A/B Testing

Next week, we will feature guest blogger M. K. Hobson.  She has graciously agreed to share her wisdom on the use of QR codes to measure the effectiveness of your marketing collateral.  Her posts mention two topics that we haven't previously defined: ROI and A/B Testing.

We provided a quick intro to ROI in our Friday, May 25, 2012 post.  This post will cover A/B Testing.

A/B Testing, also called bucket testing or split testing, was originally used to test the effectiveness of print copy (messaging) used in ads and promotions.  The premise is simple, but can become quite complex when executed.  Basically, you produce two pieces for the same promotion.  Piece #1 can be your control (or standard) and Piece #2 would include ONE change that differentiates it from the first piece.  This change can be the:

• color scheme
• copy ('the drawing for the prize is every Wednesday' vs. 'weekly drawings for prizes')
• more or less text
• images
• content layout

The overall goal is to determine which version of the promotional piece is more likely to generate the desired outcome.  This outcome may be: website hits, sales, page views, downloads, etc.

When professional 'marketeers' <like 'musketeers', but not>  use A/B Testing, they make sure to use the two pieces during the same time frame.  They also monitor the outcomes for an extended period of time (perhaps a few months to a year) and they distribute the studied pieces to a sizable audience.

Ok, A/B Testing is most definitely an advanced marketing topic for most of our readership.  However, this method more than proves that all of the marketing around you has been orchestrated and vetted to get you to buy MORE STUFF.  There's a reason why that Kit Kat wrapper is red - the color red catches your eye at the checkout stand and the image is designed to promote hunger....see what we mean? <Insert sinister organ music here.>

In all seriousness, we know that your marketing budgets are limited.  Therefore, we want you to be able to get the most mileage out of the money you spend!  You don't have to do your own A/B Testing.  But you can learn from the folks who have used this design methodology and model your promotions, website, and other marketing collateral on successful campaigns.

 Learn from the best for FREE!

For more information on A/B Testing, check out the content on the link below....pretty interesting stuff!

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/06/24/the-ultimate-guide-to-a-b-testing/

Morgan says: One of my HUGE take-aways from this blog post:

• "“You Should Follow Me on Twitter Here” (Dustin Curtis)
  This much-hyped split-test involved testing multiple versions of a call to action for Twitter followers. Dustin found that “You should follow me on Twitter here” worked 173% better than his control text, “I’m on Twitter.”"

Who'd a thunk it?

Any marketing questions can be posed in the comments on any post. If you have a question, others will too, so we can address our answers to all. Our posts are myths and tips we feel are needed for us to share but we would love to target our answers to specific questions.