I get it. Marketers always have too much on their plate. Campaign execution is fast and furious. If you utilize marketing automation you’re feeling lucky if you can get a multi-touch email nurture off the ground in a timely fashion. Let me paint a picture of a campaign launch scenario. Copy is approved, graphics are in place, content is finalized, QA is complete, sales has been briefed – you’re at the finish line! And then, in the back of your mind, you may be asking…what happened to my A/B testing plan?
I’d like to highlight a few reasons why we never want to be in the scenario above, but first, let’s define A/B testing:
A/B split testing is the comparison of two components with a single variation in a digital campaign to improve conversion rates. A portion of your test base will receive one variation, the other portion will receive another. The winning result will then be used for the full campaign base. We A/B split test to improve results for a campaign. It is the only proven way to optimize campaigns.
Statistics are showing that B2B marketers are struggling with A/B testing:
- 44% of companies use split testing software. It should be 100% (seogadget)
- Lack of resources (54%) and lack of budget (35%) are the leading barriers respondents named to improving conversion rates (Marketing Charts)
- Only 52% of companies and agencies that use landing pages also test them to find ways to improve conversions (Marketing Sherpa)
- The testing of multiple landing pages is considered an advanced and difficult methodology (Marketing Charts)
However, those who do test see these type of results:
- Increased revenue: President Obama raised an additional $60 million, using A/B Testing (event360) Okay, you may not see that much of an increase, but testing does improve your ability to convert at a higher rate.
- Increased conversion rates: Using correct targeting and testing methods can increase conversion rates up to 300% (Steelhouse). This goes without saying, but as a best practice, be consistent with your testing methods. I encourage my clients to have a monthly or quarterly testing hypothesis focused on a single variable such as subject lines for emails or number of form fields on a landing page. Once you have proven with confidence that a particular variation works, move to the next test.
- Increased lead generation: Companies see a 55% increase in leads when increasing their number of landing pages from 10 to 15 (Hubspot). Testing, by nature, encourages a higher number of landing pages to be built, you’ll need at least 2 variations. Your execution team will acclimatize to a higher volume of landing pages and thus your speed to launch will increase. The more campaigns running, the more chances you have to convert and increase results.
If you’d like more help understanding how you can conduct A/B testing for your organization, check out our infographic A/B Testing Visual Guide.
A/B Testing Visual Guide
A/B testing is a simple way to optimize campaign performance. Download our visual guide to better understand what A/B testing is, why you should use it, and how you should use it.