A/B Testing SMS Campaigns: How to Find What Works?

Learn how to run A/B testing SMS campaigns.

Many marketers and business owners complain of their poor results in SMS campaigns. If you’re one of them, you’ve come to the right place.

One of the best methods to improve the performance of your SMS marketing campaign is to run A/B tests.

In this blog post, we’ll explain how text message A/B testing strategies work and how you can run a campaign using WP SMS. So stay with us and if you need more information, you can contact us right now!

What Is A/B Testing?

A/B testing also known as split testing is about comparing two or more variations of an advertisement to determine the best version.

You can use A/B tests in all marketing channels, and SMS marketing is no exception. We call this method A/B testing because we divide the recipients into two groups: A and B.

Then, we send each version of the SMS to one group and finally analyze the results to find the better one.

In sum, here are the steps to run an SMS A/B test:

Step 1: Determine the Item that You Want to Test

You need to decide what item you want to optimize and prepare two variations accordingly. For example, if you want to see if the first name of the recipient is useful, you can consider the following variations:

• Message A:

• Message B:

Step 2: Segment Your Audience

Now, you have to divide your audience into two equal-sized groups. For example, 10 people in each group. Of course, you need to choose the groups randomly to avoid bias.

Step 3: Send the Messages Simultaneously

Try to send Messages A and B to two groups at the same time. In fact, you need to make sure that no other external factors impact your SMS A/B testing.

Step 4: Track the Results

Now, you need to monitor important metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversions.

Step 5: Analyze the Data

After comparing the performance of both messages, you can determine if the first name is useful.

Benefits of A/B Testing SMS Campaigns

Here is why you have to use A/B tests in your text message marketing campaigns:

1. Improving Engagement Rates: Using A/B testing you can find what captures attention.
2. Higher Conversion Rates: You can find the best offer and CTA to drive more action.
3. Audience Interests: You can recognize the interests and preferences of your audience. So you can build a library of best practices to use in the future.
4. Optimizing Timing: A/B tests can help you determine the best times to send messages for maximum impact.
5. Reducing Opt-Out: A/B tests let you align the SMS campaign with your audience preferences and reduce the unsubscription rates.

Overall, A/B testing in your SMS campaigns is a Customer-Centric Approach – Improve customer experience by delivering value-driven messaging.

Best A/B Testing Ideas for Your SMS Campaigns

Remember that creativity is key to winning the competition in SMS marketing. The following A/B testing ideas help you have a better experience is split testing:

1. Test Different Call-to-Actions (CTAs)

Each SMS should include a compelling CTA to politely ask customers to take action for the next step.

Try to experiment with various types of CTAs to see which one works better. Here are some  examples of CTA variations:

• “Shop Now” vs. “Claim Your Discount”
• “Learn More” vs. “Discover the Benefits”
• Direct commands (e.g., “Buy Today”) versus softer suggestions (e.g., “Take a Look”)

This way, you can analyze which type of CTA drives the most clicks or conversions.

2. Optimize Message Length

Each SMS message is limited to 160 characters. Of course, you can send longer text messages that will be calculated as two or three messages.

You need to test varying lengths to see what works best. Look at the following example of an A/B test for the length of your SMS:

• Version A:

• Version B:

3. Experiment with Personalization

Personalization has a great impact on the performance of your SMS campaigns so you need to run A/B tests to find the best version of personalization.

One of the most important factors in personalization is using the first name of the audience. You can test whether it’s good to use the first name or not. The following SMS A/B test shows this:

• Personalized:

• Non-Personalized:

Apart from the first name, you can test other levels of personalization like previous interactions.

Here are two variations of an SMS with different levels of personalization:

• Basic:

• Advanced:

4. Try Different Sending Times

Timing is another key item in the success of SMS campaigns. It can significantly impact the engagement rates of your campaigns. 

Unfortunately, there is no specific formula for determining the best time to send your messages. However, A/B testing SMS campaigns can help you understand the peak hour at which your audience interacts most.

For example, try these times to see the result:

• Early in the morning vs. late afternoon
• Weekdays vs. weekends
• Right before the holidays vs. during the holiday season

5. Vary the Offers

Incentives are important items in SMS campaigns and you need to choose them wisely. If you’re unsure about it, run an A/B SMS test with different types of offers to see which generates the best response. Here are some examples of what you can offer:

• Percentage discounts (e.g., 20% off)
• Dollar-value discounts (e.g., $10 off)
• Free shipping or gifts with purchase

6. Test Tone and Style

The tone of voice and the language you use to write the message are other effective items you must consider.

A/B testing SMS campaigns in terms of tone can help you recognize what type of SMS your audience likes. Compare:

• Casual:

• Professional:

7. Include Emojis (or Don’t)

Funny items like emojis can add personality to messages and make them attractive. Of course, it might have different impacts on different people.

