A/B Testing is more than a social media tool

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If you’ve ever worked with a marketer, you’ve probably learned about A/B testing in your social media posts. After all, it really is a fantastic way to see which combination of text and media generate the most interest with your customers. But did you know there are other ways to apply A/B testing in your business? We’ll cover a few that we’ve used and how it works in much more than just a social media context.

Understanding A/B Testing

If you’ve not worked with a marketer before (or if it’s been a while), then we’ll summarize A/B testing by saying that, at its core, A/B testing (or split testing if you want to impress people), involves comparing two or more versions of a ‘thing’ (usually a marketing piece) to determine which version performs better in achieving a specific goal. The arrangement options are virtually endless. For example, you can text the same media with different text versions, different media with the same text, different media and different text — and when you start adding buttons, landing pages, layouts, etc. you start to see that it can be applied to a lot more than just social media posts/ads. The important thing to remember is the concept behind it: A/B testing enables you to make data-driven decisions by measuring the impact is each variable. In the social media context, most platforms will either randomize or (using their underlying demographic data about their users) spilt their users into distinct groups and expose them to different variations. And when you add your demographic targeting (again, in the social media context), A/B testing provides valuable insights into what resonates most with your customers to drive desired outcomes. It can be done, but we recommend a partner like Omniconvert to help — insights they provide can help automate (read save you time so you can focus on your customers) as well as best practices to help you squeeze the most out of your efforts.

But it’s so much more than Social Media Marketing

While A/B testing has traditionally been associated with social media platforms, its benefits extend far beyond the realm of social media marketing. In fact, A/B testing can be applied to virtually any advertising channel or medium, including search engine marketing (SEM), email marketing, display advertising, and even traditional offline channels. By embracing a holistic approach to A/B testing, you can unlock a myriad of advantages that span across your entire business. Again, when it comes to the more complex applications, it may be worth working with a specialist.

Optimizing Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

If you do any paid advertising (“paid search” if you want to impress people), then you know how competitive (and pricey) it can be to fight for clicks. A/B testing can be a game-changer (and money-saver). More than just text/copy variations, A/B testing can also help you experiment with keyword targeting (think of it as adding another variable to manipulate). The bottom line is that A/B testing empowers you to refine your company’s SEM campaigns to maximize impact in the most cost-effective way. When you continuously iterate and optimize — using the data you’re collecting — you can improve your company’s ad relevance, which then improves click-through-rates (CTRs, if you will), and your return on advertising.

Now, take it a step further: think about A/B for your display ads. Same concept, different variables.

What about email?

Funny you should ask. In some markets, email remains a cornerstone of digital strategy. It can offer you a direct and personalized way to engage with your customers. A/B testing presents a valuable opportunity for optimizing email campaigns through testing things like subject line, sender name (believe it or not, an email that shows as coming from a person versus no-reply@ generally performs better), actual email content, images/visuals, and send times. You should see differences in open rates, unsubscribe rates, click-through rates, and conversions (if you use email to drive specific transactions).

Innovating Across Offline Channels

We’re not fans of mass media advertising, but there are some markets where (like email) it works. You can apply the A/B concept here, too. A/B testing can be adapted to print, radio, and television (remember that CTV* and DRTV are two very different monsters) by experimenting with messaging, visuals, formats, and distribution strategies. Whether it’s testing variations of print ads in magazines, radio scripts for broadcast commercials, or TV ad durations during prime time slots, A/B testing enables businesses to refine their offline advertising efforts and optimize their investments in traditional media.

The asterisk above specifically relates to Connected TV (aka streaming), which allows you much better targeting than does DRTV, making your strategy a lot easier if TV ads are effective in your particular space.

Get creative!

Let’s say you have the same ad, but you want to try out website appearance (aka landing pages). Within that, you can test layout, product choices, arrangement, text, colors — the list is nearly endless. And having those reference points aim at yourwebsite/pagename1 or yourwebsite/pagename2 will let you use the same ad or search input but sort into two separate outputs (landing pages).

The possibilities really are endless. The “but” here is that your goal is to find out what’s effective, eliminate what’s not, and continuously improve on the messaging you use to engage your customers. Not sure where to start? We can help, and we’ve partnered with Omniconvert as the subject matter experts we trust with our A/B testing.