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Running a robust online presence is a ‘hotly contested’ digital marketplace. In other words, it is a tricky affair. Today, each one of us is found working hard to outdo each other – whether it’s about investing in the best eCommerce platform software or employing ‘topnotch’ marketing strategies that might someday lead to creating ultimate customer experiences. However, there are a plethora of weapons which can be effectively used from your arsenal but do you think using any random one will hit the bullseye? Probably not! You have to retrain your brain to see things in a new way, and for that matter, we can certainly help.
Being a digital marketer, sometimes it becomes very difficult to know what’s relevant and what’s not. Besides, up to what extent will it impact your work? With a variety of online marketing tactics available around, chances are there that sum of all the parts is not nearly equal to the whole.
Under such circumstances, what can you think of is align all digital marketing strategies under one umbrella solution to maximize the reach and potential of each.
One of the most critical aspects, which are often overlooked in creating a strategy is the User experience (UX). It is an integral component -- in fact the primary component – of every successful digital marketing strategy. For those who are new to the term, user experience involves everything right from the first time a customer learns about your brand to the moment they become a paying customer; you should focus on creating a unique experience.
User Experience Basics
Before we proceed any further, let us as digital marketers get acquainted with certain things about UX.
First comes first, usability and UX aren’t the same - Although being an integral part of UX, usability makes the product easy to use, efficient and pleasant for the end-user whereas UX deals with what does a user feel, his or her attitude while interacting with the product/ service.
So it is safe to say, usability is a part of user experience but a vital one.
Second, UX has to be a priority- To boost customer satisfaction and enhance business, it is very crucial to build a positive user experience for your (potential) customers. And nothing can beat a positive user experience which fosters a positive relationship.
Third, focus on creating Brand Advocates - The moment you start delighting your end users, they will begin to become your brand advocates. They will spread word of mouth and more importantly, positive opinions about your product. So basically by creating good user experiences; you will ultimately be able to forge a positive long-term relationship between a brand and its customers.
Fourth, the balance between digital marketing and UX - Digital marketing strategies mainly being focused on conversions, can sometimes result in potentially negative UX. Remember, your website is the strongest marketing asset, which means creating an appropriate UX has to top your list in regard to priority. In fact, why don’t you try making it the most effective marketing tool? It will certainly work wonders.
How Exactly User Experience (UX) Design Impacts Your Digital Marketing?
Like we said before, your website is one of the most crucial assets for your business: never look down on it. In addition to this, everything right from the content to visual images has to be in proper placement and seem appealing enough to grab the attention of your end-user in no time.
On and all, as soon as somebody visits your website, make sure he or she finds intuitive and frictionless user experience like never before. But the question is, how?
The User Interface (UI)
Now tell me something which body part you nourish the most? Your face as it’s your identity as an individual. Similarly, your website is the face of your business, which needs to be nourished, secured, and kept updated to stay a cut above. So think hard on how elements distributed across the page? Which colors are used? What typographic styles are incorporated? These are the elements that will drive your user’s first impressions.
Even the smallest detailing such as subscribe value or call-to-action can add significant value to the big picture. All you have to do is make sure that the design is intuitive and guides the user what to do next. Position the elements in such a way that it tells a story and navigate the user to take the desired action.
Also, do not overwhelm them with ample of options because doing this will deteriorate the user experience. Instead, what you can do is leverage colors as it will evoke certain emotions and portray your brand’s characteristics like never before. Color can also be used to create focal points and draw users’ attention.
Speed
We all hate to wait! According to reputable surveys, nearly half of web users expect a site to load in 2 seconds or less, and they tend to abandon a site that isn’t loaded within 3 seconds. Page loading slowly deters your potential customers and will force to leave your website in search of an alternative. This will indirectly increase your bounce rate - a high bounce rate means your page is not relevant to the search, and your content isn’t valuable. In the end, it will lead to a great amount of decrease in your search engine rankings.
There is pretty common observation that when a user quickly browses your website and get what they need, their user experience is automatically enhanced.
Mobile Experience
Smartphones usages is gaining momentum day in day out. Thus, it becomes imperative for you to create your digital marketing strategies with mobile in mind. Only considering a well-designed website won’t be of much help. They are surely going to switch to your competitors in the end. To create the best user experience for consumers, your content and any paid advertising requires to be optimized for mobile and desktop screens. Every time someone interacts with your brand, your content should resonate with them and feel uniform across platforms.
