How software engineering can help marketers build stronger brand relationships.
If you’ve spent any time using software, your user experience (UX) can make – or break – your brand perception. But could user experience be the next frontier for marketing? By placing the customer first in every decision, principles of UX can highlight the ways your strategy builds a successful relationship with your audience.
“If marketing is the conversation, your user experience is the relationship. From awareness to advocacy, user experiences define the way customers perceive your brand.”
We often think about marketing in terms of brand perception, but user experience design is focused on the customer experience. Instead of f
inding more effective ways to sell products, UX is centered on positive experiences that build lasting customer relationships. It encompasses what the user experiences, but more important is the consideration for how they feel when they interact with your brand.
Research and Development
Think of the first time you went to Disney, or the last time you stayed at an award-winning resort. Every aspect of the architecture, each amenity and room plan, and every single interaction with the staff makes you feel welcomed. Years of research and planning went into the brilliant, air-scented foyer, and every detail was researched to make your experience memorable. The research and execution of each user experience is expected be flawless in the hospitality industry, and marketers in these industries are expected to carry this forward in branded communications.
User experience design requires research, development, testing, and analysis. Just as marketers build customer personas, software engineers are expected to understand the “use cases” of each user before starting product development. As marketers, we conduct research to understand our audience, narrow down our unique value proposition, and segment our communications for each persona. This insight is invaluable during product development, and it encourages brands to consider why their customers choose them instead of their competitors.
User Interaction
The principles of user experience design are deeply ingrained in every aspect of product development. Software interfaces need to be intuitive and friendly, or customers will find a replacement they actually enjoy using. Each menu, button, and animation needs to add to the user experience, and any issues with usability are triaged and fixed accordingly.
As marketers, we build the user experience before, during, and after purchase decisions. With public relations and advertising, we create first impressions to separate individuals based on customer personas. We segment our email and social media campaigns to create artificially intelligent nurturing sequences based on the choices our customers make. But each campaign needs to have measurable results determine effectiveness.
Testing and Evaluation
Perhaps here’s where marketers have the edge on software designers. With tools such as Google Analytics or Mixpanel we can find direct correlations between marketing communications and user behavior – even down to the cent (or percent). And analytics tools are becoming more advanced as artificial intelligence provides sharper insights and real-time automation for marketing communications.
But even the smartest, fastest, and most insightful tools are limited by our capacity to use them effectively. Remember those boxes you checked automatically about sending data to the developers of your favorite app? Effective user experience design incorporates feedback loops to continually improve software. While most agencies have benchmarks or key performance indicators they attempt to achieve, only the most successful marketers can continuously increase engagement and build long-lasting customer relationships.
User Experience
Outside of product management, marketing is the most impactful tool for building a positive user experience. From store layouts and product packaging, as offered by Arka, to web design and digital advertising, marketers frame the user experience to reflect the culture and brand of their organization. If you’re interested in learning more about user experience marketing, contact Mabbly to see how we can connect you with your audience!
