Nathan Grady, Senior Designer
When it comes to marketing your message, it’s not a good idea to limit yourself to text. People tend to be visual learners, with 80 percent remembering what they see – compared to 20 percent of what they read. With this in mind, companies should make sure they are tying in videos, graphics, and photos whenever possible in marketing materials, including social media posts. Why send out a tweet about the capabilities of a new product when creating a short video does the same thing?
Posts with videos attract three times more traffic than those without. Customers can also be invited to participate with visuals, which can drive more traffic and brand awareness. For instance, consumer brands such as Domino’s and Ben and Jerry’s have asked customers to share pictures of their favorite products, engaging fans and serving as testimonials. With 65 percent of people being visual learners, companies need to appeal to this broad demographic in terms they understand best.
Creating Your Visual Message
When creating videos, keep it simple. People will only dedicate a limited amount of time to a message, so say what needs to be said and then stop. Most videos should be less than a minute and certainly no longer than two minutes. If you can create a 15-second video to share your message, it’s even better. Remember, brand image is at stake. They don’t have to have the same production qualities as a major motion picture from a giant studio, but they should be professionally shot and produced. A poor quality video with bad sound doesn’t convey the message of a quality product or brand. For example, using a smartphone to create your company video is usually not a good idea. Everything is a reflection of your brand, so make sure photos are well-lit and high quality.
Don’t forget infographics – Infographics are another great way to share the highlights of your message. Consider the following: 1) Web publishers who use infographics grow traffic 12 percent more than those who don’t. 2) Infographics search volume has increased more than 800 percent in the last two years. 3) Information presented at a meeting is retained six times as much if there is a visual component to the presentation.
No matter what medium a company uses, adding visual interest is the key to improving the understanding and retention of the message. Focus on quality and be consistent across all brand channels to increase the effectiveness of marketing efforts.