The most impactful people in this world have a unique trait in common: they are tinkerers. They are constantly testing and optimizing their ideas. This is true of artists. When a composer changes a single note, it has the power to transform the entire arc of a piece. It is also true of scientists. Chemists will habitually test their hypothesis before publishing theories.
I know what you're thinking: I'm not a world famous composer, and I'm not Louis Pasteur. I'm just trying to grow my business.
Well in the realm of digital marketing and web pages, we call this tinkering process A/B Testing. Here's what we're talking about:
Creating Version A and Version B of a piece of content, sending each version to two samples of your audience, and analyzing the responses.
The following lists 5 ways to increase traffic and convert leads using A/B Testing.
1) Email Subject Line
Sometimes all it takes is a simple change in the title. Test two different subject lines, and see which one has a better open rate. It could be based on length or just language, such as intriguing the reader with a question. Start with a small sample, then send the winning version to the rest of your contacts.
2) Landing Page Design
This may include tinkering with the headline or adjusting the way you promote your offer in the supporting copy. Try a couple different designs and send half of your visitors to one page, and half to the other. There are several design essentials for making sure landing pages do their job generating leads.
3) Call-to-Actions
Make incremental changes in your CTA button and see which one gets the most clicks. Check out these CTA best practices. The most important thing to keep in mind is to make sure you're using actionable language.
4) Form Fields
Are you getting enough information about the person, while keeping them from heading for the hills? Try on a couple different ways of asking people about themselves, and see which form gets filled out the most. In the end, it's usually best to stick to the essentials.
5) Word Count
Whether it be on a landing page or an email, the reader should be able to scan your content. Short blocks of text and white space always help. With that said, pages that are rich with valuable content are always a big hit with readers and Google. We recommend testing out a couple different lengths.
Now when you're creating marketing content, sometimes you just want to just trust your gut. But in the digital landscape, everything is measurable—so you better work on some testing methods. There is a science that goes into producing great work. Things can always be better. It's that constant tinkering and refining that generates more leads and sparks more conversions.
If you would like to continue a conversation on how to implement A/B testing into your marketing communication, feel free to contact us or reach out on LinkedIn. We'd love to talk!
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