In the previous post, we shared the importance of visual elements (photos, videos, illustrations, and infographics) in today’s marketing environment. This time around, we look at how such contents are used to not just engage your customers, but also resonate with them.
STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF
In order to stand out, your brand first needs to be recognisable. A good brand identity puts a face to your business and an attitude to your company. Over time, it helps create awareness and differentiation in what you sell.
Think Nike, the embodiment of athletic can-do spirit. Or Coca-Cola, the bottlers of happiness. Both show that strong brand identity leads to customer loyalty and brand trust. The key to great brand identity is consistency. Everything visible about your brand should represent an idea or emotion that you want to relate to your target audience.
AN INFOGRAPHIC SPEAKS A THOUSAND FACTS
When appealing to the logic-driven shopper, data and statistics are the common weapon of choice. But, they can appear clunky and dry without the appropriate aesthetics.
Infographics help visually streamline facts and figures, so they are easily digestible to readers. In turn, they not only retain the information better, but also develop greater interest in what you might have to say in the future.
SAY IT WITH VIDEO
A well-executed video is one of the easiest ways to capture and build interest for your brand.
Why? Mostly because people are lazy. By engaging both sight and sound, the information on a video is easily received and understood by the viewer. But, as with all online content, keep your videos short and sweet to sustain the audience’s attention — then keep them coming back for more.
BE STRATEGIC WITH YOUR STOCKS
The effects are subtle, but viewers are quickly turned off by the frequent use of stock images in your content.
The trick is to throw in an array of professionally shot custom photos to mix things up. For peripheral functions like posting ‘inspirational quotes’ on social media, you may opt for a generic stock photo to serve as its backdrop. In this case, you make some quick savings while still achieving your marketing objective.
For cornerstone content found in your Homepage, About, Contact, Services or Products pages, we recommend that you invest in a commercial photoshoot. The images used here directly contribute to the ‘realness’ of your brand, and will greatly affect the trust and connection felt by visitors to your website. The same principle also applies for offline media: posters, brochures, banners, etc.
Especially for businesses involved in food or physical products, good commercial photography helps differentiate you from your competitors. It also shows your customers how strongly you believe in your product. If you’ve spent months and years developing your offerings, it is only natural that you would present them in a highly strategic and visually stimulating manner.
Ultimately, the effectiveness of your brand’s visuals are only limited by the amount of professional effort invested. If you’re looking to take your visual marketing to the next level, consider starting with our commercial photography services. To learn more about stock photos and their role in visual marketing, take a minute to check out this post.
Digital Negative specialises in the commercial portrayal of food and products. The images we create are centered on building up brand credibility by speaking clearly and directly to your target audience.
Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash