Welcome to our new office, 410 N. Boylan Avenue, only steps away from our previous headquarters! The building is full of unicorns, hobbits, lucky charms, and everything in between.
We are kidding, of course. It is simply a building, but getting to work there every day can be pretty magical.
About Our New Digs
Our new space has a modern open floor plan and is three times bigger than the former office. Gone are the days of worrying about talking too loudly, disrupting meetings, or interrupting someone’s lunch. Now there is plenty of room to be creative, productive, and move throughout the day.
Different Floats for Different Folks
Employees have room to sit or “float” wherever they like and work however they want. There are many open working areas for those who want collaboration, including lounge areas where team members can work while sitting on the sofa. There are private offices for individuals who like privacy, enjoy the quiet, and need to take meetings without interruptions. There are also standing desks for the health-conscious and active, who are not fans of sitting all day long and want to keep the blood flowing.
Need some solo time? We have single-person pods—modular soundproof closed spaces, where you can pop in for a quick call, virtual meeting, or some productive alone time to “get in the zone.” Believe us; you won’t be able to hear a thing.
Let’s Get Down to Business
Our new building has five conference rooms. The conference rooms are outfitted with whiteboards, TVs, or projectors, allowing teams to meet, work on projects, have brainstorm sessions, give presentations, and enjoy that face-to-face interaction that we all have been missing for over two years. Our favorite room is the Boylan conference room, which can fit up to 20 people. It is ideal for pitch meetings, interviews, training sessions, board meetings, and yes, you guessed it, conference calls.
It’s been incredible to have creative brainstorms in this room and have different teams collaborate to create fresh ideas and strategies. From video scripting to holiday campaign planning, our brainstorms, or Co-Ops, as we call them, allow us to think outside the box, challenge ourselves, and innovate.
A Brewtiful Kitchen
If you were ever in our previous office, you would know that at TriMark Digital, we love having a happy hour at the end of the workday, which is why we are obsessed with our new keg area. We have two beers and one kombucha on draft, so interested team members can get a glass or two and bond with one another. Snacks? You’ve got it. We have two snack stations with an assortment of savory and sweet snacks to get refueled during or after the workday. (Yes, we have Goldfish for the kids at heart.)
Here’s to Making Memories
Our new site brings endless opportunities for team bonding and family fun experiences. Last Christmas, Santa visited TriMark’s new headquarters for “Storytime with Santa,” and we are still mopping up the tears of joy and love from his visit. Even those who were not sure about Santa could not help but believe. Storytime with Santa is only the beginning of all the memories we want to create in our new space. We already have a full calendar of activities planned for the year, so stay tuned!
Calling Downtown Raleigh Home
You get it. We love our office at Boylan—how can we not? We are in the heart of downtown, next to Glenwood Avenue, in proximity to fantastic coffee shops, delicious food, nail salons, bars, and so much more.
We are also just a short walking distance from our TriMark production studio, facilitating filming, photography, and editing. There is nothing better than getting to go “behind the scenes” and witness the killer videos that our video team produces.
This is Just the Beginning.
The best is yet to come! We are still making changes to improve the building and design spaces that favor engagement, creativity, and collaboration. We want our employees to thrive, be motivated, create happily, work comfortably, and feel at home. After all, what makes TriMark Digital a great place to work is its people.
What are you waiting for? Come see where the magic happens, meet our teams, and witness the beginning of a new chapter in TriMark Digital’s story.
The Value of “Bad” Ideas in a Brainstorm
By Caroline Watkins, Digital Content Writer
Every creative has been there: tapped out, burned out or just plain out of ideas. Getting back into a creative groove can be difficult, especially when too much emphasis is placed on good, fully formed ideas that could be executed. Seeking perfection in a brainstorm can actually just reinforce that stunted, worn-out feeling.
So, how do we break out of a creative slump and cycle of brainstorm burnout? Try throwing out some bad ideas! That’s right, bring all your worst ideas to the table—the half-baked, the potentially implausible, the downright silly—we want them all! And we aren’t the only ones: even creative teams at Google X employ this practice to shake things up and eliminate the fear of producing something “bad.”
Ready to get started? Here are some helpful tips for breaking out of your brainstorm comfort zone:
1. Provide Small Prompts To Jumpstart Thinking
Sometimes, blank space and unlimited opportunity can actually be intimidating, especially for those unfamiliar with a “bad idea brainstorm.” Providing small, thought-provoking prompts can help participants ease into the session with direction for their ideas. Try suggesting a brainstorm that focuses solely on eye-catching CTAs, different from the traditional “Learn More.” Or limit the topic to email subject lines with a specific character count. By providing some parameters, you’re actually creating more space for a free flow of ideas.
By providing some parameters, you’re actually creating more space for a free flow of ideas.
2. Emphasize Quantity Over Quality
In a bad idea brainstorm, any idea can trigger the next, potentially more actionable idea, and inspiration can come from exposure to others’ thoughts. That’s why it’s important to focus less on high-quality suggestions and instead encourage as many schemes and dreams as possible. Moreover, when quantity is emphasized, members of your team are more likely to say their “bad” ideas out loud rather than resist sharing. Ultimately, you’re more likely to uncover a workable idea—or build on another—when there are more ideas to sift through and consider as a team.
3. Keep Criticism to a Minimum
Again, the purpose of a bad idea brainstorm is to loosen any restraints on creativity. A necessary part of this is minimizing the amount of criticism provided during the brainstorming session. Negativity has no place in a meeting meant to inspire, so it’s important to focus on feedback that builds on an idea rather than stunts it. Participants are likely not used to delivering imperfect ideas, so make it easier on them by encouraging them to go further with their off-the-wall plans, rather than potentially stopping any thinking.
4. Collaborate and Relocate
Brainstorming is most effective when it happens in a safe, collaborative environment. Consider teaming up with a coworker to toss around some unusual ideas, or gather a small group of team members that may not typically work together for a brainstorm. Putting your head together with someone else can help stimulate the conversation and creative thinking that may be difficult to do in isolation. Shake things up even more by changing your brainstorm location; hold a session outside, at a local coffee shop or even a meeting room you don’t typically use. New surroundings can prompt new thoughts—plus, this can provide a nice opportunity for coworkers to have some fun together in a productive way!
The next time you and your team are feeling creatively stuck, try being a little bit… bad. You never know how your worst idea may evolve!
How To Create A Strategic Influencer Program That Supports Your Marketing Goals
By Hannah Freyaldenhoven, Senior Content Strategist, Team Lead
In 2022, new privacy updates are forcing brands to think outside the box and look to influencers to reach their target audience. Social platforms are evolving, too. In-app shopping features on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok mean new opportunities for prospects to convert via influencer marketing.
Curious how you could create an influencer program that supports your marketing goals? We’ll start with the basics of influencer marketing and outline how it can expand your current strategies at every stage of the funnel.
What is influencer marketing?
Influencer marketing uses key leaders and content creators—known as “influencers”—to share your brand’s message. By collaborating with an influencer, you can speak directly to their unique audience of followers.
Influencers connect with their followers across many platforms in a variety of ways, serving as a subject matter expert for an interest group, geography, or life stage. When chosen intentionally, influencers share products and services that will fit into their followers’ lifestyles. They can “influence” their followers to consider your brand because it will actually resonate with their needs and interests.
This allows for a less transactional and more transformational conversation around your brand.
Microinfluencers: A great starting point
While your first instinct may be to partner with someone with as many followers as possible, we’ve found that micro- to mid-tier influencers are a great place to start – especially when creating an influencer marketing strategy for the first time.
Many micro- and mid-tier influencers would not consider themselves famous in an offline setting. Instead, they’ve gained the power to affect purchasing decisions of others because of their niche knowledge and relationship with their audience. Microinfluencers boast some of the strongest engagement rates per post because of this strong rapport they’ve built with their followers.
By partnering with influencers in the 10-70K followers range, you’ll reach highly qualified consumers without breaking the bank, allowing for a chance to test and learn. Microinfluencers tend to give us the best deal for the money invested, typically charging less than $500 per post. Plus, microinfluencers are often willing to negotiate in-kind trades, which can help stretch tight marketing budgets.
Why do we recommend influencer strategies?
Here are our top six reasons why influencer marketing could benefit your business and build on your current marketing strategies. Along the way, we’ll share examples from our client Closets by Liberty™, who launched their new closet organization systems using influencer marketing.
1. IMPROVE TRUST
When it comes to millennials, only 1% of them trust advertisements. And that makes sense—advertisements are self-promoting, the tone is often transactional, and the message is sales-y. The result? 42% of consumers use ad-blocking technology according to the Digital Marketing Institute.
Influencer marketing can help fill this gap as a way to gather third-party reviews, which are considered more trustworthy than ads. Consumers are able to witness an influencer’s positive, real-world product experience and build enough trust to complete a purchase.
Consider these numbers:
82% of customers surveyed by ExpertVoice said they would be very likely to follow a recommendation from a microinfluencer.
Around 40% of people surveyed by Annalect said that they purchased a product online after seeing it used by an influencer on YouTube, Instagram, or Twitter.
Forbes reports 33% of millennials trust blog reviews for their purchases.
When Closets by Liberty™ started its influencer program amidst its brand launch, the goal was to build reviews on both retailer sites and a new microsite. Influencer content directed highly qualified traffic to the microsite, helping the brand break into the crowded storage and organization market.
2. CREATE AUTHENTIC CONVERSATIONS
A common myth is that influencers aren’t seen as genuine. In reality, microinfluencers work to nurture their relationships with followers rather than simply posting a picture and caption. 71% of influencers believe that it’s an honest and authentic voice that keeps their audience engaged.
Choose influencers who are strict about representing products that truly fit their lifestyle and will resonate with their audience. It’s a good sign if they ask lots of questions about your product or service! You should also ask for their media kit and investigate past sponsored content to ensure the influencer is engaged and on-brand.
Closets by Liberty™ influencers answered questions and concerns from potential customers on behalf of the brand. You’ll see them respond in the comments and create an authentic conversation around the product. Because they were briefed on our marketing goals, they were able to follow up with more information and promote key selling points.
3. APPEAL TO DIVERSE AUDIENCES
Ensure your brand is relatable and inclusive by partnering with influencers that are diverse in location, age, race, style, and budget.
As you vet influencers for your brand, consider the way your product or experience works for different types of consumers:
What does this makeup look like on different skin tones?
What do these clothes look like on different heights and body types?
How does this couch look in different homes?
How does this resort cater to different family or group sizes?
A diverse program of influencers allows us to cast the widest net, appealing to everyone that fits within our target audience. This will also show the versatility of products as everyone will use the product in slightly different ways.
For Closets by Liberty™ we intentionally sought out different home types and design styles, from bohemian to traditional to contemporary. We also diversified by customer age, need, and use case, including a young business owner sprucing up her office, a busy mom making her closet a special sanctuary, a young child growing into his first closet, a design enthusiast in the middle of a home makeover, and more.
Because you will send your influencers product, they will gain practical, hands-on experience with your brand. Living with your product in their day-to-day life means they will likely get to know your product even better than you!
Similarly, if you are marketing an experience or service, these influencers will have a chance to critique your brand with fresh eyes and through a new perspective.
Use this as an opportunity to:
Get feedback on product improvements
Establish pro tips based on how they use the product
Send and test new items before they hit the shelf
Create co-branded products that help shape the future of the brand
When Closets by Liberty™ released its new shoe storage accessory for its closet systems, we sent the product to our influencers before it was publicly available for purchase. This was important for two reasons. Our influencers already had the closet systems installed in their homes and could easily add the new accessory. They also could share their reviews and give us honest feedback on the function of the product. From there, we established key messages around the new accessory based on real experiences. Consider this a mini focus group and gather as many reviews as possible.
5. BUILD YOUR CREATIVE LIBRARY
Influencer content offers a distinct benefit from traditional user-generated content. Unlike UGC, you’ll have a hand in the overall look, setting the project up for success with brand guidelines and even mood boards. As a result, you get high-quality, styled creative that you can count on for future assets.
Top benefits:
Save on production time and effort—you don’t have to execute a photoshoot, they do it!
Avoid set propping. Your influencer uses their own home and personal items.
Create more looks for less. Each influencer offers a new location.
Pro tip: You’ll negotiate rights to the content so that you can repurpose photography, video, and content in fresh ways across different platforms, amplifying their original message and supporting your content strategy.
