Crush the HiPPO with A/B Split Testing
Feature by Co-Founder, Caroline Lim. With an iPhone in one hand and a pink planner in the other, she’s always on the go. Whether she’s working, gyming it up, or shopping, you can catch her on Twitter.
Sure, maybe I spread the metaphor a little too thin with my last blog post, Win over the Gatekeeper with your Resume. But isn’t a dating metaphor pretty obvious in relation to A/B split testing? Wouldn’t you want to test which pick-up line (the variable) maximizes your return on phone numbers (conversion rate)? Know what a HiPPO is? Just keep reading.
What is A/B Split testing?
Gotta love wikipedia: “A/B testing is a method of marketing testing by which a baseline control sample is compared to a variety of single-variable test samples in order to improve response rates.”
Why A/B split test?
You A/B split test to achieve your goals and get the results you want. Usually the end goal is to increase conversions. Can you honestly trust your gut feeling 100% of the time? Never guess what works – test what works. You should always test, why? Because it’s:
- Easy. It’s the simplest testing method out there. It’s not expensive (some of the time, free!) and there are a plethora of resources out there. Wingify, a conversion optimization blog, offers a list of 15+ Free A/B Split Testing Resources.
- Creative. Unleash the creative Marketer within yourself. What’s the best part? You feel amazing when you create a test that skyrockets your conversion rate.
- Speaking of creative, Brian Evans explains the importance of A/B split testing through a real-life example with his volunteer, Keith. Super intriguing!
- Measurable. Testing is completely measurable with the right tools in place. The benefit of measurability is to confidently decide whether or not your gut was right. I’m sure you’ll be surprised by the results.
- Evidence. Have a stubborn HiPPO (Highest Paid Person’s Opinion)? Get them off their high horse with some hard evidence. They won’t be able to argue against raw data.
- Constant Improvement: Who doesn’t want to make continual improvements to maximize returns? With A/B split testing, you can control the risk associated with making these changes.
So now that I’ve grabbed your attention, you need the following to get started:
- At least two different variations of a landing page, email campaign, subject line, or whatever you want to test. Get those thinking caps on and create a list of variations. I personally like to organize them in a good ole excel spreadsheet.
- The appropriate sample size to reach statistical significance. According to eMarketing Dynamics, “the smaller the detectable percentage improvement sought, the larger the sample size that will be required”. Use the *free* sample size calculator they provide to plan the sample size you need for your A/B split test.
- A way to track your results. (duh!) If you’re specifically testing landing pages, *free* Website Optimizer does wonders. Built to be a Marketer friendly product that requires minimal tech support, you should still watch the video tutorials and ask your Marketing Mentor for guidance. If you want to test different elements of your email campaign, use an email marketing service that offers an A/B split feature such as MailChimp and Campaign Monitor. If Website Optimizer and email marketing services don’t suit your fancy, eMarketing Dynamic’s result check is perfect for checking your results based on your sample size.
Now GoMarket. If you’re still insecure about your A/B skills, practice with Anne Holland’s website, Which Test Won?. Showcasing a “Test of the Week”, you can vote for which A/B version you think won and then see the real-life test results. If you’ve hit the ground running and already have some amazing results, share your findings with other Marketers on Marketing Sherpa. We’re all in this together right?
Thank you Dave Wilby for teaching me the importance of testing and introducing me to the world of A/B.