Testing isn’t just another marketing cost — it’s an essential investment that delivers powerful, data-driven insights. These insights can help marketers optimize their campaigns which improves engagement and drives sustainable growth. Let’s explore how a structured, disciplined approach to testing can increase return on investment (ROI) and position your brand for ongoing success.

A test-and-learn mindset has ROI benefits

At its core, a test-and-learn approach revolves around experimenting with different marketing variables to identify what works best. In content marketing, this can mean testing different headlines, formats, or even audience segments to determine what drives the most engagement. Instead of relying on assumptions, marketers use real-time data to make informed decisions.

Testing directly impacts ROI by improving key performance indicators (KPIs) such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and overall campaign performance. It enables brands to move beyond guesswork and adopt proven tactics. A McKinsey study highlights the power of this approach, revealing how one telecom company achieved a 40% lift in overall response rates through AI-assisted testing. This kind of measurable improvement shows that testing is a reliable tool for enhancing marketing effectiveness.

Testing on social media is nimble and low-risk

Social media provides an ideal test ground for marketers looking to make quick adjustments with minimal risk. From A/B testing headlines to experimenting with different formats and visuals, social platforms allow you to get quick feedback on what resonates with your audience.

For example, A/B tests on platforms like LinkedIn or Facebook can reveal which types of visuals or captions prompt higher engagement rates. In one project we worked on at Imprint, we discovered that posts starting with a question sparked more engagement than those without. Small tweaks like these can have a significant impact on overall campaign performance. These learnings can then be tested across other channels.

Keep testing — and do it across channels

Testing isn’t confined to social media. Email offers numerous opportunities for experimentation. Test subject lines, personalization techniques, and send times to help improve open and conversion rates, leading to higher ROI. A well-tested email campaign may find that a personalized greeting or a strategically timed message yields far better results than generic approaches.

Web pages also benefit from ongoing testing. By experimenting with different layouts, calls to action (CTAs) brands can enhance user experience, increase dwell time, and improve conversion rates. Video content testing—whether through thumbnail variations, intros, or CTAs—provides further opportunity to engage viewers and maximize results.

Cross-channel testing provides a holistic view of what works best across platforms. In some many cases you’ll discover common threads, but other times you’ll find that a particular approach outperforms on one channel or the other. (And don’t forget about direct mail, text and outbound phone.)

NOT testing has a real cost

While testing does require an upfront investment, the true cost lies in not testing. When businesses skip it, they risk missing out on valuable optimization opportunities. This often leads to wasted marketing spend on ineffective strategies or underperforming content. Over time, this can significantly impact ROI, as poorly performing campaigns drain resources without delivering sufficient returns. Each missed test represents a missed chance to improve results.

A Disciplined Approach = Bigger, Better Results

To unlock the full potential of testing, it’s essential to adopt a disciplined, structured approach. Rather than testing multiple variables at once, focus on one element at a time—whether it’s the headline, CTA, or imagery. This provides clear insights into which changes drive improvements.

Undisciplined, multi-variable testing can muddy the waters. On the other hand, well-structured methodologies such as A/B, split, and multivariate testing allow marketers to make data-backed decisions.

Artificial intelligence can help, but understand the risks

From Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) to AI-equipped customer relationship platforms (CRM) and content management systems (CMS), the advent of mainstream AI has already opened up a host of opportunities to streamline testing and personalization. Some of these technologies can even recommend real-time adjustments based on user behavior, but keep in mind that allowing AI to modify content introduces risk. Get something wrong with personalization and you could lose a customer forever. With AI the risks can be higher, but so can the rewards.

It’s time to take full advantage of test-and-learn

Adopting a test-and-learn approach is crucial for any business looking to drive measurable ROI improvements. Ready to unlock your content’s full potential? Please contact us at imprint@imprintcontent.com or complete the contact form here. We’d love to learn more about your efforts and discuss ways we can help you take full advantage of testing to boost engagement, conversions and ultimately ROI.