The Benefits of A/B Testing for Your Digital Marketing Campaigns
Exacting the perfect campaign for your business model can take time and effort. With digital marketing, there’s no right or wrong answer regarding what works best for you, but this can lead to multiple strategies. If you need help deciding which one to go with, A/B testing can solve the problem.
What is A/B testing?
A/B Testing, or split testing, is an experiment where two different versions of a campaign or content are tested on your audience to determine which one performs better. Think of it as an eye test for digital marketing – do you like version one or version two?
Like a true experiment, a group is divided into two, with one receiving A content and the other receiving B content. The content can range from small cosmetic changes in graphics or headlines to complete website overhauls. The A and B versions of the content will be randomly distributed to the groups, and data will be collected on how this content performs based on audience response. The impact scales from short-term to long-term but ultimately informs how your business campaign affects all users or whether changes need to be made.
What are the benefits of A/B testing?
Improved engagement and content
The largest benefit is user engagement, framed by content enhancement and visitor satisfaction. By actively listening to your audience’s comments and concerns, you can then use the data gathered in the experiment to create new, improved variations of your content and campaigns. Not only does this make your business approachable to users, but it also increases your adaptability. A willingness to review your business assets and improve them based on consumer preference shows that you value your audience and the exploration of new marketing trends. It can be as simple as testing new colors for buttons or links. Still, if it triggers exponential growth in engagement, then A/B testing is working for you.
Reduced bounce rates
Website analytics will tell you how quickly your audience “bounces” through your pages. Suppose there are significantly low-traffic areas on your site. In that case, A/B testing can inform what changes need to be made to keep visitors on the page longer. It could be an issue of copy, graphics, or even headlines that are easily missed but easily fixed through audience testing.
Improved conversion rates
By measuring the same website analytics that shows your site’s bounce rates, you can determine which areas are enticing visitors to become buyers. Through A/B testing, user experience can dictate how ads or copy should be written to get more clicks. For instance, a graphic image with brighter colors might get more engagement than a graphic with darker colors; a slogan with an exclamation mark may perform better than a slogan with no exclamation mark. A/B testing can show business owners how an audience reacts to prospective content and maximize its use, securing more customers while enhancing the business model.
Collecting user feedback and using it to better your business campaign has always been a factor in marketing, but A/B testing goes a step further than observational data. This marketing strategy actively connects business owners to their audiences simply and stress-freely, and the results will greatly strengthen your business campaign.