Our world is fast-paced and we are constantly in the forefront of technology advances. Technology is changing the way we do business.

Online, there is a pattern that has been evident for several years. I am referring to visual content which is a common type of content being promoted here and there.

Online marketing is essential if you want your business to grow quickly. Many marketers have tried different methods of promotion over the years. Content marketing strategies have gained popularity among marketers today.

If you know how to approach content marketing campaigns properly, all content marketing campaigns can have huge potential. It is important to be knowledgeable in the area you are activating in and to acquire essential skills.

Let’s get back to the beginning – visual content. According to a May 2016 study, 74% of social media marketers use visual content in their marketing campaigns. This should give you an idea of what’s happening and what’s working.

Today’s post will explore how visual content can influence your marketing campaigns.

You’ll also see a list with pros and cons for visual content in your marketing campaigns. As a thank you, you will learn new strategies that could significantly improve your marketing results.

Visual Content Influences Your Marketing Campaign – Here’s How

90% our mental representations are visual. This means that when you think of something or prepare for something, your visual memory and sight are used to quickly find a solution.

It’s obvious that visual content has a greater impact on us as humans. Let’s take a look at the most popular visual content types today:

* Images and Pictures (when you include them in a post you are most likely to get 94% higher page views).

* Videos and Gifs are the best way to grab attention, to send advanced messages, to increase marketing results, and to capture the viewers’ attention.

* Infographics are very popular because they present a lot of information and it is easy to understand.

* Presentations are easy to make and the best way of explaining a lot of information.

* Meme Content (humorous and attention-grabbing content that is easy to create).

You have many options for marketing campaigns you will conduct in the near future. Depending on the type of business and your audience, I recommend choosing a few visual content formats and sticking with them. You can improve your distribution skills and scale the visual content that you find most appealing.

PROs

1. Potential for social spreading (viral content)

Visual content can be a powerful way to encourage people to share what you’ve seen. People will share videos with an emotional impact if they see them. There is no better way than to share it on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Viral content is a combination of a funny photo, an infographic or a video. Visual content is a great way to increase brand awareness.

2. Most efficient way to convey the “Message Behind”

It’s difficult to convey the feeling or sight of something when you are explaining it using words. Because you can see the explanation, pictures and videos are easier to comprehend.

Pictures can convey more than a thousand words, but they shouldn’t be the first priority in a blog post.

3. Visual Content attracts a lot of attention

You are more likely to click a link if you see a striking picture or a thumbnail of a video (which can also be a picture) You’re immediately drawn to something that may make you curious, help you, or even satisfy you.

Marketing is all about attracting attention. Make sure you are focusing on the right spot. You will be able to create instant notifications through your marketing campaigns and advertisements with some practice and eventually, experience. 

CONs

1. Limited Flexibility

A video, a graphic or an infographic are more flexible than text-based content. The next step after you have finished crafting it is to publish. Editing it once it’s published is difficult. It is important to remember that removing it and re-uploading will affect search engine rankings.

Second, your messages are conveyed in such a brief time that viewers don’t become bored. This is true for videos, infographics and presentations. Text content is not affected by this. It takes less time, but it is important to do it right. It can be annoying for those who are watching it.

2. Visual content takes more time to produce

Creating visual content often takes more time. It takes a lot of time to create an infographic or edit a picture. You have to restart if something goes wrong. Because you will always need new visuals, it is necessary to start again. Just like writing content, you will improve your skills and produce better work.

3. Skills and a budget are often required

Editing skills, video production skills, designing skills are all necessary. You will need to spend time and money depending on the type of content that you create. You can start a path once you have them.

If you aren’t willing to do it or don’t have the skills or talent, you will need a budget to support freelancers and professional services. This is a major disadvantage for many marketers.

Bonus: 12 Visual Marketing Ideas To Get Stunning Results

Maybe you’re lacking creative ideas to get your content noticed. It is easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of visually appealing marketing content available online.

These 12 visual marketing strategies can help you achieve remarkable results.

1. Make your visual content snackable

One of the best visual marketing strategies to succeed is visual storytelling. This helps you strike an emotional chord in your audience. People will feel a connection to your brand if they are moved by the story.

TOMS Shoes has created a great example of One Day without Shoe Campaigns. To encourage people to post photos of their naked feet using the hashtag #withoutshoes and TOMS donated one pair of shoes for every pic.

The campaign achieved a 65% audience engagement rate, and 27,000 children from 10 countries received shoes. The user was drawn to the cause by the captivating and evocative imagery.

2. Use Memes

When used in the right way, the meme can grab attention.

Oreo quickly gained attention when he posted this meme.

3. Use animated GIFs to explain the steps

When it is necessary to show step-by-step instructions, people use screenshots. You can make it more creative and replace it with an animated GIF. You can share the animated gif across multiple platforms, including Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook.

4. Use Your Picture to Target Your Audience

Your product should be geared towards millennials. It won’t work if you show middle-aged people in your photos. It is important to visualize your target audience. Benefit Cosmetics has a unique way of featuring people using their products on their Instagram page.

5. Use Ephemeral Content

Ephemeral is simply a term that describes something that only lasts for a brief time. The ephemeral message, which is a message that disappears automatically from the screen after it has been viewed, is used by top social media sites such as Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook. Its exclusivity and fear of missing something important are the reasons it is so popular.

6. Visual Quotes: Make the most of them

Visual quotes can be a simple, yet powerful way to communicate thoughts and beliefs. It can bring you amazing results if approached with care.

7. Mix up your visual content

There is no reason to assume all visual content must be images. To appeal to your visitors, you can creatively combine different media such as infographics, animated GIFs and videos. You can get a lot out of mixing up.

Consider how visual content can be used to make your content more interesting. Pictures can now be worth millions of words, but make sure you put them in a way that makes a big impression on your audience.

8. Use Hashtags to Think About

Search engines can help you get more traffic by using hashtags. There are many ways to tag your product, including the subject, brand and message. Your image will appear in search results for any of these terms.

Nike’s use of hashtags to celebrate and motivate its customers is a great example of how to use hashtags. Their posts are often accompanied by inspirational and motivational hashtags that engage customers.

9. Evoke Curiosity

Curiosity can be a motivator to viewers to stay engaged with your content. Be creative and keep the viewer guessing. A picture with a woman in a dessert or a girl making creepy faces could entice viewers to want to find out the story behind it.

The image, for example, evokes irony and empathy which elicit curiosity in the viewer’s mind. The audience will be curious to know why a man stands in the middle of the desert while enjoying a beer. They will see the connection when they read the text.

10. Go Live

Live video is growing in popularity at an increasing rate. This makes it a great way to increase engagement on social media. Many people prefer to watch live video over reading blogs.

Dunkin’ Donuts shared valuable content with their audience about how to make Valentine’s Day treats. This was a great way to reach fans and grow the audience.

11. Be Different

Exclusivity is something that grabs the eye. Let your imagination fly high and create some original ideas, just like Denny’s which was praised for its “Zoom in on the syrup” pancake meme.

It has been retweeted 122,152 times and liked 172,548 times. It gained such engagement because the trend of zooming in was very new and original at the time.

12. Give back to something valuable

Your brand should say something meaningful if you dig deep. Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty was launched in 2004 to celebrate the beauty of women everywhere.

Their approach generated a global discussion about real beauty, which allowed the brand to grow their sales from $2.5billion to $4billion in just 10 years.

Per total, it’s very obvious that visual content holds a huge potential.