You offer an outstanding service, but this isn't enough to keep you in the forefront of your customers' minds. For this, you need an outstanding brand. Branding is how your customers view your service, and it's heavily influenced by user experience (UX). Here are some key insights into UX and how it impacts branding.

What is branding vs UX?

Branding is your company's calling card to the world. It's a broad term that includes reputation, how people feel after using your offering, and the way that your offering is delivered. In today's environment of free-flowing information, customers are equal contributors in the branding process. Their participation and interaction with the offering is called the user experience or UX.

Products and services usually don't gain notoriety overnight. It takes a while for people to use an offering and tell their friends about it. Its reputation is made when the right person such as an internet influencer tries out the offering and tells the public about his or her experience with it.

Branding is a way that companies differentiate their offerings from competitor products or services. They attempt to create an atmosphere around the offering that evokes positive feelings in users.

The makers of Invisalign dental products do this well. While visiting the Invisalign website, you'll see before-and-after pictures of smiling teens who now have the confidence to face any situation whether it be the first day at a new high school or presenting a project in front of their peers. What parents would pass on this product?

The way in which your offering is delivered to customers helps to differentiate it from competitors. It can give customers the reason that they need to choose your product or service over a similar one. You can create that reason with thoughtful packaging. For instance, a wellness-related product usually attracts customers who live sustainable lifestyles. Makers of these products often state on their websites that they use packaging that's made of natural materials.

Many people mistake logos and colorful graphics for branding. In many cases, these are simply marketing accessories that enhance genuine branding activities such as building a riveting backstory or gathering feedback from your customers via your website.  

Customers expect good UX from brands

In the wake of the global pandemic, companies have beefed up their online presence. Knowledgeable, in-person customer service must be replicated online, because customers expect good UX from established companies. This means building easy-to-navigate menus on mobile-ready sites, among other things.

Steady technological advancements largely drive customers' expectations regarding online UX. New technology enables people to have more flexibility with their schedules, but it also blurs the line between work and leisure time. As a result, customers expect companies to use that same technology to enable good UX. For example, they frequent businesses that give them multiple ways of getting information at any time of day or night. They reward companies that do it right with sales or by taking a requested action such as signing up for a newsletter.

The percentage of your site's visitors who take the desired action while on the site is called the conversion rate, and it's directly linked to UX. Increasing a site's conversion rate doesn't happen by chance. It's done systematically by a process that's called conversion rate optimization.

Some conversion rate optimization tactics that the professionals use include shortening page load times, offering various payment options, and raising site security.

User experience design can make or break a brand

From impossibly long drop-down menus to ridiculously complex password requirements, your customers have seen it all. While some UX foibles are easily overlooked, some can cost you customers and your reputation as an honest broker.

Ryanair is known for its cheap, short-distance flights, but the growing airline is also recognized for its increasing use of sneaky add-on fees to increase fares. An example of this is the option on the airline's website to forgo travel insurance. The menu that gives the user the choice to opt out of the insurance is buried under another menu.

Some companies are getting UX right with the help of conversion rate optimization. Skin Actives is a producer of affordable skin care products for various skin types. The skin care company has many products from which to choose, and the challenge was to inform the site visitor of the products that are right for them. Skin Actives ran a site audit and revamped its navigation menus to raise conversion rates for both desktop and mobile users.

In conclusion...

Branding sets the path for your business now and in the future, and your customers play a huge role in brand development. For something this important, you'll want to take proactive steps to guide the process.

Begin by analyzing your website. You can find out what makes your customers happy or frustrated just by analyzing their traffic on your site. Use these insights to increase sales, prioritize business goals, and improve customer loyalty.

Time for you to revisit your UX marketing strategy? Get in touch with NiKnack...we're happy to talk about what you can do to elevate your customers' experience!