The Recipe for Successful Visual Marketing

Let’s do a split test: One information, presented in two different ways. Which one is appealing more to you?  

  • 50% of our brain is involved in visual processing. 
  • 70% of all our sensory receptors are in our eyes
  • Within 0:01 seconds, we can get the sense of a visual scene. 

OR

Image – Jeff Bullas Maximum number of people would prefer the image to the text. And there is a reason behind it. 

 It’s not a breaking news though. Business have already started experimenting with visual content. What’s your chance to stand out? 100%! Only if you know the mantra for visual marketing success.  

Be current: 

 The first rule of visual content marketing is, always go with the trends. Be it a festival or an ongoing event, people talk about it a lot. However, the trick is to relate the event with your business and audience.  https://www.facebook.com/v2.3/plugins/post.php?app_id=&channel=https%3A%2F%2Fstaticxx.facebook.com%2Fx%2Fconnect%2Fxd_arbiter%2F%3Fversion%3D46%23cb%3Df7ed4af876898%26domain%3Dwww.techshu.com%26is_canvas%3Dfalse%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.techshu.com%252Ff9982c8a9cd2f8%26relation%3Dparent.parent&container_width=1110&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FPepsiIndia%2Fposts%2F10152794209777362%3A0&locale=en_US&sdk=joey&width=500 Pepsi India rightly tapped into the emotion of their target group during this ICC World Cup 2015. This does also show how well Pepsi India understands their audience.  

Tell a story:

 Visual storytelling is the smartest idea to present information ( that may appear to be boring if presented in a simple text form) in an engaging way.   https://www.facebook.com/v2.3/plugins/post.php?app_id=&channel=https%3A%2F%2Fstaticxx.facebook.com%2Fx%2Fconnect%2Fxd_arbiter%2F%3Fversion%3D46%23cb%3Df36404059fd5ce%26domain%3Dwww.techshu.com%26is_canvas%3Dfalse%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.techshu.com%252Ff9982c8a9cd2f8%26relation%3Dparent.parent&container_width=1110&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FGEIndia%2Fposts%2F864175716954628%3A0&locale=en_US&sdk=joey&width=500 GE shared one of their achievements and at the same time provided enough information in the form of a simple image. The moment their audience comes across the content, they are compelled to read the entire story. Such is the magic of story telling with visuals.  

Give ideas:  

 Visual content can spread any idea like wildfire. But don’t complicate it with too many dimensions. You need to keep it clear and simple. Too many pointers can ruin it completely.  https://www.facebook.com/v2.3/plugins/post.php?app_id=&channel=https%3A%2F%2Fstaticxx.facebook.com%2Fx%2Fconnect%2Fxd_arbiter%2F%3Fversion%3D46%23cb%3Df304ee8846eb67c%26domain%3Dwww.techshu.com%26is_canvas%3Dfalse%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.techshu.com%252Ff9982c8a9cd2f8%26relation%3Dparent.parent&container_width=1110&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fchipotle%2Fposts%2F10153173387349253%3A0&locale=en_US&sdk=joey&width=500 Chipotle is known for its crisp content marketing style. They always try to offer something different with their content. This piece is not an exception. Many people found it a great idea to start friendship on the go.   

Make full use of the space available: 

 Every social network has specified the optimum image dimension. For example, the ideal Facebook image dimension is either squarish or rectangular. Instagram images have to be square. However, tall images work better on Pinterest. The idea is, create images according to the platform.  

Use interactive visuals: 

 There are networks and apps that are not only hugely popular but also allow you to publish interactive visual content. One of the most popular content formats, these days, is GIF.  https://vine.co/v/O92b7E7u6EO/embed/simple Cadbury 5 Star always comes up with unique ideas to produce content. This time, they used the the famous duo Ramesh and Suresh in their content marketing during ICC World Cup 2015.  

