Optimizing Sales Funnels with A/B Tested Content Components
Sales funnels only function as effectively as the content driving them. Whether it's landing pages and product descriptions, email nurture sequences and calls-to-action, everything drives whether or not people move from step to step from awareness to intent to purchase. But since buyer behavior changes at such a rapid pace, what's considered best content practice today could make yesterday's conclusions apply to failures. That's why A/B testing is so critical. By evaluating content elements used for one funnel step and implementing another version to gauge its success, brands can quickly detect the best content for engagement, conversion and ultimately, revenue generation. But without a headless CMS, tracking results from A/B testing may be impossible. Yet with the use of a modular content strategy made possible with a headless CMS, A/B tested content elements are easily duplicated, segmented and operable. This article will explore how A/B tested content elements across all revenue generating digital sales funnels can enhance funnel effectiveness.
From Gut Check to A/B Testing
Historically, content creation has been based on gut feelings or pieced together suggestions from previously created content. While experience is great, it doesn't mean that it will always work out when it can be measured against what's worked in real-time. A/B testing offers brands the insight to remove the guesswork of what's going to work from on-screen or paper perspective; if teams have a head and a tail of a headline, varying body copy, cut-in imagery, varying layouts and more, everything can be evaluated for effectiveness. Storyblok live events and sessions often showcase how these testing methods can be applied effectively in real-world scenarios. When pieces of content exist as modular assets, it becomes easier to test against one another in the first place. The results are not only seen in hindsight but through continuous opportunities for optimization throughout the funnel.
Modular Content Enables Quick Experimentation
A/B testing is most effective when nothing is set in stone. Instead of needing to A/B test an entire page or an entire email, businesses can test modules designed for certain reasons for example, a comparison chart for pricing, a box for customer testimonials, specific words for CTAs, etc. A headless CMS allows content to be versioned, tested and deployed independently via API. As a result, sales enablement and marketing don't have to redo the entire asset in order to generate a new version of something that they can test quickly it can remain independent without tying up development time.
Higher Engagement In The Top Of Funnel Awareness Step
The first step of every funnel is the first impression and first impressions matter. When A/B testing brand opportunities within the first step of the funnel homepages, welcome blogs/titles, explainer videos, tutorials brands refine their processes based on learnings. Is it better to make a strong statement with an opening paragraph or a transitional question? Does one sentence drive a higher click through or should it be 3/4 of a sentence instead? Understanding early gives brands the opportunity to play off of interest and ensure that their first impressions keep people in the funnel as more engaged consumers.
A/B Testing in the Consideration Stage to Ensure Support for Final Decisions
At the consideration stage, prospects need assurance of a worthwhile investment and what the end product will look like. This is where you can A/B test how product features are displayed, where case studies are positioned, benefit-fueled copy vs technical copy and more. Modular elements like side-by-side comparisons or metrics of success can be changed, added and tested instantly to see which better fulfill the needs of the decision process. Since much of this is delivered outside the realms of content structure via API, specific versions can be pushed to particular verticals by behavior or persona for hyper-relevant A/B testing that meets customer needs.
A/B Testing Elements Most Likely to Impact Conversion Goals
Conversions happen at CTA moments or they don't. A click on "Get Started" instead of "Learn More" or an abandonment are both conversion failures/successes based on the smallest decisions made by a user. A/B testing CTA elements through a content structured environment allows for testing of only those elements with the greatest degree of precision. Is there a better sense of urgency in a CTA? Should there be red text or another button sizing? Where should the CTA appear? All can be determined through A/B testing. The last phase of the funnel can be continuously refined thanks to such data to turn more prospects into leads and leads into closed transactions.
A/B Testing Based on Buyer Personas
Not every prospective customer is motivated by the same content. What appeals to a small business owner may not resonate with a global enterprise CFO. Not only can the results be segmented based on persona successes, but the A/B tests can be segmented within the controlled environment as well. Via content structure and behavioral details, different elements can be served to different persona types, different industries, different funnel positioning allowing similarly-situated businesses to evaluate success based on like buyer journeys. This specificity allows for deeper insights for future content creation and further funnel refinement.
Reducing Friction with Micro-Content Testing
Sales funnel conversion optimization requires more than just changes to the headline; it requires attention to detail within the minutiae. However, minutiae create or break a user experience. From payment form field labels and error notices to loading screens and tool-tip descriptions, A/B testing this micro-content tests the smallest ways to reduce friction, gain trust, and temper the endeavor. For example, the hyperlinked definition of how payment occurs payment icon vs. payment options with shipping and A/B tested can reduce drop-off in one area and increase conversion in another. The more specific, the better.
