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Student Stat: 85%
of online 17 year-olds use the Internet to search for schools.
- Pew Internet
& American Life Project's
Teens and
Technology report Nov. '05
In
a recent MarketingSherpa survey:
•
7 out of 10 marketers report regularly testing email subject
lines
• 62% test copy (i.e. topics, messaging, etc.)
• 46% test link placement and personalization
- MarketingSherpa's
"Email
Marketing Benchmark Guide 2006"
Increase
Open Rates with Subject Line Testing
One of the
most common questions we hear at Student Horizons, Inc. is "How
can I improve my open rate?" Testing subject lines is one
of the fastest and most effective ways to increase email open
rates. And the best part: it's easy to do.
Subject line testing is like reading the book jacket of a novel
before you buy it. You want to get a feel for the book before
you spend your hard-earned cash. Maybe you pick up three or
four before you decide on one. You are trying to increase your
chances of liking what you buy.
Testing in email marketing is the same idea. You want to try
out a couple of subject lines to a small part of your list before
you commit to one for the big launch. Once you determine which
message gives the best results, you can send it the rest of
your list, or "roll out."
So, a subject line test might go something like this:
| |
Test |
Subject Line |
Quantity |
| |
Subject
Line #1 |
See What's Different About PCU |
5,000 |
| |
Subject
Line #2 |
Learn More About PCU |
5,000 |
Remember
though, the actual email content is exactly the same for both.
The beauty of testing is in finding out, all things being equal,
how a small difference (and just that one difference) affects
the response. The results of the test campaign might go something
like this:
| |
Test |
Subject Line |
Quantity |
Rate |
| |
Subject
Line #1 |
See What's Different About PCU |
5,000 |
10% |
| |
Subject
Line #2 |
Learn More About PCU |
5,000 |
5% |
Which test
won? Subject Line #1. It pulled in 5% more opens. It doesn't
sound like much, but when you hypothetically blow these open
rates out to your full list, you see what a difference it makes:
| |
Rollout |
Subject Line |
Quantity |
Rate |
Opens |
| |
Subject
Line #1 |
See What's Different About PCU |
100,000 |
10% |
10,000 |
| |
Subject
Line #2 |
Learn More About PCU |
100,000 |
5% |
5,000 |
Difference:
5,000 |
Who
doesn't want 5,000 more prospective students opening emails?
You
can also analyze the CTRs (click thru rates) from the same test
campaign. Try extrapolating those results to your full list.
How many more prospects did you get to click through to your
site as a result of a little subject line test?
It
is very little effort for potentially great improvements in
your email programs. Ask your email provider about it!
Tips
for Reaching Teens
Did you know that 57% of teens aged 15-17 have cell phones?
(Tip: Use your email results to follow up over the phone. You
can easily download a list of subscribers who opened your email
multiple times, for example. Also, don't forget to include a
field on your application for the applicant's cell phone.)
Did you know that 85% of online 17 year-olds use the Internet
to search for schools?
(Tip: Make sure you are collecting email addresses on your website.
And, make sure your email sign-up is easy to find and logically
placed for first-time visitors.)
Check out more great teen stats in the Pew Internet & American
Life Project's Teens and Technology report from Nov. '05.
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