We recently released an article about A/B testing (also known as split testing) in marketing, which allows you to evaluate two different versions of the same marketing technique. Multivariate testing takes things a step further (in the context of email campaigns).
Multivariate testing allows you to test different granular variations of the same email to see which one performs better. It’s great for narrowing down the proper strategy for a subset of your audience rather than your full contact database.
Multivariate testing is used to improve audience engagement, conversion rates, and revenue creation in your digital marketing campaigns. Let’s get started with the fundamentals.
In this RisePath blog, we shall go through the basics of multivariate testing.
What is multivariate testing, and how does it work?
Multivariate email testing is a complex and advanced method of evaluating tactical emails. You can experiment with different email combinations. You have a lot of flexibility when it comes to email subject lines, email body copy, graphics, the sender’s “From” name or address, send time, and more. This is where it differs from A/B testing, which is a very similar method.
What distinguishes multivariate testing from A/B testing?
A/B testing is used to compare two aspects of an email. To discover the highest performing combination, multivariate testing tests up to four items in an email in multiple combinations.
A/B testing is sufficient in certain cases, but multivariate testing is required in others to yield deeper, actionable knowledge (more on that below).
How do you conduct a multivariate analysis?
Multivariate testing works similarly to A/B testing in that it allows you to pick between two possibilities for the same email element. This is all done via your marketing automation solution and is really simple to implement.
The setup is rather simple. To demonstrate, we’ll use the example of RisePath CRM. When you choose the multivariate testing option for an email campaign, system workflows walk you through the process of choosing which elements to test and what each combination of elements should look like.
All combinations are sent out to a test group of your target audience after this is set up. In the instance of RisePath CRM, the system tracks the levels of engagement for each email version sent to the test group automatically. It then analyses the resulting metrics, decides the “winning” combination, and distributes that version to the remainder of your target audience in the hopes of achieving the greatest outcomes.
Because the procedure is automated, all you have to do is select the combinations you want to test and wait for the results. While you focus on strategy, your unified CRM with marketing automation handles all of the heavy lifting.
What do you require to complete your test?
First and foremost, you will require the appropriate technologies. All of your data is maintained under one roof and the process is immensely easier if you utilise a unified CRM that incorporates both sales and marketing automation capabilities.
If not, a marketing automation solution that can execute this type of test is required. Multivariate testing is nearly difficult without the correct software.
Multivariate testing recommendations
Multivariate testing is used to solve a problem or improve a certain area’s performance. When planning and preparing for your test, remember to:
- Determine the issue you’re trying to address or the question you’re trying to answer.
- Establish your hypothesis.
- Choose which combos you’d like to try.
- Determine the appropriate sample size for statistically accurate results.
- To ensure that every automated, triggered action is set up correctly, run a test on false leads first.
- To guarantee that no unforeseen snags occur during the test, keep an eye on it as it develops with genuine leads.
Before you begin, ask questions.
Asking yourself some preliminary questions is a fantastic way to get the most out of your multivariate email campaign testing. During the planning stage, ask yourself the following questions to help you get into mental testing mode.
- Do my readers prefer creative or straightforward topic lines?
- Is it true that including a question in the subject line increases the number of opens?
- Are call-to-action buttons (or images) more likely to be clicked than hyperlinked text?
- Are they more likely than an individual to open an email from [Company Name]?
- When should I send my target audience emails to receive the best open and click-through rates?
- Is it true that bullet points are more effective in driving click-throughs than paragraph text?
We could continue, but you get the idea. Multivariate testing should be approached with a curious mindset. Testing new approaches is a wonderful method to respond to changing customer expectations in digital marketing.
When should you utilise A/B testing vs. multivariate testing?
A/B testing delivers broad generalisations about the efficacy of a single email element (or another marketing asset). This is a high-level insight that can be applied across the board and can help you make significant changes to your digital marketing plan.
Multivariate testing, on the other hand, provides more detailed information on a strategy. Use it when you need to fine-tune tiny features that relate to a certain audience segment.
In short, A/B testing is the way to go if you want to know how effective an approach is for your entire audience. Multivariate testing can help you figure out which technique best engages a specific, focused portion of your audience and why.
Are you ready to conduct your own experiment?
This is something we strongly advise you to do. You’ll be overrun by the competition if you don’t consistently evolve your digital marketing techniques and engage in experimental, disruptive marketing. Multivariate testing and A/B testing are now easier than ever before thanks to marketing automation.
After all, with this technology at your disposal, you can no longer rely on guesswork to determine the most efficient digital marketing strategies. It’s becoming increasingly common to make business decisions based on statistics rather than intuition. Get the necessary tools and mindset, then experiment to see what you can learn.
Are you interested in learning more about how multivariate testing might help you improve your digital marketing efforts? More information and answers to your inquiries are available upon request. Simply send us a request and we’ll send you the necessary details.
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