Marketing is for people and testing different variations is the most practical way to identify the effective elements.
SMS marketing is the most direct communication you have with your customers. And, A/B SMS testing allows you to compare different versions of your text messages to know which performs better, ultimately helping you optimize your SMS marketing efforts.
In this blog, we have some text A/B testing examples for you to enhance your SMS marketing performance.
15+ A/B test examples to boost SMS marketing results
A/B testing is essential for refining your SMS marketing efforts and understanding what drives the best response from your audience. Whether you’re preparing a major Black Friday SMS campaign, launching a new product, or just looking to boost ongoing engagement, A/B testing helps identify the messaging, timing, and offers that resonate most with your customers.
At TxtCart, we’ve run various A/B tests on text marketing campaigns to help brands optimize their outreach and see measurable results. Here are some examples of A/B tests we’ve conducted to fine-tune our approach and maximize effectiveness.
1. SMS vs. MMS
SMS is a plain text message limited to 160 characters. Whereas MMS is an extension of SMS with up to 1,600 characters, including media such as images, videos, audio clips, and GIFs.
Brands may experiment with variations, where on one side they can stick to the simplicity of text, and on the other, spice it up with images or graphics. Monitor the results thoroughly to know which variation resonates better with your audience. This will help you craft an SMS marketing strategy for the future.
Recommended read: SMS Marketing Trends 2024
2. Call to action
Your CTA acts as a little nudge to influence your audience to take that final action. A well-crafted call to action (CTA) creates a fear of missing out (FOMO), which the audience can’t resist.
Use a variety of CTAs to pick the best for your audience. Start by replacing your currently used CTAs with better and more action-oriented versions. As one of the text A/B testing examples, you can use “Shop Now” against “Visit the store” to see if it drives the action. The key is to keep the CTAs clear, actionable, and relevant to the content of your messages.
3. Photo Vs. GIF Vs. video
Humans are visual lovers, and SMS containing multimedia always performs better than plain text. When the dilemma is between Photo vs. GIF Vs. Video, try it all. See which one lights up your audience’s screens and engages them the most.
It’s like finding the perfect outfit – some occasions call for a photo, others for a GIF’s playful touch, and sometimes a video adds that extra wow factor.
As one of the text A/B testing examples, a clothing brand can use images for new arrivals, GIFs for product versatility, and videos for BTS looks or styling tips.
4. Short text Vs. long message
SMS is basically a quick conversation with your customers. Sometimes you want to get straight to the point, and other times, you want to spill the beans. How to decide what is the best way? Test it. Run both campaigns. You can be more specific while executing the test. Use short content for certain events and longer for others.
For example, a clothing brand can use short texts for flash sales, while longer messages are perfect for showcasing exclusive collections. After all, It’s all about finding that sweet spot between being concise and delivering the right amount of information.
5. Morning vs Evening
Right timing increases the impact of your SMS campaigns. You wouldn’t appreciate a conversation with any other person when you are with your best friend. Similarly, poorly timed messages are likely to be disregarded and won’t produce the desired outcomes.
Consider factors like age, profession, preferences, time zones, and lifestyle of your target audience to analyze best-suited timings for your marketing campaigns.
You can also research by strategically sending SMS marketing messaging campaigns in the morning or evening to figure out which timing works best.
6. Discount Vs. promotion
Discounts and promotions share a common goal, which is to sell the product, but promotions are more long-term. Testing different offers will get your mind towards the one that resonates better with your audience.
As one of the text A/B testing examples, in one group, offer a straightforward discount – 50% discount on holiday sale. On the other, introduce a promotional offer, perhaps a “Buy One, Get One Free” deal, like adding a scoop of ice cream. Later observe which one sweetens the deal for your audience.
Recommended read:11 Types of Discounts to Use in SMS Marketing Campaigns
7. Cart Abandonment
Cart abandonment SMS messages have an average conversion rate (CVR) of 24.6% – 39.4%, making them highly effective in recovering potentially lost sales.
Test different approaches, such as the timing and content of cart abandonment messages to identify the most effective way to bring customers back to complete their purchases.
For example, some might respond better to a gentle reminder, while others might need a more urgent push with a limited-time offer. Keep experimenting until you find the right approach that brings those abandoned carts back into the checkout lane.
