A/B Testing Can Change the Game for Dental Practices

This article originally appeared in August/2024 on DentistryToday.com.

Modern dental practices need every advantage they can get in this digital age. Standing out among the competition is more important than ever to stay competitive and achieve sustainable growth. Therefore, understanding what patients want from your practice is key. One way to do that is through A/B testing—a tried-and-true marketing strategy to optimize ads and other content and increase online visibility.

What is A/B Testing?

In simple terms, A/B testing compares two versions of something to see which performs better. Marketing professionals use A/B testing to refine ad copy and select images for landing pages and social media ads, among other things. Running an A/B test allows the marketing agency to better understand what attracts and engages patients most effectively.

Why Dental Practices Should Use A/B Testing

Every new patient counts, and A/B testing can increase the chances a patient will choose your practice by improving engagement with your practice’s marketing channels. In fact, A/B testing can achieve quite a bit, including:

Create Compelling Online Ads

A/B testing copy and visuals on platforms like Google and Facebook can determine which phrasing, imagery, and combinations generate the most engagement and new patient inquiries. For example, publishing the same Google ad with different headlines or images can show which one motivates more people to click through to a landing page or call the practice.

Design Attractive Landing Pages

For a landing page to be effective, it has to pique the patient’s interest and get them to act, whether that be to call a phone number, fill out a form, or something else. Testing two landing page versions—different layouts, headlines, images, calls to action, etc.—can determine which resonates more with the type of patient your practice is seeking to attract.

Boost Patient Engagement

Visual content is crucial for capturing attention on social media and in online ads. For example, A/B testing can determine whether patients prefer to see video testimonials or before-and-after images. Creating marketing content that keeps patients engaged is no longer a mystery when you understand what your audience (potential patients) wants to see.

Support Marketing Decisions

A major benefit of A/B testing is gaining the ability to make marketing decisions based on facts. Analyzing test results provides real data to guide current and future marketing campaigns, content strategies, landing page designs, and more, removing any guesswork from the equation. The importance of making data-driven marketing decisions cannot be overstated.

How to Conduct an A/B Test

The concept of A/B testing seems simple enough, but the reality is a little more complex. A/B testing takes time and usually involves several variables. Setting up a test, executing it correctly, and interpreting the results is not always straightforward. Hiring a marketing agency is the best strategy if your internal marketing team is not familiar with the process. A professional marketing agency will have the expertise and tools to design and conduct an A/B test, analyze the data, and provide actionable insights. An experienced marketing agency can:

• Design effective tests by developing hypotheses and creating meaningful variations
• Manage multiple tests and ensure their proper execution
• Analyze test results, providing reports and recommendations
• Propose marketing strategy adjustments based on the outcome

A dental practice that incorporates A/B testing into its overall marketing strategy can easily gain a strategic advantage because very few are using this powerful tool. Whether you want your internal marketing team to handle everything or you decide to hire a professional agency, A/B testing will help you better understand your patients and make more informed and profitable marketing decisions.