When creating an Account Engagement (Pardot) A/B email, there’s a system of choices you’ll be able to run through that will allow you to customize the A/B send itself. These choices include how long you want the test to run, what percent of your audience to use, and of course, how you determine the winner. Just make sure the choices that you’re making are changing and being updated based on your goals.
The Difference
There are two metrics by which you can establish a winner while A/B testing: clicks and opens. The difference between these two choices boils down to this: A winner defined by clicks is based on which test receives the most link clicks within the email itself. A winner defined by opens is based on which test receives the most opens from a prospect’s inbox. It’s that simple.
Defining The Goal
Now that you understand the difference between opens and clicks you can also move into defining your goal when planning an A/B test.
When choosing one of the two options we discussed, your decision should be based on what is changing from the A email to the B email. For instance, if all that’s changing from A to B in a test is the subject line, then the winner should be determined by opens. However, if something has changed in the design of an email or it’s been rearranged in some way, then determining the winner by clicks is the way to go.
Pro-Tip: A/B emails are an excellent way to see what your audience is interested in so that you can update your organization’s email marketing.
Reporting The Results
When you’ve selected whether to use opens or clicks and the email has been sent, the next step is vital to the success of using A/B emails: Reporting the results!
Follow back up on the email send and look into the data. Which winner was selected, and how do the results stack up against a normal email send for an organization? This can be determined by comparing the A/B test to a recent standard email send. Check HTML opens, link clicks, and overall data to see if the reasons for success or failure can be determined.
