The marketing challenge: Cutting through the digital noise

To break through the noise, brands must ensure their message is not only compelling but also easy to find and understand. This is where UX comes into play.

According to Katie Karr, UX is no longer just a product function—it’s a critical part of marketing:

“We really think about UX as being a product role, but it’s so much more. It’s a critical function of marketing too. No matter how great your product is, if your message isn’t clear upfront, potential customers won’t see the value.”

With 80% of SaaS buyers researching independently before speaking with sales, having a website and digital experience that effectively communicates your brand’s value is essential.

UX and marketing: A perfect partnership

At its core, UX in marketing is about making information clear, accessible, and engaging. When UX and marketing work together, brands can:

• Improve website clarity–ensuring visitors quickly understand what a company offers.
• Enhance conversion rates–removing friction points in the customer journey.
• Validate messaging before launch–using user testing to confirm messaging resonates.

One of the best ways to ensure messaging works is through data-driven optimization. As Kristy Morrison explains:

"Every good experience you create with your customer is part of your brand—so is every bad experience. Testing and refining our messaging and digital experiences ensures we don’t accidentally optimize our way into a frustrating customer journey."

By continuously testing messaging, website layout, and content effectiveness, marketing teams can ensure they’re communicating the right message to the right audience.

The power of user testing in marketing

One major theme in this episode is the importance of user testing—validating marketing strategies with real customer feedback before going live.

Katie Karr shares how Workiva used this approach:

“We realized our messaging wasn’t resonating with our audience, so we worked with our product marketing and content teams to update it. Before launching, we conducted user research to validate our assumptions and make sure the new messaging was clear and effective.”

The results? A 30% increase in message clarity and stronger engagement from the target audience.

How to use user testing for better marketing results

Want to implement user testing into your marketing strategy? Here’s how:

1. Test early and often–don’t wait until after launching a campaign to gather feedback.
2. Get cross-functional input–involve teams from UX, product, and content in the testing process.
3. Use real customer insights–gather qualitative and quantitative feedback to understand what resonates.
4. Iterate based on data–be prepared to refine messaging and digital experiences based on test results.

By following these steps, brands can ensure they’re putting out content and messaging that truly speaks to their audience.

Collaboration is key to customer experience optimization

One of the biggest takeaways from this episode? No single team can optimize customer experience alone. Marketing, UX, product, and content teams must work together.

At F5, Kristy Morrison ensures this collaboration happens by hosting weekly cross-functional testing meetings:

“We get everyone involved—writers, designers, engineers, marketing strategists—all weighing in on our testing. Whether it’s a simple sign-off or a major insight, this collaboration helps ensure no stone is left unturned in optimizing our digital experiences.”

How to foster better collaboration between marketing and UX

• Break down silos–encourage cross-team collaboration from the start of a project.
• Use shared data–ensure UX and marketing teams have access to the same customer insights.
• Have regular touchpoints–set up weekly or monthly meetings to align on goals and findings.
• Adopt a test-and-learn mindset–foster a culture of experimentation where teams work together to refine strategies.

When teams work together, they can create experiences that not only attract customers but keep them engaged long-term.

The future of UX-driven marketing

As the digital landscape evolves, brands that prioritize customer experience optimization will win.

By combining marketing expertise with UX research and data-driven insights, companies can:

• Build stronger customer relationships
• Reduce friction in the buying process
• Improve conversion rates and engagement

As Emily Carrion puts it:

"If you want to build credibility as a marketing, product, or customer success leader, sharing customer feedback is the fastest way to do it—because you can’t dispute customer feedback as a data point."

Episode links

• Emily Carrion on Linkedin
• Kristy Morrison on Linkedin
• Katie Karr on Linkedin
• A Guide to Digital Customer Experience Strategy: This guide delves into the importance of a solid digital customer experience strategy and how it can impact customer loyalty, revenue generation, and brand reputation.
• 31 Expert Opinions on the Importance of UX in Marketing: This blog post compiles insights from industry experts on how user experience influences marketing efforts and overall brand perception.
• UserTesting Resource Library: A comprehensive collection of webinars, guides, blog posts, and more, covering topics like customer experience optimization, UX in marketing, and data-driven strategies.