When talking about and designing user experiences, the focus is often on functionality – what can and should be done based on research and customer insight, how best to achieve these desired outcomes and where it should live in your digital asset or across your channels. All of this is important, but never forget that users will notice content before they appreciate the great overall experience design.

Clearly, content should work in parallel with functionality to deliver the overall experience that takes a user’s breath away, but it’s worth remembering that content is usually more critical to brand building than functionality. It’s difficult to succinctly express your brand through a function, while it can be done with a well-chosen image or word.

When used consistently across all channels content also has a multiplying effect. This means that even seemingly unlikely customers may eventually find your message compelling after viewing it across a number of platforms.

For any brand serious about the interaction they have with their customers, and this should be every brand, managing content becomes important. That’s not to say it’s a simple matter – any business of any size will have multiple content creators or contributors, internal and external sources, multiple messages to express and of course a range of different personalities delivering it. With all of these factors in play one approach to ensure consistency is to nominate a Content Coach.

This person isn’t necessarily responsible for producing content themselves, but works from the sidelines to encourage, cajole and guide the key players out on the field who are responsible for content. Acting as a funnel, they can then filter and disseminate content out to where it needs to be. That might include websites, print and email communications, public relations, internal communications, advertising and so on. What’s particularly useful is that these processes can be documented, so everyone knows their role and how it fits into the overall communications picture.

Ultimately, the objective is great user experiences no matter what the touch point with your brand may be. Thinking of content as a glue to bind channels together will go a long way towards strengthening a brand and enhancing user experience design.