How Digital Marketing Can Cater to the User Experience

Digital marketing presents a unique set of challenges when it comes to reaching consumers in the right way. Typically, finding innovative ways to accomplish this is the name of the game as marketing professionals seek to set their brands apart from the rest.

As advertising becomes an integral part of virtually every platform consumers use, it’s important to strike a balance and remember that the interactions a brand has with a consumer should bring value to that consumer, not drive them away in annoyance.

How does a brand accomplish this? One way that many brands are beginning to target users is through interactive or rewarding advertising.

Consider the example of the Angry Birds game that was incredibly popular and still remains one of the top mobile games that users prefer. Within this game and countless others, users are often required to watch ad segments lasting 15 or 30 seconds in order to proceed to the next level. This type of “reward advertising” has proven to be highly effective in terms of revenue and engagement. On the flip side, this approach also helps the game publisher obtain paid players, those who prefer to have an ad-free experience. By creating these two potential revenue streams for its game, the publishers of Angry Birds have been able to appease both consumers as well as advertisers.

So what is the takeaway here? Advertising should no longer be viewed as a tactic and should rather be viewed as a user experience that brings value to the table. Today, authenticity in marketing is paramount. Creating advertising experiences that add to instead of detract from the user experience is key to success.

How can this be accomplished? There are several ways to make an ad an experience rather than a nuisance. For example, consider creating an ad that’s interactive. This might include an ad on an Instagram or Snapchat story with a swipe up link, or it may include some sort of promotional code or discount. Using ads that can “unlock” features on apps or websites is also an option — think of it as a reward for the customer taking the time to learn about the brand that purchased that ad spot.

However, there is a line to walk here. A brand doesn’t want to simply just monopolize the consumer’s attention and give them no choice but to sit through the ad. So the content in the ad must be engaging and quality, in order to give it the best chance of converting. Consider doing some A/B testing to determine the right approach to that ad space and remember to set appropriate metrics and key performance indicators ahead of time in order to effectively measure the success of the campaign.

Quality matters more than ever in today’s age of digital marketing. Around every corner, another brand is waiting to spring into action at the first sign of consumer activity, and this can be quite exhausting for the consumer. So in every ad interaction, the main feature should be quality of content. No one enjoys sitting through a terrible quality ad, so don’t let this happen.