For example, youngsters love these items but the elderly might not like them. So first try to recognize your audience and also run an A/B test like the following one:

• With emojis:

• Without emojis:

8. Link Placement

Using tInks in text messages is a bit different from other channels like email. You can use normal links as they take a large place.

Fortunately, you can use the URL shortener features offered by SMS platforms like WP SMS to optimize the length of the link.

You can also run an A/B test to find out the best place for your link that brings higher click rates.

For example, you have the following options:

• Links at the beginning of the message
• Links at the end of the message

9. Segmentation-Based Testing

If you are not sure about the segmentation, you can run an A/B test. For example, if you don’t know if it’s better to segment audiences based on new and old customers or based on their genders, you can define both segments on different groups of your subscribers and send the same message to them. In this case, your message doesn’t change.

10. Follow-Up Messaging

Follow-ups are also really important in customer satisfaction. Try to include follow-ups in your SMS campaigns and optimize them using A/B tests.

You can test your follow-ups based on different factors like:

• Time: Sending follow-ups within 24 hours vs. 48 hours
• Content: Different phrasing in follow-up messages

Tips for Split Testing in Your SMS Campaigns

Now that you’ve become familiar with different types of A/B tests for SMS campaigns, it’s good to follow some tips to optimize your testing strategy:

1. Define SMART Goals

You need to define SMART goals before starting any marketing campaign, and A/B testing SMS campaigns are no exception. 

SMART goals are:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-bound

You need to know what exactly you want and get ready to measure your performance to see how close you are to your goals.

For a typical A/B test, you can define the following goals:

• Increasing click-through rates
• Boosting conversions
• Improving engagement rates
• Higher traffic to your webpage

2. Choose the Right Tool

As said earlier, you need to use an advanced tool to manage your A/B tests and compare the results.

You have to choose a tool that offers:

• Segmentation
• Automation
• Scheduling & Repeating
• Integrations

If you have a website, the best option for you is to use an SMS plugin like WP SMS. Using this tool, you can integrate your A/B testing with your website’s strategies. 

For example, WP SMS allows you to collect your users’ data from the website and segment them. Also, it has many advanced features like WooCommerce integrations and booking add-ons that simplify your SMS campaigns.

3. Test One Variable at a Time

You need to focus on a single item in each test to be able to accurately analyze the results. For example, if you want to test the message length, you must keep the offer and timing consistent in both A and B versions.

4. Use a Significant Sample Size

As you know, to reach a solid result from a statistical test, you have to choose a large enough sample. So try to build a large subscriber list to make sure that the result is reliable.

5. Segment Your Audience Well

A good segmentation is essential for a successful SMS A/B test. For example, you can test different tones and compare the results between millennials and baby boomers. Also, you can try the A/B test on urban residents versus rural customers.

6. Monitor Results in Real Time

Constantly track the performance of your SMS A/B tests as you run them. This real-time monitoring approach allows you to recognize the trend soon and make adjustments if needed.

7. Set a Control Group

It’s a good idea to define a control group so that you can compare the results of your SMS A/B tests against a baseline.

This way, you can test two variations of a promotional message with the result of a standard message you’ve previously used.

8. Analyze and Interpret Data Thoroughly

You need to consider all the important metrics to be able to reach a solid conclusion in your post-test analysis.

Try to look beyond surface-level metrics like click rates. In fact, you must recognize and understand the deeper trends of your results.

For example, a message with a lower click rate but higher conversion rate is useful and you should use it in your SMS campaigns.

9. Run Tests Simultaneously

You must make sure that the external factors don’t influence the results. One great approach to do that is by running the tests at the same time. This way, factors like time of day or day of the week don’t change the results.

10. Iterate and Test Again

Remember that this is an ever-changing area, so A/B testing is not a one-time exercise. Try to continuously refine your approach according to insights from previous tests. Gradually, you can reach the best result and reach a high ROI.

11. Keep Messages Compliant

Your SMS campaigns should comply with regulations about communication and personal data protection. Make sure that you know about GDPR and TCPA to avoid problems in the future.

12. Document Your Findings

You have to maintain a detailed record of A/B tests of your SMS campaigns. It’s good to create a sheet that includes variables, results, and key learnings to use in future campaigns.

Conclusion

A/B testing SMS campaigns is a smart method to find the best version of your text messages. 

You can run A/B tests considering items like CTA, personalization, offer, time, etc. This way you can align your SMS campaigns with your audience’s interests. 

Of course, you need an advanced tool to segment your audience and automate your A/B SMS campaigns. 

WP SMS is a great SMS plugin that lets you collect your customer data from your WordPress website and segment them. 

Also, it provides lots of advanced features like automation, scheduling, integrations, and add-ons like WooCommerce. So why wait? Try the demo version of WP SMS to see if it fits your requirements.

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