Split Tests

Viewing and Managing Split Tests

To view details about the email campaign split tests configured in Interspire Email Marketer, click Email campaigns in the navigation bar, then click View split tests.

Viewing Split Tests

Viewing Split Tests


Create a split test	Click this to begin configuring a new split test. See Scheduled Email Queue.
Delete selected	Select one or more split test’s checkboxes and click this to remove the split test from Interspire Email Marketer. Deleted split tests cannot be retrieved.
	Select a box belonging to an email campaign before choosing an option from the Choose an action list. Select the box at the top of the column to select all campaigns.
Name	This displays the name of the split test.
Campaigns	This displays the name of each email campaign in the test. Note: This is the name that displays in the Interspire Email Marketer control panel, not the email subject line.
Type	This displays the type of test: - Split test displays if you selected Find a winning email and show me the results when you created the test. The campaigns are sent to the whole contact list in equal proportion, and the winner is displayed to you. - Best performing displays if you selected Find a winning email then send it to my list automatically when you created the test. The campaigns are sent to a small part of your contact list, and the winner is automatically sent to the rest of the list.
Created	This displays the date on which the test was created.
Last sent	This displays the date on which the test was last performed. If the test has never been performed, Not sent displays.
Action	- Click Waiting to send to see when a scheduled test will be sent. The View scheduled email queue screen displays (see Scheduled Email Queue). Note: This option displays only when a test is scheduled and has yet to be sent. - Click a test’s Pause link to stop sending the test. Click its Resume link to begin sending the test again. Note: These options display only when a test is currently being sent. - Click a test’s Send link to perform the test. Note: Before you send Best performing tests, you need to enable Split test campaigns in the Settings > Cron settings screen. - Click a test’s Edit link to make changes to the test. See Creating and Editing Split Tests for information on the screen that displays. - Click a test’s Copy link to create a new test with the same properties as the original. The new test displays in the list with Copy of prepended to its name. - Click a test’s Delete link to remove the test from Interspire Email Marketer. Deleted tests cannot be retrieved. Note: When you delete a test, its associated email campaigns are not deleted.

Creating and Editing Split Tests

To create a new split test, click Email campaigns in the navigation bar, then View split tests. Click the Create a split test button.

To edit an existing split test, click Email campaigns in the navigation bar, then View split tests. Then click the relevant test’s Edit link.

Note: This screen allows you to set up your test; you can choose the people to whom you want to send it later on (see Performing a Split Test).

Creating a Split Test

Creating a Split Test


Give your split test a name	Enter a name for this split test. The name only displays in the configuration interface, and not to your contacts.
Choose which emails to send	Select the email campaigns that you want to include in this test. Note: You can select as many email campaigns as you want.
Preview selected	Click this to see all the email campaigns you selected in the Choose which emails to send list. Each email campaign opens in a new browser window.
Choose a winner based on	Use this field to specify how the winning email campaign is chosen: - Select Number of people who open the email to choose the email campaign that is opened most often. - Select Number of people who click a link in the email to choose the email in which a link is clicked most often (the one with the highest click‐through rate). Note: When you select this option, Interspire Email Marketer counts the total number clicks on all links in each email campaign, not any one link in particular.
The kind of test to run	Use this section to define whether to perform a manual test or an automatic test, and to configure how the test should proceed: - Select Find a winning email and show me the results if you want to perform a manual test. When you select this option, Interspire Email Marketer splits the contact list (or lists) into equal parts and sends each email campaign to one part. You can then view each email campaigns performance in the Statistics > Split test statistics screens. For example, if you select two email campaigns and have 1000 people in your contact list, each email campaign is sent to 500 people. Note: If you choose this option, you may want to first set up a new contact list for test subjects, rather than sending it to your complete contact list. If so, see Creating and Editing Contact Lists. - Select Find a winning email then send it to my list automatically if you want to perform an automatic test. When you select this option, you can specify the percentage of your contact list’s contacts that are test subjects. Interspire Email Marketer performs the test, then waits the amount of time you specify before declaring a winning email campaign (based on the criteria you select). Interspire Email Marketer then sends the winning email campaign to the remainder of your contact list’s contacts those not in the test group). In the Emails will be sent in equal groups to (…) % of your list field, enter the percentage of your contact list’s contacts that should be in the test group. The default is 10%. In the The best performing email will then be sent to the rest of your list (…) later field, select the number of Hours or Days after which Interspire Email Marketer decides the winning email. Note: The minimum test time is two hours, and the maximum is thirty days. For example, if you have a contact list of 5000 people, select five email campaigns, specify a test group of ten percent and a test time of one day, each email is sent to 100 people, and the winning email is sent to the remaining 4,500 people the next day.
Save and send	Click this to save your changes to the test, and send it immediately. See Performing a Split Test for information on the screen that displays.
Save and exit	Click this to save your changes to the test and return to the View split tests screen.

