Visual Marketing for Your Brand and Products
We are a deeply visual species, meaning that we make selections on what we eat, how we dress, and what products we buy based on their visual appearance before anything else. That’s why businesses invest so much time and effort into their creative marketing.
What Is Visual Marketing?
Visual marketing utilizes multimedia such as videos, images, and infographics to promote products and encourage sales. When’s the last time you ordered takeout based on a text advertisement alone? No, more than likely you saw a commercial, or social media ad, where the restaurant’s delicious signature dish was prepared in slow motion, all while a commentator describes its ingredients. That is visual marketing. Instead of just telling consumers that they want a certain product because it’s good, we try to show them what makes it so good and why they want it.
Ways Visual Marketing Is Used for Branding
There are numerous ways visual content is implemented into a marketing campaign.
Imagery
Images have and always will be an effective way to market a product or brand. It’s been a tried-and-true method of visual marketing that’s withstood the test of time. Creating great images, with text, that really captures the attention of consumers should be a priority for your visual marketing strategy.
Infographics
Infographics utilize visual graphics to illustrate information and facts regarding a specific topic. They’re great for providing consumers with facts and data in easily digestible portions. People want to feel informed about what they buy. So, combining important information with colorful visuals on an infographic can be a great way to engage consumers and encourage sales.
Videos
Video content is a must for digital marketing in the modern age. In 2018, a survey showed that 54% of consumers said they wanted more video content from the businesses and brands they used. Video content, especially on social media platforms, is effective in the way that it encourages viewers to stop and listen to what you have to say. It’s visually stimulating and, if done right, can convince the viewer that your product is something they want to buy.
Other Multimedia Used in Visual Marketing
Using memes or gifs to market on social media can also drive consumer interest. Additionally, if someone finds your content funny or entertaining, they’re likely to share it on their page, encouraging others to check out what you’ve created.
How Important Is Visual Marketing?
Visual marketing is the glue that holds a marketing campaign together. Trying to market your business or brand without visuals to attract customers will prove ineffective and could even damage your campaign all together. You need some type of visual stimulation to accompany your promotional content. Consumers are 80% more likely to view content when it’s accompanied by pleasant imagery. It also makes it 40X more likely that users will share your content on social media.
Examples of Great Visual Marketing
Below are three examples of companies that have perfected their visual marketing strategy using different methods to achieve the same results.
Target
The retailer Target has done a fantastic job of visually promoting their brand on social media. Instead of just showing off their latest products, Target posts colorful graphics with unique fonts to create fun, highly sharable posts. Their posts often feature jokes and other engaging content that consumers relate to. Target’s visual marketing is the perfect example of how to market in a way that encourages others to spread the word – without even featuring product images.
Grammarly
The proofreading service Grammarly frequently creates memes using visually appealing cards to promote their company. Each card is accompanied by a funny example of improper grammar and how it effects a sentence. This not only engages users with the image itself, but also provides an example of why you should be using their software. Thus, encouraging sales.
Starbucks
Starbucks’ content on Instagram typically features images of their drinks placed in scenes that compliment the brand’s style and the product itself. Their visuals are simplistic, yet very visually appealing to customers. Instead of just posting a snapshot of a plain cup of coffee, Starbucks has succeeded in turning an everyday item from their menu into a piece of art for their visual marketing content.
Product Design and Visual Marketing
Visual marketing doesn’t just stop at nice pictures. In fact, everything that you present in your content needs to be considered before you develop the finished product. Even the colors and fonts used on your product labels, ads, and your logo matter! 80% of people attribute their selection of a specific product based around its color. So, it’s important that you carefully consider your product’s design.
Tips for Creating Visual Content
- Make sure the colors you choose for your products and marketing are naturally associated with what you’re selling. For example, softer blues and purples are typically used for skincare products since they evoke feelings of relaxation. While colors like red and yellow are typically used in restaurant content since they make consumers hungry. Take time to consider how you want consumers to respond to your products and try to achieve that response using the correct design and colors.
- Additionally, be consistent with the colors and fonts you use in marketing. You want your content to be easily recognizable as part of your brand.
Conclusion
No matter how you decide to market your business or brand, remember that visuals should play an important role in your strategy. When people are visually stimulated, they’re engaged – and they’re much more likely to make a purchase. If you’re struggling to create meaningful marketing content for your business, give Olive Group a call today and schedule your free marketing meeting so that we can help you get started!