Why You Should Always Split Test Your Facebook Ads
When advertising on Facebook, it’s important to understand the value of split testing your ads. Split testing, also known as A/B testing, allows advertisers to run controlled experiments with their ads in order to discover which approach is the most effective and generates the best results. Optimizing your ad approach through testing will help to boost engagement, earn more clicks, and drive more traffic to your website.
What is a split test in marketing?
Split testing is a simple way to determine the most effective strategy for marketing your business to your target market. It’s also commonly referred to as A/B testing, and it can be used to experiment with all kinds of promotional material, including emails, web copy, and ads. It takes a little time to set up and run a test, but discovering the results that it will yield are well worth the effort. You’ll be able to see which ads bring the greatest return on your investment.
Variables offered by Facebook
Facebook allows you to do split testing with one of 4 different variables. These variables are:
- target audience
- delivery optimization
- placements
- creative
You’re given the ability to take one of these variables and test out 5 different strategies for each. That means that you can, for example, split your audience demographics by age range to run a test and see which one performs better. You could run an almost identical ad with and without a video. Playing around with these variables makes it easier to hone in on the best strategy to implement for achieving your specific goals.
Before running a test
Before you set up a split test, think about your ideal audience. Jot down where you think they live, how old they are, whether they’re male or female, and other details. Once you have a clearer picture in mind, you can set the variables for the test and see if you’re instincts are correct.
Scheduling a test
For the most reliable results, Facebook recommends that you opt for a 4 day test. They suggest running a test for a minimum of 3 days and maximum of 14 days, if prefer to go longer. This will ensure that enough data is generated to support a winning outcome. You could go longer than 14 days, but this would take a bite out of your budget and it wouldn’t be the most cost effective use testing.
Gain insight about the results
Facebook will notify you of the results through the Ads Manager, as well as by email. You’ll be able to review them and see what factors may have contributed to the best performance. The level of detail that Facebook can provide in terms of demographics data can be eye opening. You can then compare that info to the ideal audience you thought about at the beginning. This insight will help you to tailor your ad campaigns going forward, allowing you to make the best use of both your time and your advertising dollars on Facebook.
Learn the ins and outs of A/B testing ads on Facebook from our team of social media marketing experts. Send us a message via our contact page and we’ll get back in touch ASAP.
