Just like keywords, graphics have become indispensable to content marketing. Well-written and reader-specific content is crucial for content marketing strategy, but do you know how graphics can change your content marketing game? Attractive graphics are essential, especially if you are creating content for social media.
Here are shocking stats showing how visuals are changing the way we approach content marketing.
Why are graphics really important for marketing your content?
A thousand-word piece of content or an infographic – what would you prefer to run your eyes over?
Fresh figures from HubSpot are shocking as they state that infographics elaborate on a topic 323% better than text. If increased website visits is what you are aiming for, infographics can increase your website traffic by 12 percent. Your words might be weighing your content marketing down but using the right imagery will give your content a visual identity and it can receive up to 94 percent more views.
About sixty-three percent of social media is just about visuals (images and videos), which means nearly two-thirds of the content you see on social media are visuals. Seventy per cent of the entire human body’s sensory receptors are in our eyes, which is the psychological reason why our mind processes visuals 60,000 times faster than text.
A few companies took these figures seriously and have started working on their visual content marketing strategy so early.
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It’s likely that you’ll want a sneak peek into the content strategy of some successful businesses
What is the first thing that strikes you when you think of content marketing? More often than not, it is likely to come as a blog post with 1,000+ words and a few stock images for the sake of visual appeal. Well, gone are the days of such content marketing strategies, as brands are now heavily investing in visual content.
A visual content marketing strategy is no different, it is just another medium to connect to your readers, provide values and get shared. Visuals in content marketing can be broken down into many pieces.
- Infographics
- Photos
- Videos
- Visual note-taking
- Memes
Visual content marketing is not an alternative but a priority to make your content stand out. The following brands have implemented their visual content marketing strategy well and have become an inspiration to many content marketers.
Coca Cola
Can you imagine coca cola without red and white in your mind? A whopping 94% of the world’s population can instantly identify Coca Cola’s iconic red & white logo, even if the name is not present there. This is how multi-sensory brand identity is built.
The new central philosophy named “real magic” from Coca-Cola is set on a range of creative visuals, including photographs, videos and illustrations. The company has uniquely designed animated GIFs and illustrations along with plenty of brand memorabilia that reminds the audience whose page they’re on.
Coca-Cola’s white scripted text on a bright red background has become the brand’s identity today. Content creation is creative but the colour psychology is what strengthens its visual content marketing game.
Grammarly Cards
At least for the sake of surety, you would have used Grammarly as a blogger or content marketer. We know that Grammarly is excellent in proofreading and fixing grammatical errors, but what’s extra is its excellency in creating memes that provide value & humour to their followers.
This is just simple information but presented in a way that makes it engaging and shareable. They call such creations “Grammarly cards” and make them easy to consume, enjoy and share.
Starbucks
Starbucks has a broad social media presence and perhaps this is the reason why most of their content marketing strategies are focused on social media. Although the company often shares posts to promote its products, its visual marketing is bursting with personality and originality, since they have started doing it in a creative and subtle way.
Companies have to learn just one thing from Starbucks that “less is more”… especially in the case of visual content.
Nike
Nike simply revolutionised the content marketing game with its interactive visuals and storytelling. Popular shoe brands know their audience inside out as well as their mentality and use this knowledge to showcase their brand.
The brand focuses on highlighting the benefits of its products rather than bragging about the features. Talking about visuals, Nike loves to post inspiration and original images, encouraging the dream of their audience.
Now it is right to say that an influencer who puts together thousands of words in visual-less content is less effective than those telling the story through visuals. Since social shares are on boom, it is an opportunity for content marketers to make a virtue by targeting the audience through relevant and high-quality visuals.
But do you know what it takes to create share-worthy visuals? Try these tips for creating great visuals for content marketing
The importance of creating visual content cannot be underestimated. Look no further than Google doodle. By introducing new event-based doodles every day, Google gives its users a reason to visit its landing page and use its search engine over others.
Strong visuals have the same impact, whether they are on social media, websites or elsewhere. They give people a reason to like, comment, share and buy from you. This goes well only if you know what to present and how to present in visuals. No matter what type of visuals you are creating, following the principles of good graphics is crucial. Even the most compelling stories are lost if the design is not good. Follow these graphic tricks to ensure your visual content marketing is both effective and compelling.
Pick your colours wisely
Colour plays a crucial role in establishing your brand identity, therefore it is suggested to set brand colours. Colours should be used sparingly to highlight the text as per its importance. Use a cohesive colour palette or choose colours based on the emotions you want to drive through your visuals.
Focus on layout and typography
How you present your content can make the whole difference in your visual content marketing strategy. Typography has two main purposes in graphics: to promote legibility and the second is to help communicate the message conveniently. Another aspect of using good fonts revolves around the aesthetic element of the visuals. Ensure all your content is appropriately adjusted within the layout with the legible font style so it would be easy on the eyes.
Under the significance of iconography
Symbolism is not a new concept and it goes well with visual content marketing. Icons can convey a message more quickly than actual words. They are beyond language barriers and can help derive the same meaning as written instruction.
Techniques for creating great visual content
Honestly, it takes nothing but a few techniques that can help you create visuals that stand alone. To create visual content that is worth sharing, you should know your target audience. It will help focus on bringing the values that they need.
Here are a few tricks that you can try to create visual content that is shared thousands of times.
Design with grids to improve visual hierarchy
The grids are best known for bringing order and clarity to designs to improve the overall look & feel. It balances the designs, helps you prioritise the information and speed up the design process. There are modular grids and column grids that you can use depending on the purpose of your visuals.
Get a good photo filter and use consistently
When you are picking images for your blogs from multiple sources, a filter can give a sense of consistency. It can even make your visuals more recognizable and shareable across social media. Filters with bolder effects and lights become even more crucial when your timeline fills with similar visuals.
Go with a colour palette to set your brand identity
If you want to go along with your content marketing strategy, you better understand the colour theory in graphic designs. The biggest power that colours have is their ability to evoke emotions and make people feel things. If you have not decided on colour palette or fonts, it is time to because colours can do what words cannot. Colours create a focal point changing the mood of prospects and how they perceive the product or brand.
Build helpful, humorous infographics
Everything said above comes first when it comes to creative, attractive and compelling visuals, but to connect and share an exceptional experience, you need to put in some humour. Humour allows your visuals to connect and create an emotional bond with the users. When infusing your visuals with humour, think levity, not hilarity. Let the audience engage and play around with the situation. Sometimes, even just hinting at the easier side is enough to be humorous.
What is more that you can try to improve your content marketing game?
As we have been using visual content for content at Brego Business, we’ve learned a lot. We have learned that images and videos get higher engagement than plain pasted text. While experimenting with visuals, we found that adding GIFs and relevant memes can boost the reader’s experience. Creating content that addresses the pain points is actually the thing that businesses should understand. While stock images might be easily available, businesses should avoid generic images and turn to unique imagery to solidify the brand’s image in visual content marketing.
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