Digital marketing is a complex and ever-changing field. What works today may not work tomorrow. That is why it is important for digital marketers to always look into different aspects of their campaigns to see what works best. To keep track of this, constant testing of new strategies and variables to see what improves their performance is highly recommended.
But what are the right tests to run? What variables should you be considering when testing? And how do you know whether or not your test results are significant? In this blog post, we’ll take a look at seven variables that every digital marketer should be testing. We’ll also offer some tips on how to test them effectively. So whether you’re just getting started in digital marketing or you’ve been doing it for years, read on for some valuable insights!
Here are seven variables that every digital marketer should be testing to ensure their campaigns are running as smoothly and effectively as possible. By optimizing your efforts, you can improve your results and drive more traffic and conversions to get new customers.
1. Landing pages
The first variable you should be testing is your landing pages. Why? Because your landing page is the first thing people see when they click on one of your ads. Are your landing pages effective? Do they have a clear purpose? Are they easy to navigate? Are they optimized for conversion? Testing different landing page strategies will help you find the right approach to get your audience to take the desired action. If it’s not effective, you’re losing potential customers before they even get a chance to learn more about your product or service.
So what makes a good landing page? There are a few key elements:
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A clear and concise headline that tells visitors what you offer
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Compelling copy that convinces visitors to stay on the page
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A strong call-to-action (CTA) that encourages visitors to take action
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A well-designed layout that’s easy to navigate
To test your landing pages, start by split testing different versions of your page. Try changing the headline, copy, CTA, or layout and see how it affects your conversion rate. You can also A/B test different pages to see which one performs better.
2. Headline
Your headline is one of the most important elements of your ad, subject line, or landing page. It’s what tells people what your campaign is about and encourages them to click through to learn more. So it’s important to make sure your headline is effective to get the best results from your digital marketing campaign.
Creating a headline requires a careful balancing act between creatively informing the reader as well as enticing them to click. A/B testing has become an increasingly important technique for headline writing in recent years as it has become far more analytical. Although headline testing is one of the most powerful tools you can use, its effectiveness depends on your understanding of your target audience.
A/B tests are a common practice for some popular publications: every half hour, half of the readers are shown one headline, while the other half sees an alternate headline on their homepage. Following the test, they will use the headline that garnered the most readers.
3. Timing
When is the best time to run your campaign? Are there certain times of the year that are better for your business? When is the best time to run your digital marketing campaign? The vast majority of marketers have heard the same anecdotes over and over. It is a good idea to run your ads on weekends since most people are home, or before dinner, when people have just gotten home from work.
Nevertheless, anecdotes aren’t data. You shouldn’t assume that a specific time slot will work for your business just because it worked for someone else. It all depends on your target audience and what they’re looking for. Testing different timing elements will help you find the right approach to get your audience to take notice of your campaign.
To test different timing, create two versions of your ad–one that runs at a different time than the other. Then, track the results to see which one performs better in terms of CTR and conversion rate. If one ad outperforms the other signs, then you know that’s the direction you should be going in terms of your timing strategy.
3. Call to action
The next variable you should be testing is your CTA placement. Why? Because where you place your CTAs can have a big impact on how effective they are. If people can’t see your CTA, they’re less likely to take action. So it’s important to test different placements to see what works best.
You have to test not only the CTA placement but how you phrased it. The call to action is called that for a reason, the least you can do to convince them is confuse them. When it comes to calling to action buttons, you have to ask yourselves these questions: What is your call to action? Is it clear and concise? Does it make sense for your target demographic and campaign goals?
To test your CTA placement, start by split testing different versions of your web page. Try placing your CTA above the fold, below the fold, in the middle of the page, or at the end of the page. You can also A/B test different pages to see which one performs better.
4. Creative Elements
What kind of creative elements are you using in your campaign? Are they eye-catching and engaging? Do they convey the message you want to send? Testing different creative elements will help you find the right approach to get your audience to take notice of your campaign.
The creative elements you use in your digital marketing campaign–whether it’s photos, videos, infographics, or something else–can have a big impact on its success. There’s always a new style of layout, color scheme, fonts, banner, or button size that might bridge the gap between abandonment and conversion. For example, engaging images that convey what you want to say, or that create an emotional response; as well as being aligned with your branding have more impact.
To test the visual elements, create two versions of your ad–each with different visuals. Then, track the results to see which one performs better in terms of CTR and conversion rate. If one visual outperforms the other signs, then you know that’s the direction you should be going in terms of your visual strategy.
When it comes to any type of testing, but especially A/B testing, it is impossible to predict what will perform best until you test it, retest, and not stop until you know for sure. The more testing you do, the more you realize for sure that it is incredibly difficult to predict what will work or what won’t, irrespective of how well you think you understand your brand or your audience.
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5. Audience Segmentation
Are you targeting the right audience for your campaign? Testing different targeting elements will help you find the right approach to get your audience to take notice of your campaign. The targeting options you have will depend on the platform you’re using, but some common options include location, age, gender, interests, behaviors, and other shared characteristics. Different segments of your audience will respond differently to your marketing messages, so it’s important to tailor your messages to each segment.
You can test how different segments of your audience respond to your marketing messages by using a tool like Google Analytics. Just create a new segment for each group that you want to target and then track how each group responds to your marketing campaigns. If one target audience outperforms the other signs, then you know that’s the direction you should be going in terms of your targeting strategy.
6. Ad Placement
Ad campaigns are one of the most important variables to test in digital marketing. After all, if your ads are not being seen by your target audience, they’re not going to be effective. Several factors can affect ad placement, such as where on the page your ad is located, the type of ad (banner, native, etc.), and the format (image, video, text).
To test ad placements effectively, you’ll need to create multiple versions of your ad with different placements and track how each performs. A/B testing tools like Google Analytics can be helpful here. Human eyes are naturally left-handed and scan left to right. Considering this, content is displayed on the left side of a page while ads are shown on the right. Unfortunately, this also means users can mentally tune out the ads, affecting their click-through rate. In this case, you should place the ads on the left side, aligned with the primary content. Be careful not to overlap the content with the ads.
7. User Device Testing
One important variable that should be tested is the user’s device. Different devices can render web pages differently, so it’s important to test how your website or landing pages look on various devices. This way, you can make sure that your pages are looking their best and that users have a positive experience regardless of which device they’re using.
There are a few different ways to test how your pages look on different devices. One option is to use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool. This tool will analyze a URL and tell you if it’s mobile-friendly or not. If it’s not, the tool will provide some recommendations on how to fix the issue. Another option is to use a responsive design testing tool like Responsive Design Checker. This tool will allow you to enter a URL and see how it looks on various screen sizes. This can help identify any issues with your responsive design. Finally, you can test your pages manually by visiting them on different devices. This is the most tedious option, but it can be helpful to see exactly how your pages look on various devices.
Bonus: In addition to testing for different devices, it’s also important to test for different browsers. Different browsers can render web pages differently, so you’ll want to make sure that your pages look good in all of the major browsers. The most popular browsers are Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Apple Safari.
Make Your Digital Marketing Strategy Pay Off
The seven variables we have outlined are a great place to start, but they certainly are not the only ones you should be testing throughout your marketing efforts. The list goes on with social media, email marketing, content marketing, and more. Every digital marketer should be constantly experimenting with new ideas and marketing services to find what works best for their unique audience.
Variable testing is a key part of any digital marketer’s toolkit. It allows us to measure the impact of different changes we make and determine what works best for our audience. By testing regularly, you can improve your lead generation, brand awareness, website traffic, search engine optimization, user experience, and overall ROI.