Using Visual Content for Your Small Business Marketing

When tackling a content marketing campaign, you need to know what will rouse online growth and engagement for your small business. Text-based content will always be important, but in this digital era, visual content is integral to the success of content marketing.

Websites that are mobile-optimised should focus on visual content as the internet has made attention spans shorter than ever. The popularity of content presented in big blocks of text is long gone.

It makes sense to use visual content when over 50 percent of people are visual learners. Content that resonates psychologically is said to be at least 43 percent more persuasive. To reach your audience on a deeper level, here are 3 types of visual content to incorporate in your next campaign:

Compelling Images

Images are the first thing people think of when it comes to visual content. Knowing to add images to your content marketing campaign isn’t the hard part, it’s choosing the right type of images to get your point across.

Just like relevant keywords are important in text-based content, high quality and relevant images are vital to visual marketing. When deciding on how to choose images for your campaign follow these tips:

• Aim for original images over stock photos
• Candid photos over posed
• Capture a feeling

Stray away from the cheesy stock photos for several reasons: your viewers can sense that they are fake and there is the chance that other businesses in your niche have used the same photo. Original images add a personal touch to your campaign that will only contribute to its unique qualities.

Depending on the aim of your campaign, candid photos may be a better choice than posed ones. Unlike posed stock photos, candid images are more realistic and therefor, more relatable. Your viewers will find it easier to picture themselves in your ad.

Be selective when it comes to choosing images for you content marketing campaign as a photo has the power to transport. Think about what you want your viewers to feel when they see your campaign and choose a photo that inspires those feelings.

Videos

Videos can become the chief representation of your brand if you are successful in creating the right one. For a visual marketing campaign, videos are images brought to life through movement, sound, and music.

Just as images, videos need to be of the highest calibre. Anticipate that your video will be watched and shared, so plan to optimise it.

Whether your video is for a landing page, e-mail campaign, or a blog post, there are several types of videos to choose from. To begin, think about the message you’d like to convey through your video.

There are a variety of videos that can enhance your business:

• How-to videos
• Animated explanations
• Demonstrations
• Customer testimonials
• Expert interviews

It’s important to keep in mind that whichever type of video you choose, it should fall in line with the style of your brand.

Considering that most people may view your video on their e-mail or through a mobile app, it should be short and to the point. Give the viewer all the information they need, but be quick and concise about it. If they’re scrolling through e-mails or their social media feed, they don’t want to be held up for too long.

Memes

Memes are most commonly known as images that are followed by funny captions. They are new to the visual marketing campaign, but vary popular amongst internet users across social media platforms.

Memes were originally a form of entertainment amongst teens and college students but have gained traction as an easy, creative, and even quirky way to present visual content. Given their origins, it would benefit you to decide whether memes are appropriate for your niche.

If your brand is targeted towards a younger audience, memes are one of the best ways to motivate engagement. With this engagement, memes can build a community around your brand and allow to make inside jokes about your niche.

The measurement of success for a meme is when it goes viral and people begin replicating it. Viewers not only post and share the meme, but they go back to the original source which means major exposure for your brand.

Visual content is a great way to encourage your audience to explore your brand. Aim to create high quality visual content that truly connects with your audience. Don’t rush to put up any visual content for the sake of a schedule – substance is of the utmost importance.

Articles and posts with visual content gain up to 80 percent or more views than those that don’t have any at all. Don’t just add a visual component to your marketing strategy, master the art of imagery.

For more tips on how to enhance your internet marketing campaigns, click here for my done-for-you system.

By Martin Goldthorpe - Business Marketing Mastery