Stop Guessing What Your Customers Like! Test and Know!
Quality is a given. Your food is already the high-quality that customers expect from a local Farm. When it comes to your products, you’ve eclipsed conventional producers. But, your Farm brand must convey more than quality.
Your Farm brand is the cumulative experience a buyer has with you, your Farm and your products - from shopping, to buying, packaging and tasting. Customers either connect and build loyalty with your brand at every interaction (on social, email, website, newsletters and shopping), or they don’t. So, how do you know what’s working for your Farm?
A/B testing is a methodology to uncover what does and does not connect with your customers. While quality products must be the foundation for your business, you must test and build a brand that’s as unique as your Farm and your products.
What is A/B Testing?
A/B testing is the “scientific method” applied to business decisions. Thousands of organizations conduct side-by-side research and analysis to continually improve communication with their customers. A/B Testing is the process of picking one variable to test by running two different versions of the content (digital ad, email campaign, blog title, etc) and then assessing the comparative results. When you get the results back and compare performance, you can pinpoint one variable at a time to improve your communication strategy.
So, instead of wondering why no one opens your emails and abandoning email marketing, you can test two different subject lines and see which has the higher open rates. For instance, in the example below two different options are utilized to provoke a customer to open your email this week - one with emoji, the other without.
Note, A/B testing only works if you can accurately measure your results. Using a free (or paid) software tool such as Mailchimp is key to effective A/B Testing.
Another example may include testing a variation of the content in your message. See the sample below with two different calls to action, encouraging the reader to purchase for your Farm.
Ultimately, you can gain peace of mind by knowing you’re improving communication and sales effectiveness by making data-informed content and marketing decisions. As a business, we do this on a regular cadence to constantly improve open rates (subject line improvements) and conversions (calls to action in the email).
Why It Works
Now that you know “what” A/B Testing is, let’s talk about the “why”. While this may seem like one more thing to add to the to-do list, it can actually save you time by making your marketing efforts more effective. Additionally, it will help you better understand what resonates with buyers to connect with your Farm brand.
Your customers want to hear from you and to be regularly engaged. Consistent communication on all channels means monthly newsletters, weekly posts on social and regular prompts to purchase! Engaging with customers is so crucial that we ranked it as Mistake #4 in our “5 Mistakes that Lead to Farm Failure” eBook. Targeting your messaging and content through A/B testing will help your Farm be more effective at driving sales with every test.
A/B testing helps you understand what marketing strategies your customers respond best to, allowing you to find the best messaging to connect buyers with your Farm brand. No need to question what your customers respond best to, the data will tell you what works best! Knowing this information will help save you time and money.
Tips and Tricks:
Keep it Simple. Test ONE variable at a time. A/B means exactly that: two versions separated by a single, testable difference.
Keep it Random! When you’re testing the two versions, make sure they’re going to two lists of equally random audiences (ideally 100+ people).
Steps:
Identify the variable to test.
Create your testing groups
Send out the test
Analyze the results and adjust approach based on findings
A/B Testing works for the subject lines in your emails, the text in your newsletters or ads,, the imagery on social posts and anything in between. See whether including the mention of local events or weather influences email open rates, or if a picture of cooked whole chicken or drumsticks leads to more sales.
Move your CTA’s (“Calls to Action” to purchase) up in your emails, or make the “Shop” button on your website bigger. Give each test equal time to garner results and start learning what works!
How Barn2Door Can Help
A/B testing and data are powerful tools for your farm. And, we’re excited to help 1000’s of farmers across all 50 states save time and delight buyers with data-driven insights to help local Farmers win.
If you are a current Barn2Door customer, you can readily use A/B testing to engage with customers, and track results on your Seller Dashboard. If you have any questions, contact your Account Manager or check out the Learn Center.
If you’re not a current Barn2Door customer, you can learn how we have helped Farms be successful online in this 5-minute video.