Working with influencers is also a great way to test new platforms, like TikTok, that are more difficult to create organically in-house. You get their in-app video experience, plus the fact that they’ve already built a following on these new channels.
We tested influencer imagery in our Closets by Liberty™ display ads, which resulted in some of our top-performing creative yet.
6. TAILOR TO FIT YOUR MARKETING GOALS + BUSINESS OBJECTIVES
Influencer marketing can fit seamlessly into your overall strategy and provide new opportunities at each stage of the funnel. While it is a powerful way to create awareness among key audiences, it can ultimately drive leads and sales.
From blogs to reviews, installation videos, social posts, Pinterest pins, and TikTok, the amount and type of content that you can create to support any stage of the funnel is endless. You’ll test and learn what converts best based on the purchase process and decision-making lifecycle of your product.
Social platforms are evolving, too. New in-app shopping features on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok mean new opportunities for prospects to convert and, in turn, new monetized touchpoints for your influencers to utilize.
Influencers will also have valuable insight on what marketing strategies perform best for their audience. For example, perhaps their followers are very responsive to Instagram stories with links.
One tactic that Closets by Liberty™ implemented in the “capture” phase was a design quiz. It featured influencer photography that matched a respondent’s design preferences, creating personalized assets.
How can I get started?
While influencer marketing is very popular for beauty and fashion e-commerce brands, it’s also an effective strategy for less tangible “products” like travel, experiences, and services. No matter your industry, there is someone representing your target audience and speaking directly to them.
To get started you’ll need to set clear objectives for your program, whether that’s to build your creative library, grow product awareness through backlinks and social media impressions, create demand with product reviews, or drive sales with unique promo codes.
Stay tuned for more discussion on how to seek out high-quality partners, negotiate agreements, and track insights.
10 Digital Marketing Predictions For 2022
Curated by TriMark Digital Read Time: 11 Minutes
It’s go-time around the digital marketing industry – time for brands to apply their learnings from the last several months and start strong in 2022. TriMark Digital is mobilizing as well, and we’ve identified 10 trends that will define marketing success in the new year.
From navigating the age of privacy to creating hyper-personalized moments with your audience, we’ll cover everything you need to turn insight into foresight and get a leg up in Q1. Consider these key themes as you read:
New privacy protections will make first-party data collection essential.
Consistent UX optimizations will be key for page-one rankings in Google.
Interactive experiences will help capture and engage a fast-paced audience.
Brand authenticity will be a non-negotiable trust builder for prospects.
INTEGRATED MARKETING
A. Resurgence in Programmatic Advertising will level the playing field for all brands.
Dani Roberts, Director of Client Strategy
At the beginning of 2021, brands started purchasing more programmatically across TV, Search and social platforms.
And it makes sense given how immersive these channels have become. Now through a diverse mix of video, text and display ads, you can reach consumers with relevant, cross-device experiences at a lower cost – an attractive proposition for any brand looking to make their dollar go further in the new year.
Not only that, a “local first” shift in consumer behavior is creating a more level playing field where authenticity, not budget, is the currency. That means brands of all sizes can share genuine stories in front of the right audience without fear of being cannibalized by outside bids.
So, whether you’re a local mom-and-pop or a large enterprise, programmatic advertising should be on your 2022 agenda.
B. Consumers will reward brands that are genuine & transparent about their values.
While every issue requires sensitivity, it’s clear that genuine transparency is becoming a non-negotiable trust signal for today’s digital user.
In 2022, you’ll likely be faced with a decision to speak up or remain silent on a certain topic. Being honest and thoughtful in those moments could turn a casual passerby into a loyal customer.
A ‘local first’ shift in consumer behavior is creating a level playing field where authenticity, not budget, is the currency.
Dani Roberts, Director of Client Strategy
PAID SEARCH
Enhanced privacy restrictions will force brands to capture more first-party data.
As users become more anonymous, first-party sources like consumer insights, campaign observations, CRM & sales data, etc. will be imperative to continue driving results with educated, data-driven optimizations.
In 2022, agencies and in-house marketing departments need to collaborate to gather and utilize this first-party data. It may feel like one step forward two steps back, but taking time now to create an efficient and scalable collection funnel will help you sustain performance as traditional data sources become more obsolete.
