At this point, you’re probably thinking about trying out the Google SaaS suite called “Hootsuite.” It’s one of the most popular content-sharing platforms available. With Hootsuite, you can create and manage social media accounts from one place. You can schedule posts in advance or take advantage of their live-streaming feature to engage with your audience in real-time.
So, you’ve decided to give Hootsuite a go. Great! You’ve got a small business serving a lucrative market. You’ve got a couple hundred customers across the country. You want to improve your conversion rate and decrease your customer support needs. What are you going to do?
You’re going to split test it!
As the name implies, “split testing” is the process of trying out multiple versions of a product or service and measuring the performance of each one to determine which version is the best. With every other piece of software or platform, you might have heard of, and perhaps even used, split testing. But, perhaps not for social media platforms. That’s what makes this form of A/B testing different. So, let’s take a closer look.
What Is A/B Testing?
If you’ve ever shopped online, you might have noticed that some sites will show you two or more products that you can choose from. For example, you might see a blue shirt and a red shirt when ordering an orange dress. Or, you might see that a hoodie is either long or short, depending on the size you choose. These are both forms of A/B testing. They’re called A/B tests because the performance of each variant is compared to one another. In this case, we’re testing the color of the shirt and sizing of the hoodie.
Often times, these types of tests are also referred to as “multi-variant testing.” So, in a nutshell, A/B testing is the practice of comparing the performance of two (or more) options or variants of an action or feature. There are a few important points to keep in mind about A/B testing:
The Options Being Tested Are Often Vague
It’s important to be clear about what the options are before you begin your test. Why? Sometimes, the best option is the simplest one. Like the example above, you may have two or more variants of an orange dress. One is simply named “orange” and the other one is named “orange with Swarovski crystals.” So, which one is best? It depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. Are you looking for the cheapest dress? The simplest one will almost certainly be your best option. Knowing this, you may decide that the cheapest one is excellent for what you need and want. Or, maybe you don’t care about the name as much as you care about the color. In that case, the one with the Swarovski crystals would be your best option. When you have a clear idea of what the options are, you can choose the best one for the job.
The Variants Are Randomly Selected
Another important thing to keep in mind about A/B testing is that you’re not going to compare the variants based on some internal logic or formula. Nope, you’re going to pick a set of options randomly, or at least, as randomly as possible. For example, if you have two identical products or services, with the exception of the color being different, you should probably choose one of them and call it a day. The idea is to eliminate any variables as much as possible, and to give each option an equal chance of winning. When you randomize the selection of the options, you give yourself a better chance of coming up with the best combination, without any preconceived notions or advantages. This is why you need to be careful about using logic or previous experience to choose the best option. Sometimes, the best answer is the most obvious one. If you have two identical products, with the exception of one being slightly cheaper, you may want to go with the one that’s cheaper. However, if you’ve previously sold a lot of expensive products, and this is your first time trying out a cheaper option, you may want to pick that one instead. Or, if you’ve had great success using a particular feature in a previous iteration of the product, you may want to experiment with whether or not to include that feature in the new product. When you pick options randomly, you give yourself the best chance of finding the best combination. Sometimes, the best answer isn’t the prettiest or the most expensive one. It’s the one that works best for your particular need.
The Results Are Subjective
When you finish your A/B testing, you’ll need to decide what to do with the information you obtained from the experiment. Usually, you compare the performance of each variant and choose the one that works best for your needs. However, this is far from a precise science. There are a few reasons for this. First, as we discussed above, you’re not going to compare the variants based on any kind of formula or logic. This being said, it’s still possible for the variants to be sufficiently similar to one another that you can use mathematics to determine the winner. Second, even when you compare the variants based on objective criteria, like price or availability, there’s still an element of subjectivity that comes into play. For example, let’s say that you bought ten hoodies at three different stores, and you tested the functionality of each one. In that case, you would have 30 pieces of data that you could examine. However, it’s still entirely possible that none of the three hoodies you bought were functional, because they were all poorly made. In that case, you may want to try another store, or perhaps even return the ones you bought initially. Third, sometimes, the best answer is the one that works worst for you. So, even though you had one particular variant that you thought was excellent, it may turn out that another one is actually the best. As you can imagine, this is far easier said than done. When you have to choose between two products or services that are almost identical, and you haven’t tried out either one yet, it can be difficult to know which one to choose. This is where subjectivity comes into play. Even when you try to be as objective as possible, there are still things that you cannot control. Like the weather, for example. If you live in a place where it rains a lot, then getting wet is almost unavoidable. However, when it comes to choosing a reliable roofing company, gettin’ wet is not an issue. Since you have to live with the roof for a while, it’s essential that you pick a company that you can trust. In that case, it might be better to look for a company that has multiple locations, so that if one of the stores gets damaged by the flooding, you can have another one to continue serving your customers. Even when you use objective criteria, like pricing, to choose the best option, it’s still not easy to tell which one is better without actually trying them out. This is why you have to be careful about choosing a product or service based on limited data, or on the basis of logic, that you may have learned through experience, or from someone else. When it comes to picking a supplier for your business, there are many things to consider. One critical point to keep in mind is that you should not choose a company that does not have a good reputation. After all, if you go with a known evil company, then it’s likely that you’ll end up in trouble. Do your research online before you make any decisions. This way, you’ll be able to find out as much information as possible, before you decide.