Brands can use A/B SMS testing to gain valuable insights into their customers and gather marketing data they can use during their next text message marketing campaign.
But SMS A/B test campaigns aren’t only useful for testing purposes. Even variants of the control message get your brand name in front of consumers: the primary goal of many marketing campaigns.
How can brands use A/B testing in SMS marketing to their advantage, and how can they build A/B tests that deliver valuable data?
This guide breaks down everything brands need to know about A/B testing in text messaging marketing to help you get started.
Table of Contents
The benefits of A/B SMS testing
How to set up an SMS A/B test
Analyzing and interpreting your results
The Benefits of A/B SMS Testing
A/B SMS testing benefits brands in various ways:
- Data collection – Brands can use A/B testing to collect insights about how their customers respond to different messaging and strategy variables.
- Future campaign optimization – The data gleaned from A/B testing can inform (and improve) your next SMS campaign. Marketers can keep the most impactful content while shelving what doesn’t resonate with customers.
- General SMS marketing impacts – Even during A/B testing, marketers are still spreading their message to customers (even though some portion of the recipients are in the test group). Test SMS messages theoretically have just as much potential to convert as the control group. So, brands can simultaneously market and collect data.
Arguably the most important factor, A/B testing is a tool you can use to learn more about your target segments. Testing can empower your marketing team to create evidence-based, cost-effective campaigns that produce results.
Setting Up an A/B SMS Test
How do brands set up SMS A/B test campaigns? Let’s detail a typical testing procedure to help lay the groundwork for your first experiment.
#1 Select a Target Segment
For your first test, we recommend keeping it simple: select one target segment to study. When choosing a segment, consider one of two approaches:
- Staying broad – If your segments aren’t highly detailed yet, consider testing a broader group. Perhaps your first test group could be customers who have made a purchase before, customers who haven’t converted yet or members of your loyalty program. Remember that while you’ll likely test a larger group, your data will be more general.
- Niche-ing down – If you have highly specific segments (perhaps broken down by demographics, purchase types or geographic region), using one of these as your A/B testing ground could produce more precise data. But your test group may be smaller if you choose a niche segment, which would reduce the quantity of your data.
#2 Create A/B Messages
Once you choose a segment, it’s time to write your A/B messages.
Again, if this is your first test, we recommend simplicity. Test one variable, like the tone of your messages. For instance, if you’re preparing the first message in a summer-themed campaign, you might create the following messages to test different tones:
- Text A – “Summer is here [Customer Name]! Check out [Brand Name]’s new swimsuits and get ready to sunbathe in style: [Link].”
- Text B – “With summer right around the corner, it’s time to pick up a new swimsuit from [Brand Name]. Our new arrivals are in stock, but they’re selling fast. Find your new fave: [Link].”
These two texts use slightly different messaging: Text A could get recipients pumped for summer, but Text B uses scarcity messaging and a little more description to motivate recipients to convert.
#3 Establish KPIs
After you create your test copy, determine which key performance indicators (KPIs) you’d like to examine during A/B testing. Some examples include:
- Click-through rate (CTR) for your SMS links
- Message open rate
- Discount code redemption data, like:
- How many SMS recipients used the code
- Which types of products your customers redeemed the code to purchase
- The duration between message receipt and code redemption
- Abandoned cart/browse conversion rates after receipt
While we recommend keeping it simple when choosing your first test’s customer segment and variables, we suggest tracking as many KPIs as possible during this first experiment. Collecting data will increase your campaign efficiency (even if you’re only testing one variable).
Analyzing and Interpreting the Data
Once you build up a substantial sample size of KPI data, it’s time to analyze the results. Start with straightforward observations like:
- Text A had an open rate of 40%, while Text B had an open rate of 76%.
- 25% of Text A recipients clicked the SMS link, while 56% of Text B recipients clicked it.
- 15% of Text A recipients made a purchase, while 32% of Text B recipients made one.
Depending on the depth of your data, you can then draw further conclusions about your campaign. For instance, given the above hypothetical data, you could assume that scarcity messaging:
- Produced a higher open rate
- Created a higher CTR
- Converted more customers
This is data you can use for the rest of your drip campaign or while making plans for next season’s marketing push.
Leverage Texting Base for Efficient SMS A/B Testing
A/B SMS testing can help your brand find out which tactics produce the best customer responses—information you can use to modify a current campaign or shape a future one.
But to run sophisticated, insightful A/B tests, you need an SMS platform that effectively manages the test and collects KPIs at peak efficiency. When it’s time to test your next text message marketing campaign, turn to Texting Base.
Our all-in-one platform for business texting is straightforward, user-friendly and powerful. More than 13,000 brands rely on Texting Base for all of their SMS marketing needs.
And you can start texting your clients for free today.
Sources:
Oracle. What Is A/B Testing?. https://www.oracle.com/cx/marketing/what-is-ab-testing/
