How to Improve Bulk SMS Campaigns with an A/B Text Message Testing
A lot of businesses are familiar with the concept of A/B Testing and have tried it in so many forms. Changes in color, CTA placement, and even font size have proven to be the right blend in order to get good results.
In order for you to get results when you launch your bulk SMS campaigns with a multichannel marketing platform, you have to test how effective the campaign is and the long-term revenue impact for your business.
For the uninitiated, let’s do a quick refresher on what A/B Testing is:
What is A/B Testing?
A/B testing, in the simplest form, is a way to compare two versions of something to determine which works better. While it’s usually associated with mobile apps and websites, the process is very old.
It is one of the simplest forms of randomized controlled experiments. This test has risen in popularity over the two decades as businesses have realized that questions like, “What is most likely to make people click? Or buy our product? Or register with our site?” can now be answered fairly quickly. It’s now used to evaluate things like site/app layout, online offers, CTA, and product descriptions.
How Does A/B Testing Work?
You start A/B testing by deciding what it is you want to test. For example, you can create a custom short URL. Then you measure its performance.
In this case, let’s assume your metric is the number of clicks on the link. To run the test, you show two sets of users (randomly assigned when they visit your website) the different versions (one with the short URL and one without) and determine which is the most successful. In this case, which version of the link triggered more clicks?
What Do A/B Tests Measure?
It’s not unusual to see A/B tests being used to measure things like web traffic and the impact of the marketing campaign. For SMS A/B tests, your focus should be on five main things:
- Click-through rate
- Opt-out rate
- Conversion rate
- Cost per redeeming subscriber
- Subscriber growth rate
What Indicators Can You Measure with an A/B Test?
With the quick turnaround time of SMS campaigns, here are some things you could test to get definite results:
1. Call to Action
In SMS messaging, there’s a process behind selecting certain words as your CTA. Your options are limited when compared to websites or printed handouts. You have to consider your use of language and the prevalent culture.
When UbiSoft changed their CTA on the checkout page for their hit game series, For Honour from “Buy Now” to “Order Now”, they recorded a 12% in lead generation
2. Keywords
Keywords are very important and sometimes they function much like CTAs in bulk SMS marketing campaigns. In most cases, they are related to the subject matter of the SMS and it is worth testing which keywords work best with your campaign.
3. Timing
Figuring out the best time of day (or night) for your campaign is one of the best uses of A/B testing. SMS might enjoy a very good open rate but it takes more than that for conversions to happen. You need to test what time best suits your campaign and when your target audience is more open to buying what you’re selling.
4. Offers
This is what keeps SMS marketing very attractive to customers around the world. Most people opt into getting messages from brands they love because they want something in return for their loyalty. You can try variations of different offers to find out what they respond to the most. You can send two versions of your promo campaign to a test audience to see which one gets the most response.
How Can A/B Testing Improve Your Text Message Campaigns?
A/B Testing is the best way to define what works for your campaign, save money and make some more.
Factors like message length and tone can have an impact on the response rate. You also need to check if the delivery is correct and the best way to do that is by checking mobile phone carriers to determine if your users are real and are getting your messages.
In conclusion
With SMS marketing in your arsenal, there is so much you can do and A/B Testing makes your work easier.
Run your first bulk SMS campaign with BSG today to get top-notch results!
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