User experience (UX) is important in branding since the brand is created to offer solutions to their needs.
UX reinforces the brand’s identity and promotes the brand from one person to the other. Therefore, it should be part of the greater picture in branding for successful results.
A website is the main tool that people access to obtain information about a brand. UX practices should be consistent and align with the brand’s presence outside the confines of the website.
The aim is to create a connection with people and give them a good perception of the company.
Below are some practices that enhance user experience beyond the website.
Incorporate 3rd Party Add-Ons or Plugins
Add-ons come in handy when a brand has achieved some level of success and wants to leverage that success to introduce a new product under the same parent brand.
Add-ons are important since it is cheaper to introduce a new product under a well-known brand than start all over again. The brand extension will also accelerate faster because it’s riding on the existing brand.
Third-party add-ons/extensions also benefit the parent brand by creating a larger sense of loyalty and customer perceptions by reaffirming the brand’s goals and objectives. This sustains the relevance of the parent brand in the industry and among the customers.
When using Add-ons or plugins, aim for uniformity and functionality of any tool linking to the website such as forms, ordering tools, shopping tools, purchasing links, etc.
These tools should give the same feel as the website and should look the same.
The tools should display consistency with the brand identity. Any inconsistency or difference in appearance from the website and other links will raise confusion and doubt among the customers which may cause them to leave the site and eventually lead to loss of sales.
Plugins should work well with the website and fit into the theme and design.
Email Marketing
Email is key in helping keep tabs on the audience and engage with them. Email marketing is a good digital marketing strategy as it allows one on one engagement with the customer and receiving personal feedback.
It is also one of the most cost-effective ways of marketing both for start-ups and established businesses. Emails offer the consumer somewhere to find you, the inbox, thus creating trust.
Emails should give a feel of the website or appear as an extension of the same. The email templates should have visual consistency, imagery, voice, and font style.
The email header should always have the company’s logo and the colours used should reflect the brand design across the email content.
When setting up a mailing list, always clean it up to minimize the chances of getting spammed.
Also, do not add users’ emails to your mailing list without having their confirmation. Rather, provide a two-step subscribing option whereby in the second step, they confirm from their inboxes.
This allows you to engage with the audience and also avoid getting spammed by users. Often, it is the interested customers that will subscribe in such a case. This implies that you will most likely receive organic traffic and also higher leads of conversions.
Phone Calls
Good communication builds trust and strengthens existing relationships with the audience. Phone calls and text messages should embrace the website’s language and the overall brand and tone.
Where possible communicate the imagery through branded calls and texts. These engage the customers and give them a friendlier experience.
Use funny, authoritative, or casual language depending on the industry and the audience’s preferences. Texts should be leading/suggestive i.e. when giving promotions and offers, trigger the users to take action of making a purchase.
Phone calls should be courteous and inform the customer about the company, new products, changes, etc. It should demonstrate trust, professionalism and make the user feel valued through emotional connection.
At the end of the call, ask for feedback and embrace it whether harsh or not.
Advertisements and Promotions
They should communicate the same message as the website and not be annoying to the user. Inconsistency of the advertisement content from the website content raises questions in the user’s mind and downgrades their experience. This can also raise doubt that the promotions could be a scam.
The links used to make the adverts should be clear and not misleading.
For instance, don’t project a link to “valuable information” only for one to end up in an advertisement. This will automatically create mistrust and even leave the page. Let an advert be known to be one.
There should be a connection between the website and the advertisements made. They should have the same visual structure and brand elements. This connection keeps the users focused on the brand.
Remember, advertisements and promotions should lead to more conversions.
Print Products
The printed designs should bear the same message and image as the brand strategy. There should be a connection between the prints and the website. The brochures, flyers, billboards, calendars, banners, or posters should represent the brand’s personality.
For instance, what they see on the streets should connect to what they see when they visit the website and the brand at large.
Product branding helps the customers distinguish your products from those of the competitors. Correct product branding will give life to the brand’s products and will lead customers into making more purchases. This is the exact opposite of poor product branding.
Printed products, whether digital or hardcopy should send the correct brand image since they are both visual elements like a logo.
Social Media
Social media is a great marketing tool and therefore, having a strong online presence is key for any brand. This will provide a smooth user experience for potential and existing website visitors and customers.
Most people spend a good time on social media either connecting with people, checking out merchandise or making purchases. Therefore, using it will help the brand connect with the customers and give them content that they find valuable and meets their needs.
Social media helps improve user experience by giving easy access to social media platforms through the navigation tabs on the website. It also solidifies the brand’s consistency, voice, and personality. It will also encourage customer engagement and feedback.
Conclusion
Brand design should not only focus on the brand personality only but the user experience too. The UX becomes important and will result from the consistency the brand gives to the customers.
