When is the best time to post a Reel?

Should the button on my website says Read More or Learn More?

Is Tuesday the best day to send out my monthly newsletter?

We hear questions like the ones above each and every day! Whether we’re trying to determine the best way to spend advertising dollars or the timeline for a launch campaign, we often turn to A/B testing. Many people, though, are unfamiliar with this strategy of digital marketing. In today’s blog post, we want to help you understand the concept and then share some ways you can run A/B testing to hit three common goals. 

But first: What is A/B testing?

A/B testing, or split testing, is a type of experimentation when one or more factors in digital communication is deliberately altered in order to observe the change in outcomes. Results are then analyzed to figure out the best approach for the highest yielding results. You can A/B test messaging, images, colors, or website features, like form fields or user experience.

A/B testing takes the guesswork out of our job as digital marketing experts and allows us to be more data-driven and strategic in our efforts. Sure, we could spend an hour debating when to post a Reel. Or we could post Reels at various times and days throughout the week — say 10 a.m. on a Tuesday, 4 p.m. on a Thursday, and noon on a Friday — and let the number of views speak for themselves. With this approach, we’ll immediately know when our Instagram audience is most engaged, which allows us to better plan for future posting.

How does it work?

To perform A/B testing, we alter a single variable — such as audience parameters on a social media ad or the location of the call to action (CTA) in an email newsletter — to determine what approach works best for meeting our goals. For instance, we frequently A/B test email subject lines in an effort to boost open rates or advertising audiences on Facebook to improve click-through rates. 

Interested in giving it a shot? Here are three common goals and how to use A/B testing to reach them.

1. Increased website traffic

Test different blog post or landing page titles to see how visitors react: Are they more likely to click on one hyperlinked title over another? 

2. Higher conversion rate

Experiment with your CTAs! Test different locations, colors, and even anchor text to see how it influences the user experience. Small shifts may increase the number of people who click on them, which ultimately may convert into more sales. 

3. Lower bounce rate

The bounce rate refers to visitors leaving (or “bouncing”) quickly after visiting your website. To retain more users, try different page layouts, blog post introductions, and even fonts.

If you’re looking to develop a digital marketing strategy and expand your online reach, please reach out to our team today.