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The Power of the Pivot: How A/B Testing Supercharges Your Video Marketing
- Laurence Scott
- Apr 26, 2023
- 3 min read
When you're launching a brand-new marketing campaign, it’s easy to feel like you have to get everything 100% perfect on the very first try. But here’s a secret from your friendly local video team: even the best campaigns involve a little bit of trial and error!
That’s where A/B testing comes in.
A/B testing is just a fancy way of saying "let's try two different versions of something and see which one our audience likes best." By tweaking a few details and comparing the results, you can easily optimise your videos, boost your engagement, and make sure your marketing strategy is working as hard as possible for your business.
Defining Your Goals: What Are We Measuring?
Before you start testing, you need to know what winning looks like for you. Take a second to think about the ultimate goal of your latest video campaign, and how you plan to track the results.
Ask yourself:
Do you want to drive more direct sales?
Are you looking to build an online community and gain more followers?
Is your goal to collect email addresses for your growing database?
Once you have your destination in mind, you can start testing the different paths to get there.
Three Simple Video Elements to Test
When it comes to video marketing, even tiny changes can make a massive difference in how your audience responds. Here are three easy things you can experiment with right away.
1. Timing is Everything
Try sharing your videos on different days of the week or at different times of day. You might find your audience loves watching your content during their morning commute, or maybe they are much more active on Sunday evenings.
2. Mix Up Your Channels
Don't put all your eggs in one basket! Try sharing your videos across a variety of social platforms. You might find that a video that gets a quiet response on one platform absolutely explodes with likes, shares, and comments on another.
3. Experiment with Video Length
Content length matters. Shorter, punchier videos (like Reels or Shorts) might do wonders for quick brand awareness on some platforms, while longer-form, in-depth content might build deeper trust and reach further on others.
By keeping an eye on this data, you’ll get a crystal-clear sense of how to best promote your brand and get the absolute highest return on your video investment.
Smart Testing: Protect Your Budget
In the marketing world, things are always changing and growing. No campaign is completely flawless right out of the gate, and there is always room to optimise.
Start Small with Paid Ads
If you are using paid advertising to boost your videos, we always advise starting with small budgets while you gather your initial data. Think of it as a low-risk fact-finding mission. Once you gain confidence and see exactly what is working, you can invest more heavily, knowing you're going to get a much better return.
Two Brilliant Ways to Track Direct Sales
If your main goal is boosting sales, tracking exactly which video brought in which customer can be tricky. Here are two incredibly reliable methods we highly recommend:
Option 1: The Discount Code Trick. Offer unique discount codes within your videos. If you use a different code for Facebook than you do for your website or LinkedIn, you can easily see exactly which video is converting viewers into paying customers.
Option 2: The Checkout Box. Add a simple "How did you hear about us?" questionnaire at your online checkout. It takes two seconds for a customer to fill out, but it gives you invaluable data.
Ready to Test the Waters?
Data might sound a bit dry, but experimenting with video is actually incredibly exciting—and it’s the fastest way to grow your business online.
Whether you need help scripting different hooks for your videos or want to map out a complete visual strategy, your local team at Offset Films is here to help.
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