Split testing your ads on Facebook will ensure you are using the best image, copy, and call-to-action possible to increase your return on ad spend (ROAS). Today, I’m going to walk you through the process of a/b testing your posts so you can drive the best results.

What is A/B Testing on Facebook?

Running A/B testing for your Facebook posts is a way you can compare different types of ads to see what different variables will get consumers to visit and hopefully buy from your website. This is a great place to start if you are unsure if the ads you are creating are the best for your audience. There are many different ways you can compare ads through Facebook but typically business test audiences, images, ad copy, and the offer. Additional things you need to be aware of are your audience interests and intent of the content. We’ll cover some additional things to split test with your ads, but through Facebook A/B testing, you will be able to really understand what your audience wants and what helps them get through the customer journey. Now that you understand a little bit more about why one would split test different ads follow along to see how you can get started.

Here’s what you need:

To get started with Facebook a/b testing all you need are:

• A Facebook Page (free)
• A Facebook Ads account (don’t worry, we won’t be spending a lot)
• Access to Facebook’s Power Editor (free) – Update: As of September 2017 Facebook combined Power Editor and Ads Manager. We have updated the content to reflect this new tool.  

If you don’t already have a Facebook ads account go ahead and set one up now. It’s free to get an account and you can add your business credit card or Paypal account as the funding source. Once you have an ads account you’ll need to open up your account to get started with split testing your ads.

Here are the steps for setting up an a/b test:

Before we start getting into the actual set up work for split testing, focus on what you want to accomplish and decide what you are going to a/b test on your Facebook page. Facebook gives you four different variables for testing your posts.

1. Creative: This is where you get to split test your creative. There are a few different ways you can split test your work.

• • Keep the same copy, but switch up the imagery
  • Keep the same imagery, but switch up the copy
  • Video post vs. photo post
  • Change the landing page

The reason to test different types of ads together is to help you see how your audience responds to the different ad ideas. Different copy or imagery could catch your specific audience better than a different business.

2.  Delivery Optimization: Facebook will choose the best audience for the outcome you are wanting to achieve i.e. If you want a lot of impressions Facebook will show the ad to as many people as possible.

• • Link Clicks
  • Landing Page
  • Impressions
  • Daily Unique Reach

3. Audience: Choose between two different target audiences to see which performs best. Here is an example of two different audiences we would test against each other.

Here we chose to two different audiences to split test against each other. Our first target audience is those who are interested in eCommerce platforms like Shopify, Magento, etc. By this, we hope we are targeting those business owners who have an eCommerce store on those platforms. Our second audience is those who belong in the small business owner category that has specific behaviors and job titles that were mentioned. By testing these two audiences against each other we will be able to see which audience performs better with our type of ad idea.

4. Placement: Choose where you think the best place for your ads will be based on your audience

• • Facebook Feeds, Right Column, Marketplace, etc.
  • Instagram Stories and feed

The sky’s the limit and it is up to you to decide what Facebook a/b testing you want to perform. Not quite sure where to even start with a Facebook ad? Follow our ultimate guide to online eCommerce ad types and formats. That will give you an idea of the different types of ads and formats on Facebook. Once you are done creating your ads, follow the steps below to set up your a/b test in Facebook Ads Manager. Once you have your two posts ready, here are the steps to take: Step 1: Log into your Facebook Ads account and click the Ads Manager option in the left-hand menu. Step 2: Once inside of Ads Manager click where it says Campaigns right under the blue header bar and then click the green +Create. Choose the Objective for your campaign. We chose traffic, but choose whatever fits your campaign best. Step 3: Scroll down and switch where it says, “Create Split Test” to blue and hit Continue Step 4: Next it takes you to the Ad Set, where you can choose where you want to drive traffic to (Website, App, or Messenger) Leave this on website, unless you want people to go elsewhere. Step 5: Scroll down to Variable. This is where you will choose 1 of the 4 variables mentioned above. Depending on what you select for the variable the next steps come in different orders Creative:

Step 6: Define your audience

Step 7: Decide on placements

Step 8: Delivery optimizations

Step 9: Budget and schedule

Step 10: Continue on to go make both of your different ads

Delivery Optimization:

Step 6: Optimization your two different tests for the landing page, link clicks, impressions, etc.

Step 7: Define your audience

Step 8: Delivery optimizations

Step 9: Budget and schedule

Step 10: Continue on to create your ad

Audience:

Step 6: Define the differences between you audience A and audience B

Step 7: Decide on placement

Step 8: Delivery optimization

Step 9: Budget and schedule

Step 10: Continue on to create your ad

Placement:

Step 6: Decided the differences between your placement of ads

Step 7: Define your audience

Step 8: Delivery optimization

Step 9: Budget and schedule

Step 10: Continue on to create your ad

Step 11: Hit the Upload button in the blue header bar to upload these two posts to your Facebook ad account. Now you’re done! All you have to do is wait for the Campaign to be approved and your ads will be shown to people in your target audience.

Things to Consider when A/B Testing a Facebook Ad

Will these a/b posts show up on my Facebook Page once the ads are approved? Nope! These posts will stay Unpublished and will not show up on your Facebook page. They will only show up in the Newsfeed of your target audience. How do I know which post is the winner of the test? Facebook will determine this for you based on comparing the cost per result of each ad set. Facebook has an attribution system that will calculate the lowest cost per result. Once Facebook determines a winner you should receive a notification through email and Ads Managers with the results of each ad that was split tested. But, you should also go in and compare the data yourself and decide what post you think won based off of your normal key performance indicators (KPIs). Running a/b facebook posts can be tricky and it is important to understand the data yourself to see what differences are making the increase of clicks, purchase, etc. What Happens After the Test? After you have determined which post conclusively does better than the other post – you can do a lot of different things.

• You could add the post to your Facebook page so that everyone can see it.
• You could turn the post into an ad and target it at people who don’t already like your Facebook page.
• You could use the information you learned to put together ad campaigns OFF of Facebook. For example, if you tested two different images against each other and found that one worked better, you might use that image in a print ad or on a billboard.
• Continue to let the winning ad run just the way it was for a longer period of time so it can reach a larger audience

There are lots of ways you can use the results of your Facebook split test to understand what is working and what needs to be adjusted to get a better ROAS from your ads.

Ready to Get Started?

A/B testing your Facebook posts can yield really powerful results but setting up the test can be time-consuming and a bit tricky. We’ve created a Facebook Audit Checklist to help you get on the right track and make sure every part of your ad aligns with your business. Following the above, Facebook split testing guide will get you there, but if you are looking for someone to do the heavy lifting- give us a call! [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]]]>