In the digital marketing landscape, video has emerged as a powerful tool for engaging audiences and driving results. With 90% of marketers saying video has given them a good return on investment, it’s unlikely to go away any time soon. But just creating video isn’t enough. You need to understand what works for your audience, your channels, and your video creative to meet your goals. This is where A/B testing is crucial for marketers and creatives to use to fine-tune their video content for maximum impact. But what is A/B testing for videos?
What is A/B testing and how can it be used for video?
If you’re a marketer, you’re probably familiar with A/B testing. Also known as split testing, it’s used across different channels including websites, email campaigns, ad creative, and, of course, video marketing. A/B testing is where you put two versions or variations of a piece of content up against each other to see which performs better. It’s a great way to learn your audience’s preferences by testing different variables like headlines, visuals, call-to-actions, and more.
In the context of video marketing, A/B testing is when you create two or more versions of a video with slight differences. Videos have tons of different elements you can test, from thumbnails, video length, or call to action copy. By testing different versions of your video, you can analyze performance metrics to identify which one has driven the best results. With enough testing, you can create a template for your videos to follow to drive consistent results. While A/B testing video can be simple, there’s a set process to follow for video tests and best practices to keep in mind. We cover those elements in-depth in our guide, “A/B testing for video marketing.”
Why marketers should use A/B testing for videos
Accessible with any budget or team size
If you’re working with a tight budget or small team, the idea of creating more videos for testing might seem daunting. But the whole purpose of A/B testing isn’t to put two entirely different videos up against each other (though you definitely can). It’s to test different elements of your video.
So instead of filming two different concepts, you can choose two different songs to use as background music to test. Or create one version of your video that’s 30 seconds long and one that’s a minute. There’s a ton of testing options that don’t require you to go over budget or spend hours creating a variation.
Optimize video engagement
The first goal of any video is to successfully engage your target audience. It’s easy for people to skip a YouTube pre-roll ad or scroll past a video in their feed. Getting your video to stand out and keep people’s attention is a tough hurdle, which is why A/B testing is so valuable. By testing your videos, you can better understand what catches someone’s eye and keeps them watching. Does a busy thumbnail with text and graphics draw more clicks versus a plain one? What about an opening hook with a question versus a statement? With enough testing and learning, you’ll see longer view times, improved brand awareness, and more interaction with your videos.
Enhance audience understanding
No audience is the same. What works for creators like MrBeast wouldn’t work for a brand like Chanel. To create videos that resonate, you have to understand your audience. By using A/B testing, you get direct insight into your viewer’s preferences. Maybe using a sad instrumental soundtrack for a video asking for donations gets a negative reception compared to no music at all. By understanding what your target audience does and doesn’t respond to, you can tailor future videos to consistently appeal to them.
Improve conversions from video
For many businesses and brands using video marketing, conversions and revenue is the goal. With A/B testing, you can experiment to see what boosts those metrics. Whether it’s where you place a button in your video or the way you word a message, small changes can have a huge impact on conversion rates. Unless you test elements like calls to actions, buttons, copy, and more, you can never be completely certain of what works best.
Maximize ROI
Video marketing can be expensive (though it doesn’t have to be.) A/B testing your videos is one of the best ways to guarantee a good return on investment. Continuously testing and refining your videos based on your test learnings will help you allocate resources more effectively and efficiently, making sure that future video production efforts are focused on what drives results.
Get our free step-by-step guide to A/B testing video
Creating video without using A/B testing almost guarantees that your metrics aren’t as high as they could be. Refining, learning, and tweaking your videos to understand what works best for your audience should be built into your marketing strategy. Marketers who embrace testing have a competitive advantage by continually optimizing their content for peak performance. If you’re looking to get started, here’s 5 easy A/B tests we recommend trying out.
If you’re ready to learn what drives conversions and engages your audience, download our guide, “A/B testing for video marketing”. You’ll get step-by-step instructions for how to run A/B tests, best practices, and exclusive expert advice to unlock the full potential of your videos.
