You may be familiar with the old adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” and it’s true, an image is easier and faster to understand than reading a long paragraph of text. Our eyes are like a scanner. When we see an image, we stop and look at every detail of it… And it attracts attention and generates clicks. In short, people want to receive information in a faster and funnier way and you may wonder: How can I benefit from visual content? How can visual marketing help in creating brand loyalty?
Our brain is capable of processing images 60,000 times faster than text. So, when your brand shares an image your followers can get your message directly and decide in a split second if they want what you offer.
How to optimize your website with visual marketing strategies?
When a visitor enters your website, they make the decision to stay on it or leave… In seconds! How do you keep their attention? By adding value visually! The starting point is offering a value proposition that identifies and differentiates your business.
The visual content that you show must clearly express what is the competitive advantage of your business. You should include a text (with a subtitle and some paragraphs), as well as the visual elements that support it (photo, video, graphic, etc). It will clearly express why they should buy from you instead of a competitor.
Also, you’ll have to explain how your product or service solves your target’s problems.
Keep in mind that people tend to retain only 10% of what we hear, if you combine text with images, 65% of the information will remain in your target memory for at least 3 days.
Top 5 uses of visual marketing:
1. Add animations and funny images
Memes
Memes are the most viral elements in social networks and you can benefit from them. They convey an idea or feeling in a funny or curious way and people are more likely to share a meme than a product offer or an average advertisement. They will feel the personality of your brand and associate good feelings with your business.
Should you use them in your marketing strategy?
Sure, you should! Memes help you connect emotionally with your readers, speaking the same language as them with some humor. Even, memes are reaching such a level of popularity that according to Google Trends they are more searched than the word "Jesus". Everyone wants to share them.
They communicate attitudes, feelings and situations… And brands want to be part of the party, making people laugh while also receiving a subtle reference to your brand.
Applied correctly, meme marketing is highly successful for anyone and it makes your visual messages much more shareable for customers.
Animations
Animations are images created from frames. Being lightweight files, they are substitutes for videos. Animations quickly deliver messages, they are easy to understand and transmit the essence of the message, turning it into a simple and fast-consuming product.
They grab attention and let you communicate emotions, educate or entertain your readers in a direct way that is easy to understand and there is an animation for almost every feeling and situation in life.
And, let's face it. It's easier to empathize and convey emotions through animations than with words. They have no sound, so they are anywhere and they are excellent for your brand and products. Learn more about the value of animations by clicking here!
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2. Unleash the power of infographics
A decade ago, infographics began to flood our inboxes, social networks and news. And infographics value was clear: highly shareable content that removed the excess of text and only showed what matters.
Today, infographics are still effective and your readers will love them. In fact, using infographics can increase web traffic up to 12%. That’s why many successful businesses out there heavily rely on infographics to tell their stories. And they even work for social networks!
Graphical information is more shareable on social media, especially if it is interactive. Interactive content has a conversion rate of 70%, according to Demand Metric. This is because interactive content provides more information and users are more than likely to stay on your website to enjoy what you offer.
Ebooks and visual white papers
A well-designed e-book or white paper will include quality graphics, icons and illustrations. In addition, this type of visual content is easy to share on social networks, which will generate more traffic to our materials. So, to make your ebooks readable, include the following:
- Bulleted text that lets visitors know what they will get by reading the book.
- Book cover, which makes it more tangible, despite being a digital book.
- Words like NOW or FREE to capture the attention of visitors.
- And a call to action.
Writing books, ebooks and white papers with these characteristics will help you improve your conversion rates and get more leads because they add real value to the lives of your leads and customers.
3. Video is the new king of content
Video has an incredible potential thanks to the growing use of smartphones to consume information on platforms such as YouTube or Facebook. In addition, this type of advertising is effective because it allows additional social interaction: videos are the most shared content on social networks.
- Record a demonstration of your product or service by making a screencast (a video recording of your screen).
- Record customers’ testimonials.
- Make a video with a brief company introduction, explaining its mission and goals.
- Whiteboard animated videos are also instructive and effective.
- Convert blog posts into videos and share them on social media.
- And much more!
However, make sure your video is of high quality. You can create a video but if it hasn't the right quality it may harm your reputation anyway. So, check sound, add lower thirds, call-outs, a good intro to make your videos look professional. Being meticulous will encourage positive comments. Check out this example of an Intro / Outro / lower thirds we created for MaxBet Media.
Similarly, you can't use generic videos aimed at all types of audiences. You must focus on a very specific target. In fact, If you did a small market study, you’ll be able to make relevant content for your audience.
4. Storytelling is your best ally
And not only that, storytelling is the most important part of a video. Telling stories that users can easily remember and feel authentic, are essential to connect emotionally.
Videos must have the property of not only capturing the user's attention but also of causing changes in emotions and trying to connect in a more personal way. It is no longer worth selling a product, now you have to sell what that product makes you feel and that's where storytelling comes into play and all its ability to connect emotionally with your future customers.
Instead of pushing them to come to you, simply “attract” them through a good story. You can create corporate videos in which you tell the beginnings of your business and how it evolved, so they will know you better.
What are the benefits of storytelling for your visual content and your videos?
This benefit is the creation of viral videos, where storytelling is practically the most important part. It can make the difference between a video that no one sees and another that appears on all social media. Through this viral video, you manage to take people to your website, where through different elements you must convert that person into a lead.
Make your brand easy to remember
If a brand shows you 25 ads in a row, and later, asked you which one you remember, surely you would remember those that told you a story that connected with you and made you feel some kind of emotion.
If you've done a good job researching your buyer persona, you'll know exactly how to tell a story that connects with them. You know their problems, challenges, goals and dreams... So, It won't be that hard to attract them through storytelling. You'll make your audience attracted to you, even with small explanatory videos.
For example, if you create an explanatory video in which the typical character represents your buyer persona appears in their day-to-day life, having a problem. And later, you introduce your company and explain how you’re going to solve their problems.
You need your audience to say “yes, I have that problem” and recognize that you can solve it! So, having a tailored message for your audience will make your brand easier to remember.
And don't worry! It's an easy process to create a viral story. Just ask yourself these questions:
- Can I create a story that reflects the feelings and heart of the brand?
- Is it an interesting story that you would share having a drink with some friends?
- Is it easy to remember?
- Is it honest, consistent and credible?
- What experiences and emotions does it convey?
Just get inspiration from the stories that make you feel all kinds of emotions, and adjust them to your niche and target audience.
Have you already started telling stories? If not, it’s time to do so. At PUNCHY, we will help you develop stories that match your goal and audience and teach you how you can do it yourself. Send us a message!
5. Publish your visual content in the most appropriate social media
On the internet, the trend is reading less and making things easier. So, images and video-based content on social media are increasing their number of users exponentially every year. Currently, there are more than 500 million people using daily Instagram and Facebook.
And videos show your products or services in action and capture the attention of your potential customers on social networks. So, take advantage of the new habits of your users and make your offer on the most appropriate social media for your product.
Wrapping up
Just maintain consistency of your visual content and keep the same creative elements such as images, color combinations, or tone to make our clients recognize your brand.
The use of visual elements on the Internet does not stop growing. More and more people have less time and use mobile phones much more. We have more information that makes it increasingly difficult to attract the attention of users. That's why more and more visual marketing is present on the internet. It means fewer words and attractive content, you can draw the attention of users that you would never get otherwise.
And do you use visual marketing for your campaigns? Tell us about your experience. Contact us and we’ll help you optimize your website and have a profitable business!
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