HOW UX DESIGN INFLUENCES DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGY?

“Very often, design is the most immediate way of defining what products become in people’s minds.” — Jony Ive

UX designs can make or break a project. A study by Forrester Research cited by Forbes revealed that a good UX design could result in a 400% increase in the conversion rate! Digital marketing, when done right, creates an amazing user experience. And UX is the key to doing so. This is why UX in digital marketing is equivalent to oxygen in the heart. It breathes life into it.

How does UX design influence digital marketing exactly? Before we get into that, let’s understand what UX really is.

Understanding UX Design

UX or user experience is a term given to strategies, tools, and more that are focused on the user (the customer) rather than the product, brand, or company. UX has the customer at its core with the sole aim of giving the customers what they want. It is also about going beyond the wants and create something that will inspire awe, building a connection.

It can be digital or physical and can be used for product design, software design, app design, website design, etc. However, the term is more relevant in the digital context.

UX is not just about usability. It is also about research, clarity, relatability, and creativity.

How UX Design Impacts Digital Marketing?

1. Building a Connection

“People ignore design that ignores people.” — Frank Chimero

The first step is to build a relationship with your customers. UX design does that well. A digital marketing campaign is hollow if you don’t build a connection with your customers. You may pump loads of money in marketing, but without the right UX, the digital marketing campaign will not succeed.

2. Better Visibility

“If you don’t know the user intent behind the keywords you’re optimizing for, then you’re doing it wrong. Also, if you are optimizing for keywords vs. the needs of the user, then you’re doing it wrong.” — Jordan Kasteler

Visibility and SEO go hand-in-hand. Anyone can research popular keywords and incorporate them in the digital campaign. But with UX, you are focusing on creating an experience that people want, which means that you are optimizing for what the users’ search. A need-driven UX will make you more visible online and make people want to visit your website or social media accounts.

3. Enhanced Customer Experience

“Maximizing satisfaction with customer journeys has the potential not only to increase customer satisfaction by 20 percent but also to lift revenue by up to 15 percent while lowering the cost of serving customers by as much as 20 percent.” — McKinsey

UX in digital marketing can improve customer interactions. It can also help with customer satisfaction and retention. This translates into repeat customers, more revenue, and overall success.

4. Decrease the Bounce Rate

“UI is the saddle, the stirrups, & the reins. UX is the feeling you get being able to ride the horse.” — Dain Miller

Let’s understand this with an example. If your landing page does not match the expectations of a user, they are going to exit the website and not explore further. There will be no conversion — people won’t ride the horse. This can be prevented with a well-designed UX.

5. Increased ROI

“If you think good design is expensive, you should look at the cost of bad design.” — Dr. Ralf Speth

UX sells digital marketing markets. In the last ten years, companies that invested in design outperformed Standard & Poor’s by 228%, maintaining a strong stock market presence. If you want to sell more, you need to create a user experience through user research. Without a good UX, you are pumping resources into marketing something that nobody really enjoys or needs. When you combine a good UX design and a good marketing strategy, you can get better returns on your investments.

6. Optimized for Mobile-View

When UX doesn’t consider ALL users, shouldn’t it be known as “SOME User Experience” or… SUX?” — Bill Gregory

51.92% of online traffic comes from mobiles. But sadly, many of the apps, websites, and software are not mobile-friendly. UX design makes anything optimized for mobile phones, keeping the users engaged.

Where Do UX Design and Marketing Meet?

While UX design is focused on giving the customer what they want, digital marketing has the aim of creating brand awareness, generating leads, and increasing the revenue. This aim of digital marketing can only be achieved if users can relate to the product or service marketed. A great digital marketing strategy might make the product or service reach the user, and there may or may not be a purchase. But a great UX design ensures conversions — because users like what they see. When both combine (let’s call it UX digital marketing), you hit the bull’s eye. These are the ways where UX in marketing can help:

• Creating customer personas to tailor products and services
• Standing out among digital campaigns — users become humans
• Understanding what the customer wants and needs
• Increasing visibility
• Better lead generation
• Stunning visuals
• Right content generation

UX in Digital Marketing Funnel

To understand the role of UX in marketing, let’s have a look at the above picture and the stages in the digital marketing funnel. UX plays a role in three of the four stages.

1. There is awareness created by digital marketing about a product or a service.
2. The interest is generated only when the user experience offered attracts customers.
3. The desire is felt when the product or service marketed is what the user wants. This ‘want’ is created once again through a good UX design, backed by user research.
4. The action at last, or conversion, also happens when the UX is done right.

A bad UX will stop the funnel at stage one. UX in digital marketing comes when you need to stand out in the clutter. So many competitors, so many products, so many digital marketing campaigns! A good UX is how you put the spotlight on you.

Should Digital Marketers Learn UX Design?

Currently, there is a lack of joint effort between UX designers and digital marketers. But to create an agile and proactive digital ecosystem that is favorable, these efforts need to join. Even better, digital marketers should learn UX design skills.

Why?

• Better payscale
• Better scope (number one on-demand profession in the design field, as per an HR company called Brazen)
• Upskilling with a unique combination of digital marketing and UX design skills
• The acquired ability to increase conversions for companies
• To fortify a digital marketing strategy

How?

• Set aside some time every day to learn the ropes
• Plan and save for the costs of this education
• Enrol in an online course (Coursera, Udemy, edx, etc.)
• Or, sign-up for an offline classroom course — you can also do both
• Practice your skills
• Network & land your first gig

So should digital marketers learn UX? The answer is YES.

UX Digital Marketing is the Way to Go

Many digital marketing strategies have downplayed the role of a good UX design. UX works as a qualitative pillar for a digital marketing campaign. It is fundamental in making your target audience engage and act with your campaign. Another important thing UX can do is turn your customers into advocates for your brand.

Good UX design appeals to the sense of sight, that’s what makes a user want to explore. It is smooth, bug-free, and offers something to a user. If you want people to stop scrolling when they see your ad on digital media, then invest in UX design. If you want them to say “wow,”, invest in a good UX design. If you want them to make a purchase, and become loyal customers, invest in a better UX design. It’s never too late.

Also Read：How to Become a UX Designer in Hong Kong