5 Tips on Using User Onboarding To Drive Brand Awareness and Establish Trust

Estimates may fail, but statistics never will. Precursive found that 74% of organisations surveyed, had a dedicated team for customer or user onboarding.

After all, first impressions matter. Since customer onboarding sets the stage for everything that follows, brands need to establish trust and drive loyalty through a solid onboarding strategy. The options are only two – a deeper bond or a narrow escape.

Growth Jockey has often observed that most brands fall for this line of thinking – if a user has downloaded a product, they will naturally engage with it, forming a deeper bond. However, many users delete an app right after downloading it or open it only once before uninstalling it!

Why? Some common loopholes include the following –

• Confusing interface or functionality

• Repetitive or monotonous content

• Bugs that haven’t been addressed

• Unclear value proposition

Brands need to deal with these issues or barriers to successful onboarding, and they can drive brand awareness and establish trust in record time. Our team has some insights to share.

User Onboarding Experience: Early Value Adds to Customer Lifecycle

When a user downloads a product, say, a smartphone application, they first want to know how exactly it will offer them value. We have observed that some brands need to pay more attention to this aspect, thinking customers will gradually navigate their way to every feature.

This only makes the whole thing confusing, and the user may call it quits in a single attempt. Then there are other brands whose app functionality is on-point and have a definite onboarding experience in place, but the process is too tedious.

None of the essential tips to onboarding is as vital as remembering netizens' notorious impatience. A successful onboarding experience realises the brevity of the situation as much as the gravity. After all, 88% of those surveyed believe customer expectations (even with onboarding) have increased compared to the previous years. Let’s take Slack for an example – the company’s user onboarding is effective not just for clarity but also the brevity.

In four easy screens, users get to know everything they must know about the app. First impressions always come with a short window, so we recommend brands always keep it concise and clear. Onboarding is how brands can provide customers with their 'aha moment.'

It is when a customer suddenly realises or recognises the value they may gain from the product. They will likely stay engaged (at least for a short time). Hence, it is crucial to get this aspect of the customer user experience right.

5 Foolproof User Onboarding Strategies to Adopt

Growth Jockey believes that a well-rounded user onboarding experience ensures success for both the brand and the customer. The former can drive greater engagement and retention, while the latter receive true value from the product.

Since onboarding is a way for the brand to control how the users perceive its product, there are five ways to go about this. Let's understand each strategy in detail.

1. Benefits-Oriented Onboarding

Popular among service-related software providers, the benefits-oriented onboarding approach allows the user to understand what benefits they may derive from the download.

This approach benefits the customer journey by clearly stating product features and benefits before getting into the software's complexity. We can consider the example of the messaging app – Telegram.

From the onset, it introduces the user to various benefits, such as speed, scalability, security, and affordability. Brands specialising in wellness products and services can also take this onboarding approach.

For instance – They can organically introduce the top benefits in overall well-being and improve credibility by adding stats. We can use the app, TalkSpace, as an example – it uses a benefits-focused user onboarding approach to help users find a therapist.

2. Action-Focused Onboarding

Under this approach, the user is constantly guided with instructions on using the product properly. Such an onboarding strategy is most vital in the case of highly interactive software such as gaming. We can again take the example of Slack here.

By adopting a "learn by doing" approach, the app ensures users are engaged from the start. Since such apps include diverse interactivity, it becomes crucial that they take a doing-focused or action-oriented onboarding approach.

The Slackbot is smart and savvy; it not only introduces users to all features but also invites them to explore the various features in a simple language – introduce your team to Slack or pen down your thoughts.

Brands specialising in highly interactive products can improve customer experience by introducing highly action-focused onboarding.

3. Function-Oriented Onboarding

This approach aims to introduce the users to the product's features by showing them its functionalities. Such a user onboarding approach becomes vital in the case of complex SaaS platforms and apps.

What are some of the apps that already use this approach? Complex project management tools such as Evernote, Asana, and Trello. Right after the sign-up, these apps walk the user through all the functionalities.

This brand awareness onboarding technique can be a tricky one to master. This is mainly because many users need help remembering all functions in a single walk-through. Growth Jockey suggests taking incremental steps that enable users to digest nuggets of information.

For instance – the app can offer an initial tour of only the core features. To ensure user convenience, the tour’s access can be made available. This offers a self-paced learning environment, further enhancing awareness and trust.

4. Account-Oriented Onboarding

As the name suggests, the account-oriented user onboarding walks the user through the account creation process. This includes connecting social platforms and filling out personal information.

This onboarding approach is ideal for heavily data-dependent apps – healthcare, social media, and dating.

If a brand has chosen this approach, Growth Jockey suggests that the onboarding process be seamless. This is mainly because data entry can be a tedious and time-consuming task.

It is also crucial that the app includes alternative sign-up options such as email. Many users are wary due to privacy concerns. Some apps offer the option of Hiding or I prefer to avoid saying to protect customer privacy. This is a wise approach and will increase customer trust.

5. A Combination of All of the Above

We have observed that apps with highly complex functionalities usually employ a combination of all the above-mentioned strategies.

The million-dollar question is, does the approach work? It may provide each tactic is used wisely and sparingly. If not, a combination will become too complex as numerous tasks will be dumped upon the user.

They may choose to abandon the customer journey completely. If the value proposition and product functionalities are laid out clearly, it matters not which approach is chosen – the onboarding strategy will be successful.

Onboarding: A Hard Nut to Crack, but the Kernel is Sweet

A seamless and successful onboarding that improves customer experience is a tough nut to crack for most brands. Growth Jockey believes this is because they develop an onboarding strategy in isolation.

The same does not harmoniously tie with the brand's core values, tone of voice and demographics. For instance – the Gen-Z or the younger generation will embrace a more fun and playful process than Baby Boomers.

Even when the audience and culture are considered, our final advice is that a successful user onboarding experience is not a one-size-fits-all. Based on their unique clients, brands must figure out novel and exciting ways to break the ice. The general tips to onboarding are a template upon which every brand has to introduce its fun elements and ideas.

At Growth Jockey, we are committed to delivering tailored solutions that effectively address the critical challenges faced by our clients across various industries, ultimately enhancing the user experience. Regardless of your company's size, whether it's a small-scale enterprise or a large corporation, you can now leverage advanced technologies to optimize your user experience. Take a proactive step towards unlocking the next level of growth for your brand by reaching out to us today!