{"id":111851,"date":"2018-07-03T20:53:38","date_gmt":"2018-07-03T20:53:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.wingify.com\/blog\/a-b-testing-for-social-media-campaigns\/"},"modified":"2026-09-03T10:35:02","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T05:05:02","slug":"a-b-testing-for-social-media-campaigns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wingify.com\/blog\/a-b-testing-for-social-media-campaigns\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Tips for Implementing A\/B Testing in your Social Media Campaigns"},"content":{"rendered":"

A\/B testing has been around for decades, even before the advent of the internet or social media. In fact, it actually spans back to the time when James Lind first conducted an A\/B test in a clinical trial over 300 years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many years later, Google famously used an A\/B test to decide which shade of blue to use in its campaigns, showing each shade to 1% of their users. Some time in between James Lind and Google, marketers would run tests on TV or newspaper ads. They would then assess the results and make changes accordingly, and then conduct more tests, and so forth. These tests started weeks – or even months – before the campaign launch, making for a time-consuming and tedious process. <\/span><\/p>\n

Fortunately, testing is an easier process nowadays, and marketers are able to test virtually all elements of a campaign. More specifically, A\/B testing has found a special importance in social media. Digital marketers introduce two slightly different posts, testing various elements to see which one gets a better response. <\/span><\/p>\n

Although testing has become easier, it has certainly become more complex as well. The issue that many marketers now face is knowing where and how to introduce testing in their social media campaigns. To help, we’ve compiled a list of the elements of a social campaign that you should be testing, and how you can start executing these tests right away.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Find Your Target Audience<\/h2>\n

Before you start a campaign, you have to get to know your target audience<\/a>. This process for testing is unique, in that you won’t be changing the actual contents of the campaign. Instead, you will show the same advertisement or post to various segments to see which one will react best.<\/span><\/p>\n

For instance, when testing Facebook ads, you will generally want to segment by location, age, gender, device, platform, or interests.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Experiment with Hashtags<\/h2>\n

While using too many hashtags might annoy your audience, just the right amount could get your post more attention. Having said that, you should avoid simply testing a post with hashtags versus a post without hashtags. Companies tend to test posts with multiple hashtags against those with just one, posts with different hashtags, as well as hashtag placement within the post.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

3. Test Various Ad Formats<\/h2>\n

When using social media advertising, you should definitely be testing different ad formats. Specifically, in the case of Facebook, some formats will work best for certain types of posts. Edith McClung, a Digital Marketer at <\/span>Academized<\/span><\/a>, gives a great example: \u201cWhile a carousel ad might work for a product launch \u2013 viewers will be able to see multiple pictures of your product \u2013 an advertisement with ‘Get Directions’ might work better with a restaurant launch\u201d. Keep in mind that different advertisement types will have varied results based on your target audience and the content you are promoting.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>4. Change Up the Post Text<\/h2>\n

This is perhaps the most common practice when it comes to social media split testing, as there are various elements of your post text might affect your success differently.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some things that you could test:<\/span><\/p>\n