Creating engaging, eye-catching visuals is an integral part of marketing any product or service. If you’re reading this article, then you know that already!
But, what makes some images more effective than others? Why do people share pictures on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram?
It’s because great visuals tell a story and grab attention. When your audience sees something beautiful they want to look at it, try to make that happen for them by creating appropriate, aesthetically pleasing visual content.
That’s what we refer to as visual marketing strategy. It’s one of the most powerful tools in modern day advertising.
And while creating aesthically appealing photos may seem like an easy task, there are many different styles, genres, trends, and concepts you can use to get creative inspiration. This article will go into detail about several types of visual marketing strategies and how to implement each one.
Held together, these strategies will help you achieve your business goals through creativity and aesthetics.
A marketing strategy is one or more of the components that make up your overall advertising campaign. These components are typically categorized as communication, product, market segment, media, tone, channel, etc.
Marketers use different tools and techniques to promote products or services. Some are more effective than others, but none should be overlooked as integral parts of your advertising campaign.
In this article, we will discuss what is visual marketing strategy and some examples of it. Let’s get started!
What is visual marketing?
Most people agree that visuals play an important role in marketing. A picture says a thousand words, so choosing appropriate pictures can have big impacts on how well you market a product.
But what makes something “visual”? Here are some examples:
A still image (or video) with text under it is not considered pure graphics design. However, both images and videos can include supporting illustrations, colors, patterns, and/or fonts to make them visually appealing and attractive for consumption.
Graphics, photographs, and videos designed to appeal to consumers and grab their attention are called promotional materials or advertisements.
You probably know most of these from watching TV or surfing the internet. But they all come together in various forms in the way advertisers use imagery and decoration to communicate with customers.
That’s what visual marketing is — using creative decorations and media to convey a message about a product or service. It may seem simple, but there are lots of ways to do it right.
Examples of visual marketing
There are many types of visual marketing, such as branding, packaging, logos, and slogans.
A visual marketer creates pictures or graphics to convey your company’s message and position yourself as an expert in your field. They use their creativity, style, and illustrations to create images and videos that are aesthetically pleasing and resonate with people who find what you offer interesting.
Visual marketers also use photoshopped images or videos to emphasize key points of your business. For example, if your product can help people manage their stress, then creating a photo or video showing someone using your products to reduce stress will get attention and engagement.
As we know, humans develop strong bonds quickly when they feel connected. So why not use those connections to promote your product?
Businesses need to recognize this and implement it into their marketing strategies. People will connect more easily with brands that use engaging visuals and advertising methods.
A well-crafted visual can be a powerful way to market your business or product. It does not need text, which makes it great for online businesses that do not have an additional medium to use to promote their products.
Using visuals to advertise is very common. Marketers will put together pictures and/or videos to show how their products work, what benefits they have, and then add some descriptive copy to give it context.
It is very possible to overdo it with imagery, so having a basic understanding of effective visuals is important.
What is important about images is determining whether or not you want to include voiceover. If there is no voice, people may assume something about the content before looking at it, which could hurt your sales.
There are ways to avoid this, but being aware of this is the first step in improving your eye catching designs.
Visual marketing strategies are not new, but they have become more prominent in recent years. Technology has allowed for easier implementation of some visual marketing techniques, which is why you will see them being used more frequently.
Some of these tactics include using pictures or illustrations to describe products, creating eye-catching designs for advertisements or packaging, and even making logos and brands!
Businesses use visuals to tell stories about their products or services. Looking at it from this perspective makes sense– if there’s one thing people like more than anything else, it’s an interesting story!
It’s no surprise that we now live in an era where anyone can produce a beautifully designed piece of content. Even though creativity is encouraged throughout education, advertising is still mostly text-based.
This shifts the responsibility of telling your company’s story onto outside sources, which isn’t a bad thing. By providing free material for others to rebrand, advertise, or talk about, you help spread the word while also showcasing your company’s talent.
However, all too often companies take advantage of creative freedom by simply copying someone else’s style or image. This is not only unoriginal, but it can hurt your brand’s reputation.
Luckily, there are several ways to incorporate some simple, effective visual marketing into your business.
A well-crafted marketing campaign includes not only creating content, but also finding a way to promote that content. With the explosion of online tools and resources, you can create an endless amount of content in almost any field.
You can take pictures or use illustrations, write textual articles or produce videos – it’s up to you!
But how do you get people to see your content? You have to figure out a strategy.
That is what visual marketers talk about when they refer to as “visual marketing strategies.” These strategies include everything from using images to tell someone’s story to promoting something by linking to it or talking about it.
Some of the most common types of visuals used in marketing are:
Photos
Cartoons
GIFs (Graphics for Fun)
Videos
Infographics
These will vary depending on the type of product being marketed and/or the target audience.
For example, if your product is food, then telling someone's story through photos and GIFs of foods may be appropriate. If your product is educational, then maybe teaching via video is more effective.
As mentioned before, there is no wrong way to use visuals in marketing.
Another way to use visuals in marketing is distributing them through different mediums. This is referred to as visual marketing strategy or VMS. Using pictures, videos, infographics, and diagrams, you can create advertisements, advertise products, expose ideas, etc.
The best way to utilize this technique is by incorporating creativity. Creating engaging content with illustrations and photos is more likely to be read than text-only ads. If your company does not have enough resources for creating their own content, there are many free resource sites online that can help.
There are several ways to incorporate VMS into your business. You can do it as part of advertising, creating new materials, or rebranding existing materials.