- 77% of people prefer mobile search even if there’s a PC available.
- A statistic says sites not optimized for mobile make 48% of the users feel frustrated.
- 60% of customers use only the mobile to research a product before making any buy decision.
- 63% of shoppers make purchases based on their mobile research.
User Experience
First, if you want to increase your sales, we suggest you test those tools to improve your user experience.
Also, here we would like to mention certain do’s and don’ts of UX design for websites:
1. Clearly define sections of your page and the ultimate purpose they serve. For example, you can have headers over sections of your page copy, relevant images for categories that need a better explanation.
2. Bullet points are your best friend. Time to break up blocks of text and copy with bullet points just to make things easier.
3. Don’t forget to ask for relevant feedback. It's crucial to gather feedback and act on it. Indeed, user feedback helps you accelerate your company's growth.
4. Never compromise in regard to functionality for aesthetics when it comes to your website. In addition to this, having a nice-looking site is important; if the usability is lacking, you will not get the conversions you are looking for.
5. Don’t make the different functionality page to page. We mean if you have a contact form or phone number in the footer or header, make sure it’s on every page. People are accessing your site from different devices, so be sure to take this into account.
Important Note: your user experience should not stop to the UX/UI of your website and/or app. It happens in all the steps of your users/customers journey. For example, if you're a product marketer, there are psychological triggers you can use to onboard your users and keep them engaged.
Digital Marketing: Top Skills Required
Lastly, there is a certain set of skills recommended to land a job in the field of digital marketing. For example, some of you guys would love to pursue creativity, while others like to be involved in analytics-driven skills.
We personally suggest on learning more granular skills of course it highly depends on the branch you would like to pursue; there are a few that pervade all units of digital marketing:
• Analytics: One of the most important attribute to take into account, especially when you are a digital marketer. The end goal is to meet certain key performance indicators (KPIs). For that, it is very crucial for you to know how to read and understand data so that you exactly know whether you’re hitting your goals.
• Creativity: We are sure you will agree with me when we say it’s imperative for your brand to stand out from the competition. Whether it’s through beautiful website design or compelling email subject lines, you need to be creative in order to capture consumers’ attention.
• Curiosity: Digital marketing seems to be constantly evolving these days. As a marketer it becomes very important for you to keep up with technological trends. And there is no denying in the fact that we will always be open to new techniques in the form of marketing blogs, attending seminars, and simply networking.
• Solution-oriented: In addition to keeping up with technological advances, you must be great at problem-solving. Unlike print marketing, digital marketing has the ability to quickly (and cost-effectively) pivot when need be. So, one should always stay calm under pressure and always ready with a plan B.
Skills Recommended for UX
• Empathy- To build a product or website, you need to understand who will be using it. Who is your potential audience, and what will motivate them? And most importantly, why they are using it?
• Design- While consumer behavior may be at the core of UX, the design is how it manifests. Whether you’re a UX consultant, researcher, architect, project manager, or hold another role, you need to be comfortable with basic design fundamentals and terms.
• Curiosity- Technology is constantly evolving, and the design world needs to keep up. It’s imperative for UX teams to stay abreast of trends. Subscribe to a few blogs, bookmark a few sites, and try to read at least one new post every morning when you wake up.
• Thick Skin- At the end of the day, the design is subjective, and UX teams must be receptive to feedback. You need to be able to take a step back and put your customer hat on. If you get too close to a project that can be hard, which is why you should always be open to suggestions and never take them personally.
Final Thoughts About User Experience for Digital Marketing Success.
Good UX is no longer optional; it’s a necessity to rise above your competitors. In today's digital marketing world, you want to invest time and money on user experience. We can tell you this is one of the best investments you'll do on your business. And, do you know why? Because your clients will love it and will not have any reasons to go somewhere else. With great UX, you show customers that you care about them and that you understand their journey. So, are you ready to invest time, money, and resources to give UX the attention that it deserves?
- Importance of Aesthetic User Elements with UX and UI
- The Business Case for Investing in UI/UX Design for Your Mobile App
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