PAID SOCIAL
Platform-specific campaigns will be essential to mobilize your target audience.
Stephanie Annunziata, Paid Social Strategist
The time has come for marketers to have a presence on more than just Facebook and Instagram.
New platforms are exposing people to different ways of consuming media, and brands will need to adapt their advertising to stay relevant in an increasingly diverse social landscape.
Take user-generated content (UGC). Made popular by the TikTok app, UGC is essentially any content that’s created by the person consuming it: the user.
TikTok’s partnership with Fortnite for the Emote Royale campaign is a good example of UGC at work. Together they launched a viral challenge whereby users submitted videos of their own Avatar dances for prizes (see below).
But rather than promote the contest with elaborate ads, Fortnite leveraged the UGC video submissions themselves because they fit the style of the app. In 2022, brands should follow suit with platform-specific content designed for the audience it’s reaching.
TikTok has built a highly-engaged community with user-generated content.
SOCIAL MEDIA
More brands will expand into new social platforms.
Eugenia Hart, Social Media Strategist
The next generation of apps and features in the social media space is helping carve out genuine opportunities to reach untapped audiences.
In 2022, brands will need to venture into these new frontiers beyond Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay relevant.
TikTok is a good place to start. Its user-generated style, robust creator studio and highly-intelligent algorithm come together to form one of the most frictionless in-app experiences on the market.
Yet despite having amassed over 1 billion users, there are very few brands on the app. That makes TikTok a virtually competition-free playground for engaging a passionate community. If you’re looking to push the envelope, give TikTok a shot.
ORGANIC SEARCH
Websites with the highest-quality user experience will continue to dominate in search results.
Conor Dalton, Senior Organic Strategist
Google favors simple, yet for years, ranking on page one of SERPs has been anything but. Until now.
Thanks to the recent Page Experience Update, we enter 2022 with a measurable and attainable Organic roadmap. No more tricks for clicks or do-whatever-you-can-to-rank-on-page-one approach.
Instead, Organic success will be predicated on intuitive site structure, high-value content, exceptional UX and other user-first optimizations.
Organic success will be predicated on intuitive site structure, high-value content, exceptional UX and other user-first optimizations.
Conor Dalton, Senior Organic Strategist
USER EXPERIENCE (UX)
The digital experience will become even more realistic and human.
Melissa Snell, Art Director
As consumers continue turning to digital outlets for real-world solutions, web experiences will need to become more human and interactive.
To stay ahead of the curve in 2022, brands should start exploring opportunities to recreate those traditional, in-person moments for a digital audience.
One way to create that authentic experience is online video. Webinars and live streams are ideal because they’re raw, unpolished and conversational. Augmented reality (AR) is another immersive tool to engage a digital-savvy customer.
Augmented Reality (AR) features help create a realistic, interactive digital experience
WEB DESIGN
A positive first impression will be necessary to engage more users and increase time-on-site.
Kei Kato, Senior Designer
A quality first impression is critical for engaging today’s fast-moving digital audience. To capture and retain more visitors in 2022, brands should strive for low-friction, highly-scannable pages that streamline users toward their goal.
Start with the fundamentals: concise mobile-friendly copy, intuitive typographic hierarchy and plenty of white space.
Beyond the basic principles, brands can also include micro-interactions on their websites to spice things up. These small, functional moments between user and design create a positive first impression.
VIDEO
Full-funnel video content will become even more personalized.
Brandon Clarke, Associate Creative Director, Video
Full-funnel storytelling will be essential to see results from video in 2022. To adapt, brands will need real-time insight into customers’ pain points at each stage of the buying process.
If one of those pain points is product education, a viable solution might be a series of thorough product videos to build awareness around the value of what you’re offering.
Or maybe you’re consistently losing business to competitors with lower price points? Prospects are more likely to convert into leads if they know exactly what they’re paying for and why. So, rather than shy away with product discounts, try creating an explainer video that clearly defines why your price is what it is.
EMAIL
New inbox privacy protections will change how brands measure email success.
Molly Spero, Content Strategist
Apple’s new Mail Privacy Protection (MPP) feature lets users hide their inbox activity, which means email senders will no longer have access to location and open data.
