When it comes to creating content that resonates with your customers, A/B testing is an important piece of the puzzle. Sure, you can rely on your marketing expertise to create marketing deliverables that you’re certain your customers will connect with, but it’s not the same as running an A/B test. These campaigns provide concrete evidence and data to your brand that shows what types of language and content get your customers to not only click, but shop, make a purchase, and become a returning customer.
One of the best ways to gain an understanding of your customer’s buying habits and communication preferences is by A/B testing, a marketing concept that has been around for years, originating in the 1920s by statistician and biologist Ronald Fisher.
What Exactly Is A/B Testing?
A/B testing allows businesses to run different types of marketing campaigns, (email, SMS, or even landing pages), that feature slightly different content variations. Results from these varied campaigns would then be compared based on performance to determine which has a better conversion rate.
Below are a few statistics on the importance of A/B testing, reported by GITNUX MARKETDATA.
- The A/B testing software market is forecast to be worth $1.08 billion by 2025.
- Companies that adopted A/B testing technology had better results than those that didn’t, including 10% more weekly page views, a 5% greater likelihood of raising VC funding, and 9-18% more products.
- Adding a single image increases purchases by 60% in A/B testing campaigns.
- A/B testing on the call-to-action messages raised conversion rates by about 161%.
How To A/B Test in SMS Marketing
Despite research showing SMS marketing is growing in popularity for businesses and consumers alike, it can still be a tricky method of communication for brands to master.
According to Validity’s “State of SMS Marketing in 2023” Report, 96% of respondents have “felt annoyed at least occasionally by SMS marketing messages,” and “56% of respondents have purchased less or stopped buying from a brand altogether due to annoying SMS messages.” And finally, over half (52%) of users have deleted messages without reading them.
Considering the data mentioned above, it’s important to A/B test your SMS campaigns to get a complete understanding of how your subscribers react to your content and what types of content they prefer interacting with.
Ways to A/B test your SMS campaigns
Intros
Do your messages perform better if the campaign is started with your brand name, or do they perform better by saying “Hi” to the customer by including their name? (If applicable).
Images
Does your audience prefer receiving SMS campaigns with an image, no image, or a GIF?
Format
Do shorter messages perform better than longer ones? What about if you provide spaces between your text lines or if they’re sent in paragraph form?
Language
Are your subscribers more receptive to formal language, or prefer receiving messages that are casual in tone, feature slang and/or abbreviations, or emojis?
Sale type
Does a solid percent off discount perform better than a “buy one, get one” or “buy more, save more” deal?
Incentive
Test offers like a monetary discount on a next order if a customer follows your brand on social media or leaves a review of a recent order on your website.
Timing
Are your subscribers more receptive to messages that are sent in the morning, afternoon, or evening? What about certain days of the week?
Need help setting your SMS campaigns up for success? Get in touch with the Voxie team today!