Performing a Split Test

To send a split test to members of your contact lists:

Click Email campaigns in the navigation bar, then click View split tests. Click the relevant split test’s Send link. Alternatively, while creating or editing a split test, click its Save and send button (see Creating and Editing Split Tests).
The first screen that displays allows you to specify to whom you want to send the test.
Select the contacts to whom you want to send the test in the I want to section:
- To send the campaign to the entire list you select in the Contact list field, select Send the selected split test to all contacts in the selected list(s) below.
- To send the campaign to the segment you select in the Segments field, select Send an email to all contacts in the selected segment(s) below.

Note: Segments define a sub‐section of a contact list. In order to select a segment here, you must first create segments; Segments.

Select the contact list(s) or segment(s) to which you want to send the email campaign. Use the search box below the list to search for contact lists or segments.
Click Next.
The screen that displays allows you to configure your campaigns’ settings.

Sending a Split Test: Test Settings

Sending a Split Test: Test Settings


Split test campaign settings
Send from this name	This displays the default “from” name for the contact list you selected. If you want to use a different name, enter the new name in this field.
Send from this email address	This displays the default “from” email account for the contact list you selected. If you want to use a different email account, enter the new address in this field.
Send reply emails to	This displays the default reply email address for this contact list. When a contact replies to your email campaign, this is the address to which the reply is sent. If you want to use a different address, enter the new address in this field.
Send bounced emails to	This displays the default bounced email address for this contact list. This is the address to which undeliverable emails are sent. If you want to use a different address for handling bounced emails, enter the new address in this field.
Email scheduling settings Note: This section displays only when split test scheduling is enabled. To enable or disable split test scheduling, click Settings > Cron settings and configure the Split test campaigns item.
Send your split test now?	Select this if you want to send the split test campaign immediately. Deselect this to schedule a date and time to send the email. Select the date, month and year in the first three lists, and select the hour, minute and AM/PM in the last three lists.
Notify owner about sending?	Select this if you want to send an email to the list owner when a scheduled campaign starts sending, and another when it finishes sending.
Advanced settings (optional)
My “first name” custom field is	If your email campaigns use a custom field to define a recipient’s first name, select it here. If your email campaigns use a single field to define a recipient’s name, select it in this field. Note: This field displays only when the selected contact list contains custom fields.
My “last name” custom field is	If your email campaigns use a custom field to define a recipient’s last name, select it here. If your email campaigns use a single field to define a recipient’s name, leave this field blank. Note: This field displays only when the selected contact list contains custom fields.
Send your email as multipart?	Select this to send both HTML and text elements of a multipart email campaign to recipients. This allows a recipient’s email client to choose the correct display method. Note: Use this option if you are unsure. Also, use this option if you don’t provide your recipients with the ability to choose HTML or text emails.
Track open rates for these emails?	Select this to have Interspire Email Marketer track the proportion of HTML emails opened by their recipients. Note: This option cannot be deselected, as it is necessary for split testing campaigns to work.
Track links clicked in this email	Select this to have Interspire Email Marketer track the proportion of links in this split test that are clicked by the recipient. Note: This option cannot be deselected, as it is necessary for split testing campaigns to work.
Embed images as attachments	Select this to embed the images you send in HTML emails, rather than linking to them. This allows recipients to view the email campaign offline, but can increase the email size significantly.

Click Next. In the screen that displays, review your split test.
Click Schedule my split test campaign when you are ready to send your test.
The screen that displays next depends on whether or not you have enabled split test scheduling (in the Settings > Cron settings screen).
If split test scheduling is enabled, the View split tests screen displays (see Viewing and Managing Split Tests). Waiting to send displays in the split test’s Action field. The split test will be sent the next time Cron runs split test sending.

Note: This happens even if you selected Send your split test now. For this reason, it is important that you configure split test scheduling to run frequently (in the Settings > Cron settings screen) even if you do not want to schedule split test sending.
Alternatively, you can avoid this issue by turning split test scheduling off if you do not require it.

If split test scheduling is disabled, a warning displays. Click OK.

Interspire Email Marketer begins to send your split test. A new browser window displays, showing how much time is remaining.

Note: Do NOT close this window, otherwise your test will not be sent correctly.

The browser window closes automatically when the split test has been completely sent.