Without a Collaborative Mindset, Your Digital Experience Risks Failure

While investing in a new relationship might feel like a risk, it's a risk worth taking. Creative partners must be flexible and collaborate with clients to create a stellar digital experience.

People are consuming digital content more than ever, which means their standards are getting higher. According to the "2018 Adobe Consumer Content Survey," users spend an average of almost nine hours a day engaging with digital content. For younger users, that number is even higher.

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More than half of the study's respondents said they would quit viewing content altogether if the page loaded too slowly, and nearly that many said they’d do the same if it were poorly written. These downfalls don’t just irritate users; they alienate them. Because of this, it's more important than ever for digital experiences to be the best they can possibly be.

Also Read: Data Orchestration Is Key to Delivering Great Customer Experiences

High-Speed Changes

Even though most chief marketing professionals understand that the digital landscape is changing rapidly and that consumer expectations are getting higher, other needs often take priority as marketers try to do more with less.

The abundance of available tools to help digital marketing teams manage aspects of their workflow also makes the job harder for business leaders, not easier. There are thousands of options from thousands of vendors, each one claiming that a different metric is the best metric.

It's easy for companies to say that they prioritize innovation. But when it comes down to it, they naturally stick to what they know instead of tempting the fates and setting themselves up for disappointment. The idea that a company can play it safe and also create a phenomenal digital experience is a tough truth to reconcile, though. Forget safety. Shoot for more.

This is where finding the right creative partner to help create digital experiences comes in. It can be hard, especially if a company has had a less-than-stellar experience with its creative partner in the past. Touch a hot stove once, and you'll obviously never do it again. If a company works with a partner that actively tries to understand its needs, though, that's where the magic happens.

A Flexible Process Focused on People

In the creative business, the processes that drive creative partnerships should be flexible to make room for great work. Everyone has a process, but what matters most is the relationship between partners. The best work comes as a result of open, honest, frequent conversations.

This is exactly what a flexible process should look like. By being willing to work with and for the client, you build trust and relationship. Accommodate conversations and time to gather and discuss next steps with your creative partner to ensure a smooth delivery. Remember, too, that trust and solid relationships are two-way streets. Clients have to embrace that they need help and that they asked for it when they came to you as a potential partner. Working together will result in phenomenal results if both partners see value in what each is bringing to the table.

Communication Is Key

Developing a regular communication cadence with clients is important. Not only does it let them know that we're considering their ideas and pain points, but it also communicates that we're consistently working to find solutions for them. Consider holding regular check-in meetings early and often to ensure that meaningful conversations are a key part of the relationship. Embrace working with a team outside of your own that works differently than you do, and don't hesitate to have conversations about how to work better together.

Clients are the hero, and their creative partners are the guide. Because it can be hard for clients to express what those goals look like, what they feel like, and how a digital experience should work, it's our job as their creative partner to dig and uncover. We can translate their ideas into digital experiences that genuinely engage users based on emerging trends and tactics that can optimize performance and lift key metrics. If we really get their business needs, we can do amazing work for and with them — with them being the most important of the two.

Also Read: Is Personalization Worth the Cost?

No Silos: The Need for Collaboration

Creative partners should never lock themselves into rooms until they discover the perfect plan. What we do isn't magic, and it should never be perceived as such. Open the process, and bring everyone on board. Co-creation is key.

Ultimately, good client service is the single biggest predictor of a long-term relationship between companies and their creative partners. People like working with people they like. Take care of your clients, and make them feel valued every step of the way.

Investing in a new relationship might feel like a risk, but it’s a risk worth taking. The cherry on top is that digital experience users will thank you for it.