What’s the difference between good and bad marketing friction?

Your marketing friction audit starts here.

In marketing, we get a bit obsessed with reducing or eliminating friction for customers. But not all friction is bad. Some of it is doing exactly what it’s supposed to – slowing the right people down at the right moment to maximise your marketing ROI.

What is bad friction in marketing?

Bad marketing friction loses people at the wrong moment, costing you customers without earning you anything. A 12-field sign-up form. A checkout that times out. A page that takes four seconds to load. These obstacles cause problematic and often unnecessary friction.

So, what is good friction in marketing?

Good marketing friction earns something in return, slowing customers down in the right place, for the right reason. A qualifying question that filters tyre-kickers. A pause before a big commitment. A confirmation step that reduces returns. It’s all good.

The first question to ask yourself: Does this friction serve the customer or just the system?

If you’re performing a friction audit, one simple way to assess friction is to ask whether a friction point is serving the system or the customer.

If it’s serving the system, it’s bad friction. Time to cut it.

The next question: Have you got your SOS26 All Access ticket?

We’re spending two days discussing this and much more at State of Social ’26: Friction. We’re looking at the friction in your strategy, your content, your customer experience, everywhere.

If you want to discover what’s creating resistance, what’s worth keeping, what needs to go and even where you should add some friction, you need to be at Optus Stadium on 25 & 26 August.