Showcase your products/services in style:

 Every business tries to promote their services or products on social media. For this reason, you need to be exceptionally brilliant to stand out in the crowd. If you can’t do something pathbreaking, you will not be noticed. A simple idea is enough to create such visuals.   https://www.facebook.com/v2.3/plugins/post.php?app_id=&channel=https%3A%2F%2Fstaticxx.facebook.com%2Fx%2Fconnect%2Fxd_arbiter%2F%3Fversion%3D46%23cb%3Df341f32ebf8418%26domain%3Dwww.techshu.com%26is_canvas%3Dfalse%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.techshu.com%252Ff9982c8a9cd2f8%26relation%3Dparent.parent&container_width=1110&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fadidas%2Fposts%2F912821212074132%3A0&locale=en_US&sdk=joey&width=500 Adidas showcased a new product with its whole range in one image. It not only displayed the variety, but also helped their audience to pick and choose from the entire gallery.  

Know your audience:

 Here comes a biggie. If you don’t know your audience, your content will not resonate with them at all, no matter how hard you try. Your audience’s likes, dislikes, behavior on a given situation, education, profession, everything plays a significant role in successful visual marketing.  https://www.facebook.com/v2.3/plugins/post.php?app_id=&channel=https%3A%2F%2Fstaticxx.facebook.com%2Fx%2Fconnect%2Fxd_arbiter%2F%3Fversion%3D46%23cb%3Dff44fbda45d984%26domain%3Dwww.techshu.com%26is_canvas%3Dfalse%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.techshu.com%252Ff9982c8a9cd2f8%26relation%3Dparent.parent&container_width=1110&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FEsteeLauder%2Fposts%2F10154014493167619%3A0&locale=en_US&sdk=joey&width=500 Estee Lauder deals with fashion and trends. Thus their target group is mainly women, and to be precise, wealthy women, who can afford the products. For this reason, they produce glossy and stylish images to promote their products.  

User generated content: 

 Ask for visuals from your audience. This is an effective method of successful visual marketing. There are two advantages of user generated content. First, there will be plenty of content in your kitty. Second, your audience would share them willingly.  https://www.instagram.com/p/03mYZguNj-/embed/captioned/?cr=1&v=4&wp=822&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.techshu.com&rp=%2Fblog%2Frecipe-successful-visual-marketing#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A1731.5%7D Starbucks is doing great on Instagram. Their cool use of #mystarbucksrewards is worth a special mention here. They introduced this hashtag to promote the brand, however, later it was adopted by their customers to share their own Starbucks selfies.  

Present quotes stylishly:

 Quotes always do well on social media. However, you need to select them well, so that your audience can relate to them. You also need to take good care of the presentation. A well crafted quote, if posted for the right audience at the right time, can be a winning formula for any brand.  https://www.facebook.com/v2.3/plugins/post.php?app_id=&channel=https%3A%2F%2Fstaticxx.facebook.com%2Fx%2Fconnect%2Fxd_arbiter%2F%3Fversion%3D46%23cb%3Df1b4841bf85fad%26domain%3Dwww.techshu.com%26is_canvas%3Dfalse%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.techshu.com%252Ff9982c8a9cd2f8%26relation%3Dparent.parent&container_width=1110&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fpostplanner%2Fposts%2F815267995215187%3A0&locale=en_US&sdk=joey&width=500 When it comes to post the right content at the right time, Post Planner needs to introduction. They often post quotes and each one of them are presented in a different way and every time they meet the expectation level of their audience.  

Share inside stories: 

 People want to hear inside stories from their favorite brands. This is an excellent way to be more human on the platform. Moreover, it’s another way to connect with your audience effectively.  https://www.youtube.com/embed/PJoMzhStPNk McDonald’s has a dedicated segment on YouTube, where they showcase how their food is processed and produced. They take up the questions, posted by their customers on different social media and answer them on these videos. On one hand, they create user-generated content and on the other they take their audience to a trip to their kitchen. Smart, indeed! 

Over to you:

Visuals are a vital part of content marketing. Do you agree? Share your thoughts with us!