The ABCs Of A/B Testing
The traditional marketing mindset of persuasion is a thing of the past. Strategically informed creative is a step in the right direction. But what can a communications agency learn from what is essentially a scientific model for statistical hypothesis testing?
At MADE we live by the mantra, “The Audience Is In Charge”, and implementing A/B testing across communications is a tangible example of that belief in practise.
A/B testing, otherwise known as ‘split testing’, is traditionally a process of comparing two versions of a digital product against each other in order to determine which one performs better — a staple of user testing that benefits the product owner by providing real insight into user behaviours.
It’s an experiment where two or more variants of digital messaging are shown to random members of a pre-defined audience, and data analysis is used to determine which variation performed better for any given conversion objective.
Traditionally A/B testing was mainly used on websites. It allows for testing landing pages, layouts across the website, colours of specific buttons and a whole lot more. Used properly, small A/B tests can be constantly running. Over time, when combined, these A/B tests will lead to an overall better converting website. Nowadays A/B tests are used across all digital media.
Practically speaking two very different versions of creative could be run on a facebook campaign. This could be done to test particular elements of design in order to prepare for a bigger campaign at a later date. A/B copy tests could be run on a canvas ad in order to test which messaging resonates with the audience better. Different offer packages could be proposed to consumer groups to see which is more appealing, or audiences themselves could be split-tested to see which targeting parameters perform better against the same creative.
The benefits of A/B testing have wide ranging applications from software and applications, to marketing and communication, and even product and brand development.
Beyond the obvious advantage of allowing companies to transform their own brand in a way that is safe and most beneficial to them — A/B testing in a broader sense allows the consumer to have the final say, and can adapt your product offering to better suit your audience’s needs.
