Whether you’re launching new ads, updating your website, or writing email copy, it’s tempting to rely on gut instinct to guide you in the right direction. But if you want to drive real results for your roofing company, you need data to make smart marketing decisions.
What’s the best way to get information without relying on your instincts? It’s simple: A/B testing. In a nutshell, split testing compares two versions of something to figure out which performs better. From ad copy to digital creatives, it’s the tool you need to make an impact on potential customers.
It might sound intimidating, but it only takes a few steps to implement A/B testing—even if you’re a marketing newbie. Here’s how to drive conversions and customer insights with strategic split testing.
A/B testing, or split testing, involves showing multiple versions of a variable (think: landing page CTA, ad headline, page elements…) to different audience segments to determine which version drives the best results.
Think about it this way: When you’re running A/B testing, you show version A to half of your audience and version B to the other half. Here, A is the control group (the original testing variable), and B is the variation (the new version of the variable).
Sounds simple enough, right? Here are some variables you can try with A/B testing:
A/B testing might seem like the latest marketing fad, but it’s nothing new. According to recent marketing statistics, 77 percent of organizations are already performing A/B testing on their website, while 60 percent are running A/B testing on their landing pages.
It’s one of the best ways to optimize your marketing materials with data-backed decisions, and it’s easy to see why. By testing multiple variations, you can determine which version moves your marketing metrics in the right direction. Then, you can implement the “winning” changes to maximize your ROI.
Still on the fence? We’ve seen clients upgrade their lead generation strategy with split testing. Here’s how analytics can help you dominate the competition.
Your roofing website attracts local homeowners who have needs. Every single website visitor is trying to get something out of their visit, but their goals are different. Some might choose to browse your blog, while others might scroll through your client testimonials. Chances are, some of those visitors are going to have issues with your website.
This can be anything, from complicated website design to boring content. To improve user experience and help leads find what they’re looking for, you need to understand user behavior through Google Analytics, heatmaps, website surveys, and split tests to give them exactly what they’re looking for. Trust us—your conversion rate will thank you.
A/B testing is essential because different audiences behave differently. Maybe your competitors are driving clicks and conversions with bright bold text, but you’re not seeing the same results from your ad campaigns. When you don’t know what your target audience wants, you can use split testing to learn more about their preferences.
Remember: There’s no one-size-fits-all formula for roofer marketing. You need to figure out what works for your target audience to grow your business, and that’s where split testing can point you in the right direction.
Let’s face it: Building a website that works isn’t an easy task, and it’s not always going to happen overnight. From CTA buttons to color combinations, the decision of which version is best should always rely on A/B testing.
Our advice? Don’t test every variable at once. Instead, keep it simple with minor changes. Test design elements like website headers, page navigation, and the placement of text. At the end of the day, a professional website design can make the difference between leads and customers.
Now that you’re an expert on A/B testing, it’s time to implement your first split test. With the right research, sample size, and metrics in place, split testing can take the risks away from implementing new changes—all while providing key insights into user behavior and preferences. Here’s how to get started.
When you’re writing ad copy and sending email newsletters, you’ll probably notice that there are tons of variables to test. To accurately assess how effective your changes are, you’ll need to stick with one “independent variable” at a time. If you test multiple variables at the same time, you’ll never know which variable was responsible for the results.
To choose the right variable, take some time to evaluate your marketing materials. What could you do differently? Is there different wording you can use to send the same message? Can you change the font without sacrificing readability? You might also test different email subject lines, personalization strategies, or color combinations.
Don’t be afraid to get granular. Even minor changes, like adding emojis to your emails or changing the power words on your CTA, can transform your results.
Where do you want your dependent variable to be at the end of testing? Write down a hypothesis that includes your variables and the metric you’ll use to prove (or disprove) the success of your experiment.
If you don’t set goals beforehand, you’ll probably skip over some key details when setting up your split test. Make sure you know what you’re testing, how you’re testing it, and how you’re measuring results before you move forward. During this step, you’ll also want to calculate how significant your data needs to be so you can analyze results later on.
Now that you have your variables and hypothesis, it’s time to make the magic happen. Start by creating an unaltered version (AKA your control). If you’re testing different forms of social proof, your control scenario is the client testimonial page already in place.
From there, create your variable—the altered copy, page format, or type of social proof you’ll test against the control. For example, if you’re wondering whether a quote would drive more conversions than a video, set your control as the video and create your variable with the quote.
Whether you’re testing web design or ad headlines, you need a decent sample size for accurate results. If you test for too short of a time period, you’ll be left with unreliable results. You need to let your test run long enough to obtain a substantial number of views. This way, you can ensure a statistically significant difference between variations.
Not sure what your sample size should look like? Your sample size depends on your website traffic—so if you don’t get a lot of traffic to your website, you’ll probably end up running a longer split test. There are some pretty good tools online to guide your A/B testing, including this one by Visual Website Optimizer that can help you set a timeline based on your goals.
Your data isn’t worth anything if you don’t take action. If one variation drives statistically significant results, it’s time to say goodbye to the old version. If neither variable had better results, your variables didn’t impact results. When this happens, keep running the original version or try another test.
While A/B tests can help you maximize clicks and conversions on a case-by-case basis, you can also look for repeating trends and apply them to future efforts. For example, if your leads click on email subject lines with emojis, you might want to incorporate more emojis into your emails.
Even if you’ve never tried split testing before, a comprehensive A/B strategy can make all the difference in your ROI.
When you take the guesswork out of marketing, you can dominate the competition with a data-driven approach. In today’s competitive marketing landscape, A/B testing is becoming a go-to tool to boost ad performance, optimize web design, and drive conversions.
Ready to make A/B testing work for your business? Reach out to our team to fuel your roofer marketing strategy with powerful analytics.
