{"id":68788,"date":"2021-03-25T14:00:37","date_gmt":"2021-03-25T22:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adespresso.com\/?p=68788"},"modified":"2021-05-11T12:09:13","modified_gmt":"2021-05-11T20:09:13","slug":"copy-testing-tools-strategies-increase-conversions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adespresso.com\/blog\/copy-testing-tools-strategies-increase-conversions\/","title":{"rendered":"Tools and Best Practices for A\/B Testing Your Ad Copy"},"content":{"rendered":"

We know that copy is a crucial aspect of PPC ad performance. But how do you actually create high-converting copy<\/strong>? <\/span>While there are plenty of elements that go into great copywriting, a crucial factor in optimizing for performance<\/a> will always be A\/B testing.<\/p>\n

Testing is the only way to find out what resonates for your specific audience, products and brand. Without careful testing, you’re running campaigns on assumptions and theoretical best practices that may work for other<\/em> brands, but might not necessarily work for you.<\/p>\n

\"A\/B<\/p>\n

In this post, we’re going to go over everything you need to know about A\/B testing your ad copy<\/strong>, including the best tools and strategies you should check out to increase the accuracy and actionability of your test data.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Guide: A Simple Formula for Converting Facebook Traffic Into Sales – <\/em><\/strong>Click and get your copy now<\/strong>! It\u2019s 100% Free!<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

What is A\/B testing?<\/b><\/h2>\n

A\/B testing\u2014 also frequently called “split testing”<\/a>\u2014 is the process of testing a specific element of your ad campaign to assess how it impacts performance.<\/strong> It helps you understand what your audience is responding to, which, in turn, can help you optimize your future campaigns.<\/p>\n

You’ll notice that we say “a specific element” rather than “elements” \u2014 there’s a reason for that.<\/p>\n

Say you have an ad running with a picture of a woman jogging, six lines of copy about a health fitness app and a button that says Learn More<\/em>.<\/p>\n

But then you read on a blog that the color orange is associated with depression, not health (it\u2019s not, but go with it for the sake of this example). You also hire a copywriter who says Learn More<\/em> is a boring CTA, and they recommend replacing it with Get Started Today<\/em>.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re a smart business person, so you want to run a split test. You have your original ad and create a new ad variation with a new button color (green, for health and energy) and a new call to action.<\/p>\n

No matter what happens, you don\u2019t learn much. If the conversion rate changes at all, you won’t be able to tell if it was the copy, the color change or both that caused the shift.<\/p>\n

You’d learn a lot more from a test like this, which uses the same image, and only differs in copy:<\/p>\n

\"Purple \"Purple<\/p>\n

You can (and should!) test multiple variations of your ad copy at once in several different ads, but within that campaign, you should be testing only copy<\/em> to best understand the results of your split test.<\/p>\n

Remember that without split testing, your campaigns can become stagnant at best. Your results may be “good enough,” but you might be paying $3 per action when a tested and optimized campaign could yield the same result for $1.50.<\/p>\n

While this sounds dramatic, we’ve seen cases where strong A\/B tested copy was able to cut ad costs by as much as 75% following several months of dedicated testing and optimization. That’s an enormous shift in ROI, and it’s key to scaling both your ad delivery and your business results.<\/p>\n

Without testing different variations of ad copy, there’s always the chance that ad fatigue goes up and your overall ad performance decreases. You might also find yourself guessing what works for your audience and what doesn’t. All of this can be avoided with A\/B testing.<\/p>\n

How to run ad copy A\/B tests<\/b><\/h2>\n

The thought of creating multiple variations of copy for every ad may sound tedious, but the good news is that the process of A\/B testing copy is very simple if you use the right tools. Let’s take a look at how to do it right.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Using A\/B testing tools brings the process of split testing copy down to three steps: writing the copy, setting up the tests and analyzing your results. Let’s go over each step.<\/p>\n

Writing variations of the copy<\/h3>\n

Before you start a\/b testing Facebook Ads<\/a> (or any other PPC ads), you need to write the copy that you’re going to test!<\/p>\n

