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March 25, 2019 Content Chat Recap: Improving Content Marketing Performance Through A/B Testing

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Basing marketing decisions on your gut and hoping for the best is one approach, but most pros know that using data is the best way to guide a successful strategy. If you’re torn between two approaches, or want to test how different elements on your marketing collateral may impact your audience, A/B testing is the way to go.

In this #ContentChat, community staple Patrick Delehanty (@MDigitalPatrick), marketing manager at Marcel Digital, gave us the 101 on A/B testing and explained how it can improve your content marketing performance.

Q1: What is A/B testing? And why should I be using it as a content marketer?

A/B testing involves testing two versions of some marketing collateral (web page, newsletter headline, email subject line, social content and imagery, etc.) with a segment of your audience. Part of your audience sees version A, part sees version B, and the rest will see the version that performed best (based on your goals for the content).

A/B testing allows you to collect data on different approaches to see which performs better.

Q2: I have a limited budget. How can I do A/B testing without using any additional software or tools?

There’s several free tools out there depending on what collateral you’re A/B testing. Google Optimize is great for your website, and there are also free plugins to monitor website performance.

Email marketing tools like Mailchimp allow for A/B testing, too.

On social you have a few options. Facebook has A/B testing for paid social built in, you can manually track the performance of posts, and it never hurts to poll your audience to see what they prefer.

Q3: What are some common A/B tests for content marketing, and how do I conduct them?

Almost anything can benefit from an A/B test. Headlines, CTAs, links, use of imagery, fonts, color, and the below community suggestions are all valid. Pick an element, create a baseline, then measure how the data changes based on your tweaks.

Q4: What are some common issues that can cause issues with A/B testing?

Always have a purpose and plan for your testing. Pick your element to test, set your KPIs and timeline, and see which approach performs better.

Stay focused on your tests and change only one variable at a time (unless you’re skilled in multivariate testing, which we explore below).

Depending on what you’re testing, you should start with a 50/50 split and run tests for at least a month. This will vary based on your typical traffic or audience size, but a 95% confidence in results is ideal. Patrick shares more insight below regarding sample size.

Q5: Can I test more than one variable at a time with my testing?

Multivariate testing is possible, but not recommended without previous experience or training.

For most folks, it’s easiest to test one variable at a time. This keeps the data more clear.

With new tech on the horizon, multivariate testing will be more accessible.

Q6: Let’s talk landing pages. What are some common A/B tests I should be conducting to improve my conversion rate?

Landing pages can be used to test essentially everything listed in the answers for Q3, including headlines, offers, CTAs, and the size and placement of page elements. Seemingly insignificant changes can make the world of difference in driving results, so test early and test often.

Q7: What are some tools or apps that can make it easier to conduct A/B testing?

Some suggestions include Google Optimize, Hello Bar, Optimizely, Oracle Maxymiser, Unbounce and VWO.

Q8: What are some of your favorite A/B testing tips?

First tip: Take the time to A/B test, and be disciplined about it.

Start small and expand your strategy with time.

As with any marketing efforts, have clear goals, objectives and KPIs.

Always be testing. You should have ongoing testing to see how you can keep improving. Just because you reach your initial goal does not mean that’s the best you can achieve, and you’ll have to keep testing to find your full potential.

About Alek Irvin

Alek Irvin is a content marketing professional with a rich history in social media management, executive thought leadership development, and media relations. As a consultant at Erika Heald Marketing Consulting, he creates human-focused content and thought leadership platforms that help brand leaders connect and engage with their communities. Alek has worked with a range of startups and Fortune 500 companies across the B2B technology and consumer spaces, including IBM, Dell Technologies, Hitch Works, Emtrain, Integrate, and Frameable. Connect with him on Twitter @AlekIrvin.

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