Why A/B Testing SMS is a Must

Audiences can be surprising. As much as we would like to hit the nail on the head with our marketing right off the bat, this often isn’t the case. A specific call to action (CTA), send time, or length may outperform the other, but you’ll have no way of knowing unless you try. That’s why A/B testing is important. 

A/B testing has become a key marketing strategy as it is the most effective way to distinguish between messages that work from those that don’t. Performing experiments with your SMS promotions allow you to establish which marketing strategy converts the most customers. You can then use this CRO service to guide messaging to more significant segments or lists. This testing tool is easy to implement, saves unnecessary costs, and optimizes revenue.

First of all, what is SMS? 

SMS stands for Short Message Service. The character limit for an SMS message is 160 characters. Studies have shown that consumers prefer to receive marketing promotions via SMS rather than email. Consumers receive fewer spam texts than spam emails, and SMS texts have a significantly lower spam rate than email. In addition, SMS open rates tend to be substantially higher than email open rates. With these facts in mind, marketers should make the most of their SMS strategy by determining what kinds of messages their customers respond best to. 

Why is A/B testing important?

When it comes to seeing a significant result from your SMS campaigns, A/B testing can mean the difference between hitting a home run and striking out as a marketer. With A/B testing, you can quickly recognize what kind of marketing material and messaging your target audience responds to best, which will help your marketing campaign both in the long run and in the immediate future. 

Knowing how to best position yourself as a brand within your text campaigns will help you optimize a higher conversion rate and draw traffic to your company’s website. Aside from conversions and traffic, the benefits of A/B testing are endless. A/B tests can help you lower unsubscribe rates, increase open and click-through rates, and provide data on user behavior, including what segments of your audience are most engaged with your messaging. 

What can you test? 

When conducting an A/B test idea in your SMS campaign, there are many different ways to gauge what kind of messaging resonates with your audience. 

From A/B tests, you can figure out whether your texts perform best in the morning, afternoon, or evening. 

Testing long versus short messages can provide statistical significance into what length your audience responds best to. For instance, discover if your audience responds better to short and snappy messaging or longer, personalized messages. 

Tone is another important factor to consider. Try testing whether your audience responds better to a text with a casual tone as opposed to a more formal one. 

Testing different CTAs ( is another great use of A/B testing. Try using a different version of your CTA within text messages to see which one gets more of your mobile subscribers to take the desired action.

Testing whether including emojis drives conversions is another easy way to optimize your messaging strategy. 

Messaging that includes an offer is also an excellent candidate for A/B testing. Experiment with the types of promotions you are offering, as well as the wording within the message. 

What’s our favorite platform? 

Attentive is our go-to text messaging platform. Attentive empowers the most innovative brands to create meaningful interactions through personalized text messaging, and its detailed reporting allows us to optimize our digital marketing strategy and make smarter decisions with our messaging. 

Let’s Get Texting

There’s no reason not to utilize A/B testing in your SMS marketing strategy when it comes down to it. With A/B testing, you can feel confident knowing that you’re actively working to improve your digital marketing agency’s strategy with every send.