A/B TESTING...ANOTHER TOOL FOR MARKETING STRATEGY
When it comes to predicting what a potential client will do when we create call-to-action (CTA), landing pages, or a well-crafted email copy, marketers never know what will resonate with our audience. So rather than marketers relying on a feeling, we can “test” or split test what will make our audience click or covert. The first step is knowing what you want to test and what you don’t. You can test just about any marketing variable but do you really need to test them all or should you be strategic about what you should test.
What is A/B Testing or Split Testing?
The strategy in which two versions of a message, version A and version B are tested against each other is known as A/B testing. Just as we are as individuals are not the same well neither is the audience we are trying to reach. Therefore, what works for one type of personality persona may not work for another type of personality persona. Your goal is to identify how changes to your message affect performance. Experts warn marketers that while A/B testing can be one tool for predictive performance, marketers should be careful as the information can be faulty if not performed correctly. Why? A/B testing can be complex to perform. First, identify what your goal is and create a “control and a challenger.” While discussing this method with clients, we start with a simple A/B test and access our analysis over time. So what types of A/B testing can you start with? Let’s look at a few.
Types of A/B Testing
In the example above, you create two different versions of the same content with changes to a single variable. The goal is to trigger the best performance. Both versions are showcased with the same audience, and marketers analyze which performed best. What are the other criteria needed here? Time. Time is your friend so wrong assumptions don’t become the norm, and your business can make correct conclusions. The Design Test where two different colors are used for the call to action button to determine which created a higher click-through rate (CTR). This test can determine which color you may need to change your CTA button due to the analytics you found. There may not be a rhyme or reason as to why your test reveals a particular customer preference, but stick with it to see what data you can glean. Marketers should also consider the User Experience test for web design also known as UX. UX testing is the process of testing different aspects of user experience to determine the best way for a website and its elements to interact with its audience. If you are an online business for e-commerce, B2B, B2C, or service industry, UX testing helps to identify weaknesses. Marketers work with web designers to plan how they can make the web experience more impactful for the end-user. Testing certain aspects of the website can help with planning and what changes are needed for a better “Experience” for your audience’s taste and as your business goals change. What’s at the heart of user testing, figuring out what influences (or dissuades) consumers from buying your products and services.
What Else Can My Business Test
- CTA Buttons
- Cart Abandonment
- Website Traffic
- Offer Display
- Headings and Footers
- Videos
- Easy Access to Product Information
- What Makes Sense for Your Business Goals
I Know What I Want to Test, What's Next?
Make sure before you start testing have a clear goal and the results you what to see. Make sure you check your baseline result (which are the results you currently have). As you test option A against option B make sure that whichever option does better is also doing better than your current results. Your test also needs to run simultaneously for any variations on timing. Testing one variable today and another tomorrow can skew results because you can’t factor in any variable that may have changed. If done accurately, your A/B testing can have a positive result on your bottom line. By using controlled test and having empirical data can help you figure out what marketing strategies work best for your business or product line. Once you can see how one variable is working better than another, you may ask yourself; where has A/B testing been all my professional life.
Time Is On Your Side
A/B testing is not a one size fits all and not an overnight project and should not be treated as such. Time is the key here. Depending on the traffic you are getting you may want to run the test for 5 days to several weeks. To get the most accurate results, businesses should run tests at a time. Insufficient time on tests is your enemy. If you don’t get a large number of visitors to your site to be statistically accurate your results could be skewed. Conversely, running a test too long can also give skewed results as well. The more you’re in control the better results. The more you stay abreast of anything that might affect your results will give you time to review any statistical anomalies as your reviewing the results. If the results seem out of sync, you can always retest. Try and stick to one test at a time when you are first starting out until you get used to how to accurately conduct an A/B test. Then it may be time to conduct a multivariate test or test several tests at the same time, but that takes skill and is more complicated. What’s next after testing? Take your data and make real change for your business and your audience. Then get ready for the next test–because there’s always room for more optimization. Good luck and happy testing!
