How to test SMS effectively? A/ B testing is the way to get rid of controversy, define what works best in your emails/SMS, etc. If you’re trying to figure out, test your SMS texts to improve results, let’s look at eight simple text ideas to get you started with the testing faster.
But before establishing a strategy, you need to be sure that your message delivery is working correctly. To check whether your audience receives unchanged content and whether it’s a real user who gets your message, use Testelium SMS testing service.
8 easy test text message marketing ideas
Since SMS is one of the most popular marketing/sales tools, it is essential to test message texts before/after your SMS message campaigns to access results and improve your work quality in the future. Here are some ideas to come up with!
1. Test what you can use in the future
Now you can run more than 100 A / B tests with your SMS, but you must admit that there are text message ideas you do not have to use. Yes, they are interesting, but how are they applicable in your business? How to decide what’s ok for you in your particular case?
Of course, you can search on the Internet what others are testing, watch videos, and read smart books. Your task is to find such indicators that will help you increase income from your audience. Don’t run a test that you think won’t affect your future SMS results – it’s a waste of resources.
2. Change only one variable at a time
If you send two SMSes with different sender ID and different content, what will you compare to? Or, for example, send an SMS to test female audience with a female assortment, and men – with a male assortment. What will we analyze, and what will we do with the results? Make your SMS identical by testing only one element at a time, with only one variable in it. For example, take one text and change the CTA button in it. This will help you understand which CTA attracts subscribers more to the site.
The more there are different variables, the more difficult it will be to assess what actually influences the results.
3. Get creative
It happens that a mobile SMS marketing business opportunity is spoiled because you use a message that takes more than one day to deliver, but there is no sense in it. Or, what’s worst, it is dry as hell and doesn’t touch at all. Long-awaited, but time wasted. Yes, it’s beautiful, but somehow your client does not want to buy anything from it because you lack some sparkle in your text. Check if the effort is worth the result. Show creativity.
Such messages require painstaking work, a sense of style and imagination, even for a single line! It is unnecessary to become or hire a wording guru, but you can start with at least small design details that will be attractive to the client. For example, some companies change the title style of messages every time, depending on the subject.
4. Do not change the time and date
Testing the same items at a different time and on a different day can lead to biased results. It happens so mostly when you compare a weekday and a weekend, festive SMS, or ordinary messages.
To get a more accurate result, launch creative SMS marketing campaigns at the same time. Moreover, if you already have an exact messaging schedule that you follow – do not change it. Don’t argue or discard options – test them in turn.
While preparing for St. Nicholas Day, for example, decide to conduct a split test, which will offer exclusive gifts for children or make an informative message about gifts for the whole family.
5. Use different test focus groups
Generate groups randomly each time to get more accurate results. Naturally, testing various texts on various audiences will be a logical decision.
6. Track observations & record results
Don’t be lazy and collect all the results in one report. Write down at least briefly the following things:
- How did the theme test affect the open rate?
- How has % of conversions changed?
- How many orders were there from the SMS?
- What’s the ratio of those who switched and ordered?, etc
In small organizations, sales from SMS lists are easy to track through promotional codes in larger organizations. And the easiest way is through Google Analytics, which will show each A / B test result.
7. Do not rush with findings
You may look up results every hour, but the first two hours, the results will definitely be unreliable, or even throughout the day. Do not get obsessed.
If you have a database of 3000 contacts and you want to send four different SMSes, then you can doubt the correctness of the data received. The more significant base you have, the more likely these results will help you in the future. Of course, you can test with a small base, but the more people participate in the experiment, the easier it will be to evaluate an A / B text test’s effectiveness.
8. Double-check the results
Even if test cases for SMS application are not satisfying, try again later. Or, on the contrary, you are so happy with the results that you have chosen a winning text and do not check anything else. Run re-tests periodically. Your audience is updated; marketing trends are changing, etc.
Conclusion
How to test SMS effectively? Since SMS is one of the most popular marketing/sales tools, it is important to test message texts prior/after your SMS message campaigns. And don’t forget to run not only the A/B test but to check if delivery is correct and leading to the real users! And if the abovementioned tips are not enough, you can always check more sms marketing ideas in our blog.
