Have you ever tried a different technique or strategy on promotional ads, or sales leads, or anything?
If not, then we will tell you something which is the most interesting and useful technique to test any method for sale and marketing, which is called A/B testing.
In this article, we will dig deep into A/B testing in Content Marketing, How it would be effective, and 7 ways to use this technique in your Content strategy.
Let’s move ahead.
What is A/B Testing?
A/B testing is a type of experiment. It is a method for comparing two versions of something to see which one is more efficient. It is also known as split testing.
To determine which version of a design approach is better, two versions are created at the same time and shown to half of the same target audience.
The test determines which one performed best with the intended audience.
The version with the highest conversion rate or that prompts the most users to take the desired action is the winner.
Continuous A/B testing can boost the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns greatly.
You can see exactly which direction your audience is moving over time and adjust all future content accordingly.
It also poses a lower risk than making changes to existing content, which may result in a temporary drop in engagement or even sales.
A/B testing, on the other hand, would keep half of your audience on the original version.
How is A/B Testing Effective For Your Content Marketing Strategies?
Content can be tested in the same way that anything else can, and some elements deserve a higher Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO). Even if the content is well-written and peppered with the images, videos, and other goodies that today’s searchers prefer, there is always some degree of unpredictability.
After all, it’s designed to be read, viewed, or shared by real people, not just scanned by automated search engine bots.
But how can we ensure that we’re producing high-quality content? And, perhaps more importantly, how can we be so sure that we’re writing content which will attract our ideal website visitors (those who buy)?
The solution is testing!
Your readers will tell you what they like by sharing, responding, and taking action when you test your content. The best-performing content will provide you with insights into the type of content you should write and share in the future.
7 Smart Ways To Use A/B Testing in Content Marketing Strategies
Split Test Your Headlines
Your headline is, without a doubt, the most important part of your content. It’s what determines whether or not people click through from your email or social media post.
On average, only 80% of your readers will read past the headline.
This is the most basic type of A/B test. Begin by brainstorming some headlines for a blog post, social media post, ad copy, or any other piece of content.
Create two versions of your headline, send both versions to an audience in real-time. Show one headline to about half of your traffic and the other half to the other half. Analyze the results to determine which headline produces the best results. Use the headline that gets the most clicks.
A/B Test Your Images
Images are an important part of your content marketing strategy. After all, they are “worth a thousand words.”
So, why not make the most of your images by using ones that will attract and appeal to your ideal customers?
According to one source, when a new image was tested, ad engagement increased by more than 60%. Of course, you can A/B test any image in your content, even if it isn’t an ad copy.
If you’re not already using image captions, give them a shot and see how they affect reader engagement.
Split testing images should not be limited to just page copies. Extend it to your blog posts and social media posts as well.
Length Of Your Content
Experimenting with your post length may produce unexpected results. It may even help your search engine rankings.
If you normally write 800-word posts, try writing a couple of 1,500-2,000 word blog posts.
Also, longer posts tend to get ranked better and long posts enjoy higher social engagement.
Testing different lengths is the only way to truly know what the optimal content length is for your intended audience. There are several approaches you can take. However, one of the more effective methods is to present content of a certain length for one week and then make it a little longer or shorter the following week.
Type Of Content
We need to split test our type of content. The appropriate type of content is highly subjective and varies greatly depending on your niche.
However, looking at your business objectives will give you a good idea of the types of content you might want to produce more of. Examine your business objectives before you begin split testing different types of content.
Use A/B Testing To Make Your Landing Page Better
Landing pages, which are also intended to be high-converting, can be subjected to similar A/B testing methods. The potential issue with landing pages is that they are frequently created and then forgotten about, as might happen if you create landing pages for specific ad campaigns.
To run A/B tests on landing pages, use the first version as a control. After that, you’ll make a few changes to see which one performs better.
This method can also be used with other A/B tests, especially if you have an existing page or piece of content that is only slightly underperforming.
Take Opt-In Form Seriously
Another critical component of your content marketing strategy is your opt-in form (also known as a “signup form”).
The offer in your opt-in form can give your website visitors a quick idea of your overall focus—and either attract or repel them.
Call To Action (CTA)
A CTA is always at the end of a conversion-friendly post. It could be anything, such as a simple call to action to share your post or subscribe to your blog.
Split testing CTAs will assist you in determining which CTAs your readers respond to the best.
Whenever you create content for your website, whether it’s a blog post, a landing page, or even an about page, you should always ask yourself:
“What do we want our readers to do after they finish reading this content?”
Final Word
We have discussed different methods for A/B testing in content strategy. It might be difficult to add another job to the never-ending list of marketing must-dos for small business owners or marketers who are attempting to handle everything themselves. However, A/B testing is really useful in assisting your content marketing efforts to accomplish your goal.