Have you ever been in the process of designing a piece of marketing collateral and realized that you were having a hard time picking between one of two distinct designs? Which one is the right one for your audience? Which one is going to make the best connection? Which is the one that will motivate the largest number of people to contact your business and make a purchase?
With A/B testing, you don’t have to guess at the answers to these questions. You’ll know, beyond the shadow of a doubt. It’s a tried-but-true marketing technique that is also far easier to start using than you probably thought it would be. You just have to keep a few key things in mind.
What is A/B Testing?
At its core, A/B testing is exactly what it sounds like – you test two different versions of the same message on similar members of your audience, allowing you to see which one generates the best response before you take that collateral out on a wider scale. So you might design two similar-yet-different versions of your direct mail postcards, for example, and send each one out to two similar (and small) portions of your audience. Based on which one is more successful, you can then choose that design to send out on a mass scale – thus increasing your response rates across the board.
The Power of A/B Testing
The major benefit of A/B testing like this is that it can be used for literally every type of marketing campaign. It gives you a tremendous opportunity to refine your marketing strategies and make informed, educated decisions by knowing how efficient your campaign truly is.
To begin experimenting with this on your own targeted mailing efforts, first pick one test variable (which can include elements like your graphics, the language of your ad copy or even specific offers). Break up your targeted mailing lists into two distinct groups and send one version of each mailer. Use a different call-to-action phone number or URL for each to distinguish which generates the most responses.
Based on whichever version of your offer comes out as the clear winner, you can then send that message to a much larger group of prospects in the future – thus making a significantly greater ROI no longer a question of “if” but “when.”
If nothing else, A/B testing is another chance to use the power of marketing analytics to your advantage. Based on your relationship with your prospects, you know what people want to hear. Now, you have a chance to really experiment with how they want to hear it to drive the best possible responses moving forward.
If you have any additional questions about A/B testing, or if you’d just like to learn more about our unique blend of targeted mailing products and services, please don’t delay – contact us today.
