Analytics and social media go hand-in-hand; if you’ve spent hours crafting content and coming up with the perfect post schedule, you can’t just hope for the best and never take the time to learn from your content’s performance. One of the most popular ways brands are fine-tuning their social media strategies is A/B testing.
A/B testing saves you time and money; it gives you valuable feedback based on content you’ve already created or are planning to create, so you don’t have to backtrack or lose any progress on your way toward your marketing goals.
Video marketing isn’t just a trend anymore; whether you’ve been publishing multimedia for years or are just breaking into the social media sphere, using A/B testing can help put you a step ahead of the game and tailor all of your future content toward the perfect audience who will engage and convert.
What are some variables to test with A/B analytics?
There are plenty of different elements to tweak and test when you’re running an A/B test on new content. Here are some that are easy to implement and can provide you with a lot of valuable insight with little to no additional cost:
Video Title
Your videos title and description is what inspires people to watch. Look to high-performing videos in your market and follow their lead with titles and description formats. Play around with keywords and CTAs in the description to see whether there’s any rise or fall in traffic.
Graphics
Try new graphics and see if certain intros or end screens perform better than others. Consider adding subtitles for viewers on sites like Facebook that has autoplay and may be watching with their volume off.
You can also add popup reminders and other info throughout the video and see whether or not suggesting content or non-intrusively promoting your social media can increase engagement or clickthrough rates.
Ad Placement and Length
Experiment with ad durations and placement in videos; are viewers more likely to stick around with multiple, shorter adds placed throughout the video or one longer one in the middle?
Calls to Action
Test how your CTAs translate to viewer engagement by changing wording and adding various links.
Thumbnails
On YouTube, your thumbnail is going to grab someone’s attention or repel them. Avoid clickbait, but play around with different shots and even try adding fonts or descriptive wording that catch viewers’ attention and make them want to know more.
Target Different Demographics
Think about your ideal customers. Now, target specific locations, age ranges and interests within a larger demographic. Tailor your content to different groups and weigh the results; you may find that an underperforming video just wasn’t being shown to the right audience.
A/B Testing Tips for Beginners
Although the variables are up to you, there are some basic guidelines to follow in order to maximize the results of your A/B testing. Keep these tips in consideration as you plan your strategy:
Wait to Make Changes
You may be eager to switch up details every couple days, but it’s better to wait at least 10 days before you make changes. Rushing can lead you to draw inaccurate conclusions.
Make Sure You Look at More Than Views
Set goals and figure out what your video’s purpose is and whether or not that’s being achieved; increased views are great, but do they translate to greater engagement, website visits or sales?
Don’t Overlook Organic Growth
A/B testing your ad-driven video content can lead to greater success elsewhere. For example, many brands might find that even if their videos are moderately successful on Facebook, their sales on Amazon increase because people are driven to search for their content and make a purchase after being intrigued by a video on their feed.
Final Thoughts
The greatest thing about A/B testing is that it costs nothing to run and it can change anytime. You can target your A/B testing variables to suit your unique concerns, questions and objectives. A/B testing isn’t limited to videos, either.
Try experimenting with various elements on all your social media content over the course of a month and see what performs best. At the end of testing, you’ll have a stronger understanding of who your audience really is and be capable of marketing the type of content they want to see.
