A/B Testing for Facebook Ads: Finding What Works Best
Even for experienced marketers, it can be a challenge at times to predict which social media marketing campaign will bring in the desired results. There could be many reasons for a failing campaign.
Have you struggled with changing audience preferences, rapidly shifting algorithms or simply too much competition?
There is a way out such that marketers and brands stand out from the crowd – A/B testing. It is a comparison technique where two variations of a marketing element.
Picture two different advertisements with the same message that are tested against each other to determine which works better in terms of certain KPIs. The strategy allows marketers to design, implement, and modify their marketing strategies.
77% of companies[1] use A/B testing on their website to understand which aspects of the website are working for them and which are not. Facebook leveraged this powerful tool. Users can A/B test their Facebook ad campaign to assess their marketing campaign's overall relevance and likeability and alter it accordingly.
Read on to know in detail what A/B testing on Facebook ads is, its importance, top methods to go about with A/B testing and best practices for effective campaigns.
Understanding the A/B Testing Process
A/B testing on Facebook ads helps brands and marketers reach their goals by allowing them to focus on the elements that work the best. They gauge which headline, copy, CTA, or visual elements work better. These parameters help them increase their reach, visibility, purchases, clicks, sign-ups and other marketing goals.
The first step of the process involves choosing a specific element to test, such as the ad's text, image, placement, or target audience. Then, marketers select a key metric, like click-through rate or engagement, to evaluate which version of the ad performs better.
Facebook then displays these different ad versions to separate audience groups, ensuring that no one sees both ads. Finally, it analyses which ad variation performs better for that particular metric.
For accurate and trustworthy results, it's crucial to have noticeable differences between the two versions and to run the A/B test for a sufficient duration.
A/B Testing on Facebook Ads – Get the Most Out of It
Your competition is getting better day-by-day, campaign-by-campaign, and basic marketing strategies won’t cut it. Marketers need data on their side.
A/B Testing on Facebook Ads allows you to make data-driven decisions, ensuring that your ad campaigns resonate with your target audience and achieve better results.
Let's delve into the reasons that make A/B testing an indispensable tool for advertisers.
Helps Brands Curate Customer-Centric Ads
A/B testing a Facebook ad allows the brand to gather valuable information about its target audience and content preferences. Accordingly, marketers can put out content that does both – uphold the brand image and resonate with the customers.
Saves Costs in the Long Run
With accurate data indicating the preferences of the customers, brands could save money, effort and other resources that would have otherwise been spent on creating irrelevant campaigns.
Think of all the money that your business can save!
Plus, brands can focus on refining their content strategy and, subsequently, increase their ROI.
Tracks Key Metrics
With A/B testing on Facebook, brands can easily track key metrics to see how well their ads are doing. This includes monitoring click-through, conversion, and engagement rates. By changing features like the Facebook ad size or specific elements and measuring the change, brands can figure out the best ways to reach their audience.
However, this could get complicated, especially for new brands that are just starting or those that are rapidly expanding their bases.
If you want your business to have a better ROI on Facebook Ads, businesses should consider connecting with marketing solution providers like GrowthJockey. Have a custom Facebook Ads strategy that will help your brand get better visibility and have a better ROAS (Return on Ad Spend).
How to Go About A/B Testing Facebook Ads
Starting with A/B testing for Facebook ads involves a few crucial steps to ensure your campaigns are effective and meet your marketing objectives. Ensure clarity on the following before proceeding with the steps:
Know the Goal
The goal for your testing could be a better click-through rate (CTR), improved ROI or reduced ad expenditure. But you must be certain about this so that your strategy can be designed to suit the goal from the get–go.
For instance, if you aim to enhance engagement, focusing on coming up with more captivating creative elements would work more effectively than just switching placement strategies.
Know the Variable
Knowing which variable to select depends on the goal. The variables could revolve around -
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Audience: Focusing on demographic aspects like audience location.
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Creative: Tweaking the visual elements of the ad, such as images and videos.
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Placements: Deciding the most effective placement for the ad on Facebook.
