of their audience and make long-term decisions that shape the future based on those results.  You need to make sure everyone is comfortable with the results.  If you received a bad diagnosis from a doctor, you’d go and get a second opinion.  Give yourself enough data to make an informed decision.
5. Interpreting Results – You’ve got a plan, sent out the right amount, tested things that make sense, and have reams of data.  Now what?  You need to be sure and look at these results in the context of your own universe.  Some email marketers see a 60% open rate for a mailing and are disappointed, while some campaign owners see a 1% open rate and are ecstatic.  Everything must be relevant to you.  Don’t compare apples to watermelons.

Testing email campaigns can be tricky business.  Don’t let the learning curve intimidate you.  I think you will feel that the more effort you spend in testing, the more reward you will see from your email program.