We’re now in 2020 and the fight for consumer’s attention is continually becoming more and more competitive.
Each and every impression is very valuable to e-commerce and digital brands.
Visual marketing is very effective, and these facts prove it…
Three Visual Marketing Facts You Must Know
1. The best visual marketing tool is user-generated content
Your customers don’t just want to hear what you have to say. They want to see what your satisfied customers think. User-generated content is extremely effective and when you implement it in your marketing strategy, it speaks for you.
Think of user-generated content as a visual review, where customers are showcasing your products to an audience where they can see how they are being used in real-time by real people.
Research has even proven that 63 percent of U.S. consumers and 66 percent of U.K. consumers trust customer photos more than brand or retailer photos.
That’s the power of user-generated content.
If you aren’t showcasing it, you’re missing out on further sales.
2. Your visual marketing influences e-commerce success
Think back to when you last bought something online. Were you influenced to buy a product from the description or the visuals that accompanied it?
I’m guessing it was the visuals?
If it wasn’t, well, that brand needs some help with creating better media.
Visual content beats product descriptions every single time.
However, not every visual will win customers. Brands need to ensure the visual content they share is eye-catching, aesthetically-appealing and provides as much information as possible.
A survey found that 55 percent of millennials rely on compelling visuals such as pictures and videos as part of their online shopping experience.
It’s no secret that visual marketing will only be effective if the image is high-quality. In fact, 67% of consumers say that the quality of a product image is “very important” in selecting and purchasing a product.
Simply put, visual marketing is a winner for e-commerce.
3. Visual marketing content is more likely to be shared
We already know visual marketing gets the clicks, that’s pretty obvious.
However, if you pair your visual content with text, your audience is 80 percent more likely to read and engage with it. Even better, visual content is actually 40 times more likely to be re-shared across social media than any other type of content.
What benefit does that have for you?
More exposure!
If you think about it, your visual marketing efforts will turn into visual referral marketing, and everyone knows referrals are one of the best roots of growth.
4 Types of Successful Visual Content You Can Use
So now you understand why visual marketing is so important, choosing the right type of visual content is key to a successful marketing campaign.
Whilst text-based content will always be an integral part, you need to level up and stand out to gain your audience’s attention. Here are six ways to do so.
1. Images
Providing you pair images that are of high quality and relevant to a body of text, you’re more likely to find people are inclined to finish reading what you’ve produced.
In fact, research has revealed that articles featuring images tend to receive 94 percent more views than those without.
Sourcing images isn’t that hard either. There are plenty of royalty-free stock photo sites on the web and even tools like Canva to produce visual content at ease.
2. Videos
Videos are one of the best types of content around. In fact, 46% of users take action after viewing a video ad. Going the extra mile and producing various quality videos can enhance your business.
You can produce videos such as animated explainer videos, how-to videos, demonstrations, or even customer testimonials. Here’s a complete list of video ideas.
3. Infographics
Not only are infographics likely to increase backlinks to your website when shared and embedded on the web, but they are also a fantastic type of visual content. Infographics are perfect for displaying complex data, statistics and information.
In order to maximise the benefits of this type of visual content, you will want to ensure the design and information included is eye-catching and relevant. Better yet, some infographics go viral when shared across social media, like the one below from LogoMaker.
4. Memes
Believe it or not, memes are on the rise, with more and more brands getting involved. Creating a meme to evoke a positive emotion and standing out from competitors can easily be achieved.
For those without access to Photoshop and other tools, there are websites that allow you to create memes within seconds, such as ImgFlip.
When memes first became popular, not many people thought brands would get involved. Now, they are being used by brands from all different industries. They are an extremely easy type of visual content to create that often if not always generates engagement – if created properly.
They are perfect for making your audience laugh and build a stronger community around the brand itself.
Conclusion
Almost two-thirds of people state they’re visual learners, this statistic alone is enough to understand how important visual marketing is. For brands to succeed, they need to focus their efforts on producing high-quality engaging visual content and ideally, content that provides value.
