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1. What is AB Testing?

Simply put, it is a fairly easy process to implement and is used to compare the results of two versions of the same content/campaign to measure which of them is the most effective and/or efficient to achieve the objective you have set for yourself. In other words, it is about creating and testing a version, A (the existing one) and a version B (the alternative to be tested) to later check which one receives greater receptivity and approaches your objectives more strongly. Whether it's about designing, structuring and presenting elements within an email, ad, banner, headline, color, blog post, landing page and more.

2. How does AB Testing work?

 The process is simple, but you must be organized. I go by steps:

1- Create the versions of your content/campaign that you want to test, you can create as many as you want, but remember that you only have to vary one element (the image, the call to action, the text that accompanies the image, the audience, etc).

2- Identify the audience(s) within the digital platform that most resembles your target.

3- Launch the bells simultaneously

4- Start measuring the results of each campaign to check which one works best 

Once that period of time is over, you have to analyze the results to OPTIMIZE your campaigns. A statistical analysis makes it possible to test the effectiveness of each variation based on different performance indicators, such as the conversion rate. In other words, you can check which version generates more clicks, subscriptions, sales, etc. The results will determine the winning version and, therefore, the version that should be part of your final marketing strategy.

The goal here is to identify small changes that you can implement while still being actionable. Little by little, you apply them, so that each time you can achieve better results.

3. What do you have to take into account when interpreting the results of your AB Testing campaigns? 

 Once you have decided what you are going to test, you have to choose the tool that you are going to use to carry out the AB tasting. There are several options and you will have to see which one best suits your needs. It's a difficult task for someone with little experience, but that's what I'm here for and you can write me via Instagram @grlbuzz whenever you want. Once you have chosen the tool, you can start the test. Then, it only remains to wait until the data is significant.

Now the fun part!…

Start your experiment and compare the results when they are statistically reliable and relevant. Its duration may vary. For example, if your website has little traffic, it is recommended to leave both versions active for several days or even weeks to obtain a good result. If you have a busy website, maybe you can run a test that lasts only 24 hours. It all depends and I'm here to chat and help you whenever you want.

4. Best practices to get your AB Testing up and running

 Always keep two things in mind for your AB strategy: organization and clarity. You must know what you are going to do, when, and why. AB Testing is a very methodical thing and it only works when you do it too. So, to achieve the best results it is important to consider the following steps. 

• Test one item at a time 

This point is really a golden rule of AB tasting. If you're testing, say, a signup form, test changes to the title, changes to the call to action, or changes to the number of fields in the form.

Testing the change on just ONE item is the only way to know for sure what makes the difference in lead conversions.

• Do not make changes in the middle of the test

Instead, set a date to run your test and stick to it. Just sit back and wait for the results to come in and take action when the test is over. If you interrupt the test before the end of the ideal test period or introduce new elements that were not part of its original hypothesis, your results will not be reliable.

• Always carry out new tests 

My last piece of advice is to always be testing. Once you have enough data from your original campaign, you can start using AB tests to improve your results. Incremental changes can be seen very soon.

5. What do you have to do to optimize an AB Testing campaign?

The first step should be to list all the AB Testing you want to do. While it's important to test things that have the most impact first, it's possible to test everything. By this, I mean your website, the product sheet, the checkout process in the cart, the email design, the email subject, a banner you have in a campaign, a social media post, any action you take in digital marketing is susceptible to an AB tasting.

And I love that!! Because it makes the process something creative, not just strategic. So it's impossible to get bored 

Once the list is made, you must establish priorities from most important to least important according to the impact they can have on your business and carry them out one at a time.

It is also essential that you keep a history of the tests carried out to optimize each campaign. Documenting them consists of keeping a record of the following information:

• The name of the test.

• The test period.

• The tested hypothesis.

• A description of the variations that were carried out.

• The results and lessons of the test.

• The potential profit over a year.

Do you still follow me? Any questions you have, don't forget... write me on Instagram at @grlbuzz, because that's what I'm here for!

6. What are the best tools available to create AB Testing campaigns?

Now… as always, I leave you with a list of tools that I think can help you. AB Tasting are possible thanks to multiple tools available today. The fundamental thing is to find the one that best suits your needs and interests. Here we go!….

Google Analytics

It is a tool that allows you to do AB tests on your website in an easy way. It offers grouped information of the traffic that arrives to the websites according to the audience, the behavior and the conversions that are carried out on the website.

AB Tasty

It is a platform for conversion rate optimization. You can analyze the behavior of your users on your website through heat maps and session recording, carry out all kinds of tests, personalize your website based on your users and create engagement campaigns to encourage interaction on your site Web.

Hubspot

It is a platform that is used to carry out inbound marketing strategies, it helps you attract visitors to your website by converting them into leads and end customers.

And finally, always keep the following in mind… AB Tasting is a very simple methodology to implement, BUT it requires organization, perseverance and discipline. And thanks to them, you will be able to improve each element of your marketing campaigns until you are sure that you are publishing the most appropriate content at the perfect time. 

Do you need help with this or any other issue with your business? Follow me on @grlbuzz or write me at: dahlia@grlbuzz.com

 “If you double the number of experiments you do per year, you're going to double your inventiveness.” – Jeff Bezos