But don’t panic! These metrics help tell the story, but they aren’t the only indicators of campaign performance. To succeed with email in the new year, senders must look beyond opens.
For example, if the goal of an email is to drive traffic to a page on your website, you’ll measure success by how many people clicked through to that page (CTR). You can then use Google Analytics to see how many page sessions and conversions occurred as a result (just be sure to tag links to your site with correct utm parameters).
The key difference for email marketers in 2022 will be the type of data at your disposal. As open rates diminish, brands should begin optimizing emails with shorter, more action-oriented content and prominent, clickable moments.
By generating and acting on the right email data, you’ll be able to reach, engage and convert prospects without missing a beat.
Apple users now have the ability to hide their data from email senders.
INFLUENCER MARKETING
Influencer Marketing will become more data-driven than ever before.
Hannah Freyaldenoven, Senior Content Strategist
New privacy updates are forcing brands to look to creators to reach their audience, but with more ad spend entering the space as a result, tracking return on the dollar is imperative.
In response, online influencer databases have started investing in cutting-edge A.I. tools that make it easier to find the right creator and assess their performance.
Social platforms are evolving, too. New in-app shopping features on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok mean new opportunities for prospects to convert and, in turn, new monetized touch points for advertisers to track.
In 2022, this actionable data will help brands leverage influencer marketing as a powerful lead-generation tool and side-step the fallout from privacy crackdowns.
How to Launch a Successful Product Marketing Strategy
By Alex Stewart, Associate Creative Director
In 2016, leading kitchen and bathroom plumbing brand Kohler approached us to help them sell its new walk-in tub in a crowded and competitive market.
A leader in plumbing, but new to the “aging-in-place” space, Kohler needed a partner that could develop a marketing strategy to launch not only their new tub but also the brand’s first direct-to-consumer business program.
TriMark devised a plan to bring the special tub to market and capture a brand-new audience for the historic brand.
Step 1: Meet the audience where they are with the message they need.
To help us construct a positioning and messaging strategy, we researched the needs and behaviors of our target audience (seniors and homeowners with mobility challenges). Then we investigated how Kohler’s competitors communicated with that audience.
One trend we noticed immediately was the use of scare tactics in several competitors’ marketing language. Many walk-in tub brands used a threatening tone, warning the homeowner that they were likely to fall or become injured if they did not purchase their product.
With Kohler, we wanted to replace the fear-mongering with messages of graciousness, empowerment and support.
Step 2: Target viewers with intentional messaging along the purchase journey.
With our audience’s need for a safe and comfortable bathing solution driving our strategy, we launched targeted ads across display, search, video and social platforms. Each ad told a story of the product—a tub that offers independence, peace of mind and quality hydrotherapy with every soak. The ads directed viewers to an optimized landing page that prompted them to request a free quote.
We monitored each ad’s performance, ran A/B tests and adjusted ad spend as needed to optimize our investment on each channel. Through testing and tweaks, we maximized lead volume while driving down cost-per-lead.
Step 3: Become a trusted expert in the category.
To give the KOHLER Walk-In Bath a competitive edge, we launched the Gracious Living Blog as a supplement to the main product website. This new platform offers design advice, lifestyle content and brand news for homeowners who are looking for ways to safely and comfortably remain in their homes and avoid assisted living care.
We also created a video gallery featuring bite-sized educational content and customer testimonials. The useful visuals and first-person product perspectives were used across the website, blogs, emails and in social ads, which generated more engagement and helped nurture our leads through the customer journey.
Step 4: Test, iterate, improve, repeat.
By using data and reporting as our north star, we are constantly learning about the platforms, messages and timing that resonate best with our audience. We regularly run A/B tests to gather data and measure the effectiveness of our marketing efforts. This agile, data-driven approach allowed us to quickly shift resources and make website updates to improve performance.
From one test, we learned customers are more interested in requesting a “free quote” than a “free consultation,” so we implemented that language across all platforms. In another, we found that adding a form and phone number to the top of all blog posts generated more form fills and calls from blog readers. Other tests have measured how a particular image, call-to-action, form design or other element affects lead and sales volume.
Step 5: Deliver a brand experience based on trust.
