Recharge Your Brand’s Digital Presence in 2012

How many times have we visited a website and been confused with the impossible UI or irritated with intrusive brand presence on content sites. My guess is, many.

I looked at my pet peeves as a user and arrived at this set of simple tips that could help us execute better in 2012. In our quest (as digital brand consultants or marketing managers) for the next big idea and design jazz, let’s not forget that God lies in details & simplicity.

1. Browser compatibility.
It begins with this. Let’s ensure the site/ application / page OPENS!

2. Keep it fresh, focused and close the loop.
Multiple promos & contests running with none closing and pushing the same ol' content out to users again and again, especially on social media = waning user interest.

3. QC Counts.
I run into these all the time - Facebook Brand page images persistently asking me to ‘like’ the page after days of doing it.

Let’s run a simple Quality Check before taking the promo live. It saves embarrassment.

4. Rich Media = Rich Engagement. As the USER likes it.
Let’s ensure we don’t chase the user away with intrusive ads that:

• Say ‘Click to Expand’ but actually rollover at the slightest mouse move
• Play brand jingles when you least expect them
• Move the page around without a warning 

These experiences don’t break the clutter – they create unpleasant distractions for the user.
That’s unless you are in the business just for a few quarters and indiscriminate clicks is all you are looking for, rather than real user interest.

5. It helps to Cross Link.
This is a perennial problem with Facebook Applications. They don’t have links back to the brand page and I have never understood why. So essentially, you lose the user even if she would have wanted to explore more.

That’s my weekend fiver. Let me know if you agree (and even if you don’t!).

Let’s create better user experiences and recharge our digital presence this year.