So you’re knee deep in tracking all of your crucial marketing metrics and rates. You’ve compared those rates with industry benchmarks. You discover that you are average in some areas, lower in others, possibly leading your industry in some (woohoo!). As a modern marketer, what’s the question you should be asking…is there room for improvement? Of course there is, always be testing!

Even if you are currently leading your industry, if you aren’t actively testing, another company that is testing will surely be the next leader. So what kind of testing should you be doing? A/B testing! While this is definitely not a new concept, it is still new to many companies.

A/B testing is how you are going to break from average and really rock your rates. You may have done some split testing in the past, achieved some good results, and now you are still running off of that revision. Or maybe you’ve heard about it, thought about it, but never got around to doing it. Whichever the case, I encourage you to get a test going and here are a few tips to try:

Use the Scientific Method:

First, you should have a question in mind from the data you’ve collected:

• “Why are my click through rates so low?”
• “Why does this particular form have such a high abandonment rate?”

Next, review those assets to create your hypothesis:

• Was the CTA on the email above the fold?
• Was it a text link? Was it a button? Was it an image?
• Did the form have unnecessary required fields?

You can see where I’m going with this. There are multiple options for your CTA and form fields, have you tested them all?

An important note: Do not assume that one is going to perform better than the other. TEST IT! You might be surprised that a text link outperforms a button or image for your target audience. That’s what the testing is all about – finding what works best for your audience.

Next, be sure your testing group is large enough and a good random variety of your contact base. The more, the better. Also, be sure that you allow plenty of time for the test to run. If you are testing a landing page, don’t run it for one week and call it accurate. If you are using Google Analytics, know that it has a ramp up time frame. You may see an immediate “winner” after one week. However, you might notice after two or three weeks that margin is not so great and possibly your “winner” actually becomes a dud or just not as big of a win as you were hoping for.

If you are looking for big wins, know your audience. The Pareto Principle or 80-20 rule says to focus on the 20% assets that will bring you 80% of the results. So if you have 2 emails or 2 landing pages that influence 80% of your traffic, then focus of those first. Data is key. Know your audience.

These are just a few tips and ideas on how to leverage A/B testing. If you have more questions regarding how split testing can help grow your business, or would like assistance with setting up or even revising an existing testing program, feel free to contact us. We’re dedicated to your success!