A solid digital marketing strategy often focuses on what’s behind the scenes: Monthly SEO management, targeting options for online ads and the content creation process.
But without solid design, digital marketing quickly becomes background noise. Customers tune it out in the increasingly competitive online marketplace.
Here are 4 specific reasons why design should be part of your digital strategy.
1. Design helps customers remember information about your business.
Creating relevant, intriguing imagery helps customers more easily recall information you’ve shared on a website, blog, or in digital and social media ads.
See, people can recall only about 10% of information shared with them after three days. If a relevant image or visual is paired with the information, though, recollection jumps to 65%.
That’s why it’s so important to practice good design principles when developing online ads and websites. Cropping a photo, positioning illustrations, and editing an image makes content more eye-catching and more memorable, which increases brand awareness.
2. Online users are quick to judge based on design.
According to one study, you’ve got about 50 milliseconds to make a good impression with your website. Even when participants had a longer viewing period to rate the websites, their ratings were consistent with the original 50-millisecond responses.
In a different study, half of all consumers assessed a website’s total credibility based on the overall visual design. Items like font size, color choices, typography and layout quickly formed a consumer’s perception of the website and the business it represented.
In other words, good design could mean the difference between gaining a new customer or losing that customer to a quick click of the back button to other search results.
3. Design affects user experience.
A good user experience cannot be underestimated. In fact, Google has confirmed it is one of the ranking factors with organic search results.
But particularly when it comes to user experience, design encompasses more than what something looks like and feels like. “Design is how it works,” according to the late Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple.
A well-designed website is mobile-responsive, with simple navigation and easy-to-understand content. This provides a good user experience by ensuring customers quickly find what they’re looking for.
In regards to social and digital ads, a good user experience includes directing a person to the specific product or service advertised; using hierarchy to guide the viewer’s eye to the most important information; and creating eye-catching ads that are distinguishable from the website without being irritating.
4. Online ads offer a small space to catch a customer’s eye.
We spend more than 3 hours a day on our mobile devices, which means the amount of space you have to catch a customer’s attention is even smaller than you may realize.
Without solid design principles, ads slip into the background for a viewer. And businesses miss the opportunity to engage a new customer.
Ensuring all social and digital ads have readable text, a clear hierarchy, incredible visuals or animated GIFs, etc., is a must-do to garner the conversions desired by your business.
Plus, good design ensures that your ad remains intriguing even on the smallest phone.
Closing Thoughts
Take a closer look at how people are engaging with your website in Google Analytics. Dig into the way prospective customers respond to social media and digital ads. If your overall digital strategy is falling short, design may be the missing piece of the puzzle for your business.
Not sure where to get started with your analysis? Contact us here for help.
