UX is You Most Important Marketing Tool. No, Really.
Truth be told, I come from a Marketing and Advertising background, so I’m biased in this article, but I don’t think that makes me inherently wrong.
It’s been a pretty consistent reaction of UX teams to shudder or roll their eyes when I talk about Marketing, but one of my former co-workers, Michelle Broderick (currently the CMO at Simple Finance), reframed my perspective on product development and UX with a simple truth: everything is marketing. (Cue the cries of “bullshit!”)
It’s easy to think of marketing as just ads: garbage placements that don’t mean anything that no one will care about. That’s fair. But also think about Marketing as Branding. The feeling people get when they use or think about that product you spent so many hours researching, designing, and developing. It’s the summation of every aspect of your company distilled into one feeling. Ads are only one part of the branding equation. So why is UX the other part?
It delivers what your traditional marketing promises.
Or at least, it should. If your traditional marketing channels (TV, ads, FB posts, etc…) create a feeling for your customers, your UX should confirm it. For example, if your brand is lighthearted and fun, your UX should incorporate that feeling into the design and writing. Think fun colors and quippy text. If your brand is more serious, your UX should reflect that.
Good UX builds trust.
Having your customers’ trust is a top-tier goal of branding. Any good marketer will instantly salivate at the thought of your customers trusting your brand. If your product is easy-to-use and takes a UX-first approach to development, your customers will notice. Taking the time to do proper research and ensuring what your building is something your customers will want goes a long way in the mind of your customer. Once they believe you’re truly thinking of them first, they’re more likely to adopt your new products and (god forbid) forgive some of your mistakes.
It’s the real life manifestation of your relationship.
Traditional marketing is usually a one-way street: you say something and hope the customer believes it. Social media introduced the ability for a conversation. But more than both of those, UX is the best place for a true relationship. Think about how you build relationships with family or friends. It might start because of a shirt you’re wearing (read: billboard), but it’s nurtured and grows through interactions (read: UX).
So what does all this mean? The biggest mistake I see in companies is having a “wall” between product and marketing, when in fact, they should be working incredibly closely together. By having your UX Designers, Researchers, and Writers tuned-in to the brand, your UX will only get better—and similarly, if your marketing team is aligned with UX, they’re campaigns will be more authentic and effective.