I have a system I use for all new clients who haven’t previously run extensive testing on copy. I can strongly recommend it.<\/p>\n

Create “sets” of ad copy. Each set should contain three headlines and four to six different versions of the body of your ad.<\/p>\n

Make sure they can all be mixed and matched. This should be easy since different versions of the same ad still promote the same product, feature or user pain point.<\/p>\n

Include different language, emojis, CTAs, lengths of copy and even styles of writing in addition to the messaging itself.<\/p>\n

On a high level, the style of versions should be consistent. For example, if you’re advertising a home security system and you decide to go with a fear-based headline, feel-good main copy talking about how a daughter waved to her dad through a security camera won’t line up.<\/p>\n

Setting up an A\/B test on Facebook<\/h3>\n

Once you’ve got your copy, you have the choice of A\/B testing through Facebook or a third-party tool with advanced testing and optimization capabilities (like AdEspresso).<\/p>\n

On Facebook, you set up A\/B testing on the campaign page after<\/em> the campaign is published. Note that this is a relatively new interface. Facebook has recently changed how testing works \u2014 previously, you would set up tests while creating the campaign.<\/p>\n

\"A\/B<\/p>\n

To start, click “Get started” on the campaign creation page. You’ll then go through the creation process as you normally would until you get to the Creative<\/strong> section.<\/p>\n

Here, you can fill in the primary text, headlines and descriptions for your test. Each box allows you to enter up to five different versions of the copy.<\/p>\n

\"A\/B<\/p>\n

Facebook will optimize delivery automatically, serving users the ad they’re most likely to interact with.<\/p>\n

After you publish the campaign, you’ll see a Test Setup<\/strong> popup. You can create a new version of the campaign you’ve set up by selecting a new variable to test. If you want to test out a different set of ad copy, you’d choose “ad text.”<\/p>\n

\"Facebook<\/p>\n

Once your campaigns are up and running, monitor the progress through your ads dashboard.<\/p>\n

A\/B Testing with AdEspresso<\/h3>\n

A\/B testing is more streamlined in AdEspresso, and it comes with advanced optimization options.<\/p>\n

When creating your campaigns, type in or paste multiple variations for the headlines and primary text. Unlike on Facebook, you can add more than five of each. You have up to 255 characters for the headlines and 2200 characters for the ad text.<\/p>\n

\"AdEspresso<\/p>\n

AdEspresso uses side-by-side comparison algorithms to determine which headline and copy combinations are driving the best performance, taking your key metrics and target actions into account.<\/p>\n

When your campaigns are live, we analyze their performance and offer specific suggestions for how you can improve, complete with detailed next steps.<\/p>\n

AdEspresso also offers advanced analytics that can help with manual optimization.<\/a> The platform will help you find the winning ad copy combination through A\/B testing and use that information to your benefit.<\/p>\n

Understanding your A\/B test results<\/h3>\n

There are plenty of metrics to look at when copy testing, and we’ve got a full post detailing important metrics to track for Facebook Ads.<\/a><\/p>\n

With PPC ads, you will likely focus on tracking conversions. And when it comes to conversion rates, there truly is no easy answer to the question of what is or isn’t a good conversion rate.<\/p>\n

For example, it’s easier for brands advertising clothing on Facebook to have a larger volume of conversions than a company selling high-end B2B services for corporate enterprises.<\/p>\n

You also need to take ad spend and ROI into consideration. How much does it actually cost you to get those conversions? Some brands pay $15 per action while others can only afford $2. So, conversion rate alone isn’t the ultimate indicator of success.<\/p>\n

It’s important to track\u00a0your<\/em> campaigns carefully and assess industry standards. Keep in mind, too, that with the iOS 14 rollout,<\/a> conversion tracking may be impacted and things may look a little different over the next few months.<\/p>\n

A\/B testing copy: what to test<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You know it’s important to test copy… but what exactly should you be testing?<\/p>\n

We strongly recommend A\/B testing every element of your ad copy. This includes:<\/p>\n