With optimized campaigns in place and a seamless brand story told across mediums, we helped qualified leads make a confident decision about their aging-in-place plan:
Nurture emails told the homeowner what to expect throughout the quote and installation process and announced special offers
Direct-response print ads served as an extension of our digital presence and delivered seasonal messages and promotions
TV and podcast ads increased brand awareness with relevant audiences
Third-party partnerships expanded our reach and brand recognition
By creating an engaging, authentic extension of the Kohler brand that showed empathy and respect to our audience, we cultivated a loyal customer base and over $64MM in bath sales.
We listened to what our customers needed and delivered a brand experience that met those needs, signaling that Kohler is here to offer support, empowerment and dignity to all, no matter their age or physical ability.
Five Signs That Your Site Needs UX Improvements
If your brand hasn’t started investing in user experience design yet, now is an excellent time—UX could be affecting your business’s bottom line! Research shows that when customers have a good experience on your site, they are more likely to purchase a product. So, how can you ensure that your customers have a positive experience with your brand? Here are five signs that you need to improve your site’s user experience.
1. Your Website Takes Too Long to Load
In today’s era of viral TikTok videos and Instagram ads, users expect to get a lot of information in a short amount of time. That means if your site takes a long time to load, then users are going to leave. Research shows that the first 15 seconds can make or break the user experience for your site, with most users abandoning the page if it doesn’t load after 20 seconds.
In summer 2021, Google released its Page Experience update that ranks sites based on the user experience. If your site takes a while to load, it could harm your rankings. To avoid this, add UX checks to your launch site checklist.
2. Your Website Fails Color Contrast Checks
Web accessibility awareness has rapidly increased in the past few years. People now recognize that more accessible web design leads to a better user experience for everyone. Music streaming app Spotify is an excellent example of designing for accessibility in its user interface. Spotify recently published a blog post about how they redesigned their buttons to accommodate low-vision users. This example shows that every step towards accessibility is a chance for a better UX on your site.
To improve the UX for your products and brand, consider testing the color contrast for accessibility. Run your site through an accessibility checker and see where it falls on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. The WAVE AIM checker and the Adobe Color Wheel are both excellent tools to help you check accessibility.
Adobe Color’s Accessibility Tool
3. Your Website Is Outdated
Design trends happen for a reason: to constantly improve. You want to show that your brand is innovative and adjusts to meet user needs. In a “mobile-first” world, your website needs to be fully responsive and built for touch devices. Use web analytics data to learn about your audience to design for the devices they use and the experience they expect. People constantly change. If your site doesn’t reflect how your users change, you lose a competitive edge in an ever-changing digital world.
4. Your Website Overwhelms Users
Does your landing page have a high bounce rate? You might be presenting too much information to users all at once. Hick’s Law states that the time it takes to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices. Divide your content into sections so that you don’t overwhelm your users. Try a minimalist design so that your webpage can breathe.
Some brands make the mistake of presenting all the information at once in case users leave their site quickly. Instead, try to write more engaging hooks that draw users in and make them want to stay. Be sure to break up any large paragraphs into smaller ones so that users can scan them. You can also add visuals and photos to break up large chunks of text.
5. Your Website Doesn’t Have a Logical Flow
Do you notice that your users aren’t scrolling far down the page? Chances are your site does not use the Inverted Pyramid Method, or the F-shaped Pattern, to structure your content. With this method, you present the most relevant information toward the top of the page, so your site has a logical flow. This strategy will prevent users from leaving because they couldn’t find the content they need.
Don’t know where to start? Try wireframing.Wireframes are a minimalist portrayal of your site or product’s user interface (UI). Wireframes also show your site’s content hierarchy and functionality, which are essential to the user experience.
You can use wireframes during a usability test to evaluate your site. For example, you can show a potential user a wireframe of your new site and ask them to find the Help button. Wireframes can help you find potential UX issues before your new site goes live and ensure a positive first impression of your brand.
Wireframes help map out your website’s functionality
User Feedback Is A Key to Success
The best advice for your site to perform well and provide a positive user experience is to listen to your users. They have the best feedback on how to ensure your site stays valuable and informative to your audience. They also can tell you which parts of your site are the biggest pain points.
Stay tuned to our blog for more UX tips and advice.
Partner With Us
Make our performance specialists your unfair advantage.