Know the Key Metrics
Once you’ve identified the goal and the variable, choose the key metric or the 'winning criteria' for the test. This could include cost per result, link clicks, view time, engagement, shares, reach, etc., to gauge the success of each ad variation.
The Step–by–Step Guide to A/B Testing
Now, let’s delve into the steps for A/B testing Facebook Ads to enhance the effectiveness of the ad library Facebook offers using Ads Manager:
Step 1: Access Facebook Ads Manager
Log into your Facebook account and navigate to Ads Manager. Choose from the “Campaigns”, “Ad Sets”, or “Ads” options.
Step 2: Select Your Campaign
Click “Create A/B Test” under campaign details for a new ad. For an existing campaign, select it from the campaigns tab and choose the “A/B Testing” option. Then, click “Get Started”.
Step 3: Initiate A/B Testing
Choose either “Make a Copy of This Ad” or “Pick Another Ad”, then click “Next”.
Step 4 (a): Copy and Modify an Ad Set
Select an ad set to copy, set variables, metrics, and winning criteria. Schedule your test’s duration and click “Duplicate Ad Set”.
Name the test ad set, review changes, and click “Publish” to start the test.
Step 4 (b): Choose and Edit Another Ad
Pick a different campaign or ad set for comparison. Name the A/B set, set your variables and criteria, schedule the test, make any edits, and click “Publish”.
Step 5: Monitor and Assess Results
Go to the “Reporting Table” to evaluate the test’s outcome. Select your A/B test campaign, view the chart, and check for the winning ad set, cost per result, and confidence level.
Best Practices for Effective A/B Facebook Ad Testing
When initiating A/B testing for Facebook ads, adhere to the following best practices to ensure your ad strategies are data-driven and effective.
Let’s delve into these essential guidelines to refine your approach to A/B testing on Facebook:
Be Particular About the Time Frame
While the duration for which one is allowed to run an A/B testing on Facebook ad is 1-30 days, brands must still conduct preliminary research on how many days is ideal.
Facebook recommends that a brand or marketer run a test for at least 7 days. However, this number depends on a brand's goal and business model.
If the objective is increasing conversion rates, brands must dedicate enough time that it usually takes for a lead to convert for the business. For instance, if, on average, a typical lead takes 10 days to convert, then brands must at least run the test for 10 days, if not more.
Test One Variable at a Time
Like too many cooks spoil the broth, testing more than one variable at once is futile. Trying too many variables is confusing and may not return reliable results. A single variable makes it easier to gauge which element increased the conversion or lead generation rate.
Choose an Ideal Set of Audience
The quantity and the characteristics of the test audience should be decided systematically, keeping in mind the objective of the A/B testing. The audience should be large enough and not overlap with other testing to derive meaningful results.
Wrapping Up
Facebook is the most active social media platform, with roughly 3 billion[2] monthly active users globally! Needless to say, tapping into the power of Facebook ad campaigns is essential for brands to expand on social media.
But, designing a successful Facebook ad campaign that addresses their unique marketing challenges is not easy. A/B testing is handy, but the process can quickly get overwhelming.
Here’s where GrowthJockey comes in – with years of experience understanding brands' journeys and challenges. We leverage cutting-edge technology and innovation to produce measurable marketing results for brands of all sizes.
Grow your social media presence the right way with Growth Jockey, and watch your returns soar!
FAQs
1. How often must marketers conduct A/B testing for Facebook ads?
The A/B testing frequency can depend on the marketing objectives and the number of existing ads. It’s recommended to conduct the tests whenever you modify ad campaigns to observe the difference in results.
2. Are third-party tools allowed for A/B testing on Facebook?
Yes, you can use third-party tools for A/B testing to receive advanced analytics and testing functionalities. However, ensure the tools comply with Facebook’s ad regulations.
3. How is A/B testing for various audience segments advantageous?
A/B testing for varied customer segments offers valuable insights into differing user preferences. Based on these results, crafting targeted campaigns will be convenient.
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