Manage A/B Tests

The ‘Manage A/B Tests’ feature in Email Marketing module of Retention CRM allows Associations, Chambers of Commerce and Not-for-profit organizations to conduct and manage controlled experiments on their email campaigns to see which version performs better. It gives you an overview of the overall performance of all the A/B tests that are scheduled, completed or going on. It provides you with a dashboard to track which versions generated a higher open rate, click-through rate, or other desired metrics.

General Functionality of ‘Manage A/B Tests’ Feature

• Test Name: A unique name for your A/B test (e.g., “Subject Line Test – Nurses Conference”).
• Control Email: The original email campaign you want to test against variations.
• Treatment Emails: You can create multiple variations of the Control Email to test different elements (e.g., Subject Line A, Subject Line B).
• Percentage Allocation: Define the percentage of recipients who will receive each variation of the email (e.g., 50% receive Control Email, 25% receive Treatment Email A, 25% receive Treatment Email B).
• Selection Method: Choose how recipients are assigned to receive the Control or Treatment Emails (e.g., Randomly assign or assign based on specific criteria).
• Track Opens: Monitor if recipients open the email.
• Track Click-throughs: Monitor if recipients click on any links within the email.
• Track Link Performance: See which links within the email are clicked most in each variation.
• Scheduled Start Date: Set the date and time when the A/B test will begin sending emails.

Using ‘Manage A/B Tests’ Feature in Association Management

Test Name: Subject Line Test – Membership Drive

Control Email:

• Subject Line: Renew Your Nursing Association Membership Today!
• Body: Highlights the benefits of membership and includes a clear call to action to renew.

Treatment Email A:

• Subject Line: Don’t Miss Out! Renew Your Nursing Association Membership
• Body: Same as Control Email.

Treatment Email B:

• Subject Line: Limited Time Offer: Exclusive Benefits for Renewed Members
• Body: Same as Control Email.

Percentage Allocation:

• 33% receive Control Email
• 33% receive Treatment Email A
• 33% receive Treatment Email B

Selection Method: Randomly assign recipients to each variation.

Track Opens & Click-throughs: Monitor which subject line has the highest open rate and which email content leads to more clicks on the membership renewal link.

More Use Cases for Associations

Subject Line Testing for Event Registration

Scenario: Your association is hosting a fundraising gala. You want to see which subject line for your email invitation drives the most registrations.

• Details:
  • Design three variations of the email invitation with different subject lines (e.g., one emphasizing the cause, another highlighting the entertainment, and a third focusing on the guest speaker).
  • Set up an A/B test with a 33% allocation for each variation and random assignment.
  • Track opens and click-throughs on the registration link.
• By analyzing the results, the association can identify the subject line that resonates most with their members and use it for future event registrations, leading to a higher turnout.

Optimizing Email Content for Membership Renewal

Scenario: Your association is sending out annual membership renewal emails. You want to test different email content to see which one drives the most renewals.

Details:

• Design three variations of the membership renewal email with different content (e.g., one highlighting new member benefits, another showcasing success stories of the association’s work, and a third offering a discount for early renewals).
• Set up an A/B test with a 33% allocation for each variation and random assignment.
• Track opens, click-throughs, and actual membership renewals.

By analyzing the results, the association can identify the email content that resonates most with their members and use it for future renewal campaigns, leading to a higher renewal rate.

Segmenting Your Audience for Targeted Messaging

Scenario: Your association wants to promote upcoming educational webinars but has members with different areas of interest. You want to test personalized emails based on member profiles.

Details:

• Segment your member list based on their area of interest (e.g., nursing practice, healthcare policy, or professional development).
• Design three variations of the email, each tailored to a specific segment with relevant webinar topics and speakers.
• Set up an A/B test with a 100% allocation to the segmented list (each member receives the variation corresponding to their profile).
• Track opens, click-throughs, and webinar registrations.

By analyzing the results, An association can see if segmented emails with targeted messaging perform better than generic emails. This can inform future communication strategies to better engage members with relevant content.

Using ‘Manage A/B Tests’ feature, Associations, Chambers of Commerce and Not-for-profits can analyze the performance and results of their A/B tests, which in turn can help determine which subject line or email content resonates best with their members, donors, volunteers and other stakeholders, and use that knowledge to improve future email campaigns.