Recommended read: Complete Guide to Reduce Cart Abandonment With Conversational SMS Marketing
8. Welcome Series
The welcome series is the first impression of your brand, so you want to make it count.
As one of the text A/B testing examples, you can experiment with personalized greetings, VIP offers, flash sales, and interactive content. You also test SMS variations in tone and length. Send out different versions at optimal timing to find the best results.
9. Post Purchase
After your customers have made a purchase, it’s time to keep the conversation going. Test different post-purchase messages such as thank you for your order, asking for feeding, order delivery updates, and another with a follow-up offer for their next buy. Make sure to include emojis for extra quirk. See which approach keeps them feeling appreciated and eager to return.
Recommended read: Should You Use Emojis In SMS Marketing?
10. Tone of voice
Your tone of voice sets the stage for how your brand is perceived. The tone needs to be consistent with your brand. You can experiment with variations like casual and conversational, professional and informative, or playful and witty. You can also include viral memes and puns for dynamic nature. Pay attention to how your audience responds to each tone – do they engage more with a friendly chat or prefer a more formal tone? Find the voice that speaks volumes to your audience and builds a connection that lasts.
11. Incentives
Incentives motivate recipients to take immediate action. Testing different incentives in SMS marketing campaigns determines what drives the most engagement and conversions. For example, you could test variations such as percentage discounts on products, free shipping orders, or limited-time offers such as additional coupons on festive discounts.
12. Segmentation & Personalization
Segmentation and personalization allow you to craft specific messages to the relevant customer groups driving better conversion rates.
A/B testing segmentation involves dividing your audience into different categories based on factors such as demographics, purchase history, or engagement level. Once the segmentation is done, personalize the crafted messages with recipients’ names, past purchase details, or tailored recommendations.
As one of the text A/B testing examples, perform this experiment by sending these personalized messages to one group and regular messages to another.
13. Message frequencies
Message frequency can significantly impact recipient engagement and satisfaction with your SMS marketing efforts. According to a study, the preferred frequency of receiving messages from businesses via mobile messaging varies, with 40% of consumers preferring to hear from businesses once a week, and 30% preferring a few times a week
A/B testing message frequency includes sending messages to different customer groups with varying frequencies of messages they receive, such as daily, weekly, or bi-weekly. Monitor metrics like unsubscribe rates, response rates, and overall engagement to understand the effectiveness of each frequency level.
Recommended read: Key marketing events and holidays for your next SMS Campaign
14. CTA button placements
The correct placement of CTA buttons in your SMS marketing messages has a higher impact and can influence recipients’ likelihood to click and convert.
A CTA button is likely to be present at the bottom of the message acting as the final call but A/B testing involves experimenting with CTA button placement to different locations within your message to identify the most effective placement.
As one of the text A/B testing examples, you can create three versions of your message with the call-to-action button positioned in different locations, such as at the beginning, middle, or end of the text. For this experiment, measure metrics such as click-through rates and conversion metrics to know which placement works best.
15. Loyalty rewards
Loyalty rewards are the bread and butter of keeping your customers engaged and coming back for more. A/B testing involves including different loyalty rewards in your SMS campaigns to know which resonates best with your audience.
Send these variations to separate segments of your audience and track metrics like redemption rates and overall engagement.
16. Subject lines
Subject lines are the gateways to your SMS messages, enticing recipients to open and engage with your content.
Create different subject lines varying in wording, length, and tone. As one of the text A/B testing examples, send these variations to different customer segments to determine which ones generate the highest open rates.
Streamline your SMS marketing efforts with TxtCart!
With TxtCart create custom one-time SMS Campaigns and get insights into specific campaigns for your text A/B testing examples with its analytics dashboard. We got you.
- Orders
- Sales
- AOV
- Opt-Out rate
Keep track of all your campaigns by name, date created, status, etc, and take quick actions from editing a draft, duplicating a successful campaign, or deleting a draft.
TxtCart also allows customer segmentation and personalize campaigns with behavioral data like past interactions, previous purchases, spending power, and more.
Install the TxtCart app today and reach out to our team of experts for better results.