Linking A/B Testing Findings Back to Funnel Analytics
Sales funnel optimization does not occur unless the testing results are linked back into the user experience as a whole. Unfortunately, many CMS don't connect well; a headless CMS does. This is also critical for major plugin platforms like Google Analytics or Hubspot. When content is formed through a headless CMS, it allows for proper integration into analytical hubs and a link to micro performance across other sites. Revenue attribution is better understood whether it's time on site, click-through rate or movement to the subsequent funnel stage. Thus, a better-informed team can make meaningful changes based on seriously impactful data which influences not only conversion rate but the quality of leads.
Allowing for Continuous Iteration Without Halting Team Velocity
Teams that rely on sales funnels for quick turnaround need to be able to improve content on the micro-level without skipping a beat. Therefore, A/B testing with a headless CMS allows for iteration without confusing teams already moving at rapid speed. Marketing editors can create A/B variants and test them in their interfaces while developers handle the necessary underlying structure to support scalable rendering solutions. This builds an environment where A/B testing insights aren't isolated or postponed; they're enacted in real-time, benefitting overall engagement and conversion potential immediately.
Better Access to Tools and Assets for Sales Teams Fueled by A/B Tested Content
A/B tested content also trickles down to tools and assets for sales reps. If certain components do better than others, those assets can be included in sales sheets, outreach emails and pitch decks so reps don't have to rely on guesses of what type of messaging works. Instead, they have available to them these tested assets that promote engagement and close rates. Therefore, sales teams feel more aligned and empowered to do their jobs with better intel about what will work with prospects and customers.
Flexibility of Funnel Over Time with the Framework of A/B Tested Content
Funnel structures must be malleable over time as products change, markets change and buyer sentiment ebbs and flows based on yearly trends and seasonal pushes. Therefore, funnels need to have the flexibility to change over time. By having A/B tested content framework, brands have a scalable approach to testing that can essentially future-proof your go-to-market strategy. New messaging/formats/campaign ideas can always be tested along the way and improvements can be made without having to completely shelve what's done beforehand because so much of the framework will still apply. It's easy to adjust and maintain funnel success through small adjustments that don't take everything apart when you need to change course.
Opportunities for Greater Collaboration of Content Strategies Across Campaigns and Teams
A/B testing modular content makes it easier to align across campaigns and teams. If something works for one campaign it can be transferred into another which helps unify content strategy across different departments, areas and product lines. Having a content structure allows teams in any other department to replicate what's worked for an email blast or landing page or even something for a sales presentation. This supports brand consistency and encourages collaboration and communication between teams based on what actually works creating a lingua franca of success that ultimately boosts better marketing and sales replication efforts.
Conclusion: A Smarter Funnel Starts With Smarter Content
A/B testing the content not only makes sense but should be the only way to create a sales funnel. Once you have traffic to your site, if you aren't using data to pivot in the moment, you're going to allow your messaging to deviate from audience expectations and lose customer interest. It's one thing to get a customer through the door, but if your value proposition, your execution or your sales funnel isn't greased in accordance with what they already saw, projected or anticipated would happen related to their purchased persona in that moment, they're going to go. Therefore, everything about your sales funnel should be A/B tested especially with a headless CMS.
The headless CMS allows teams to decouple content into smaller pieces, each able to be tested independently and then delivered dynamically across channels. This means that beyond A/B testing headers and CTAs, you can A/B test testimonials, pricing graphics, sales funnel layout and micro-interactions like button text or help text that may provide guidance. Even the smallest of tests can teach you how users are reacting and what drives them further within the funnel.
Furthermore, this provides an approach for long-term value and not just a short-term fix. Content that has been A/B tested becomes part of a larger library of information that can drive future marketing endeavors, sales collateral development and intra-departmental messaging. There's never any question of what might work for an audience because there's already pudding made that can prove scaling what's effective works or immediately plugging what's ineffective.
When buyers reign supreme within marketplaces and the clock is ticking, everything must happen faster and with more specificity. The very nature of A/B testing with a Headless CMS lays the foundation for success, equipping salvation and marketing professionals to utilize their findings to immediately, effectively respond to what audiences are saying, creating engaged journeys that are sure to convert.
A/B testing is not a short term solution for immediate gain; it's an industrial engine for future growth. When you have the appropriate infrastructure behind your content creation relative to the sales funnel, you're not just going to keep your audience happy you're going to create a sales funnel that stimulates deeper engagement and conversion rates for subsequent business growth.
