Why your small business needs a visual content marketing strategy

If you’ve been looking for ways to grow your brand, you’ve probably heard about the term visual content marketing strategy. Since visual communication is an essential part of effective marketing, it’s surely an aspect worth learning and applying to your creative strategy.

In this article, we’ll talk about what visual content is and the types you can use to grow your business. In addition to that, we’ll also tackle why your small business needs a visual content marketing strategy and why you should develop one now. So sit in a comfy chair, get a fresh cup of coffee, and be prepared to learn.

What is visual content marketing?

First of all, let’s discuss: what is visual marketing? At the most basic, visual marketing pertains to utilizing images to deliver info and maximize engagement. 

Let’s say you’re interested in installing a new app. Would you rather learn about how it works through chunks of text? Or would you rather go through an easy infographic with screenshots and minimal copy? If you answered the latter, then you know exactly why your small business needs a visual content marketing strategy.

Visual content is one of the digital marketing trends that have been taking center stage over the past decade. In fact, as long as most marketing efforts are happening online, visual content will always be a crucial factor. 

Why visual content is important

If you’re still wondering why your small business needs a visual content marketing strategy, here are a few benefits to consider:

• Enhanced engagement. Visuals are easier to absorb. As a result, your viewers are better encouraged to like, comment, or share your content.
• Increased traffic. When people see that you offer them valuable pieces of content, they’re more likely to visit your website to learn more. 
• Stronger conversion rates. Powerful visual content paints your brand as an industry leader within your niche. That said, prospects will trust you enough to purchase a product or service.

Types of visual content

If you’re looking for types of materials to develop, here are visual content marketing examples to give you an idea. Keep in mind, though, that every brand needs a different visual marketing strategy. So it’s vital to go over the list and pick out the ones that apply to your brand identity.

Photos

If you look at the best advertising design examples, you’d see that they usually bank on the power of visuals. Aside from paid traffic, photos also make for excellent social media content. Also, if you want to tailor social media to your stakeholders, then take the time to produce and curate every image that you post online. And to help you get a head start, here are a few quick ideas:

• Photos of products being used
• Behind-the-scenes snaps
• Store images

Lenovo's Instagram grid highlights a variety of photo types.

Videos

Stats tell us that eight out of ten ventures use video marketing to grow their brand. Related to that, six out of ten people said they would rather watch online videos than TV. These numbers tell us visual content matters and why you should consider using videos to attract your audience’s attention.

Infographics

If you find yourself needing to explain complex ideas to your audience, digital graphics is a great way to do so painlessly. Infographics are the marriage of info and graphics. With this tool, you can surely simplify concepts and help your readers understand them easier. That said if you have a blog post idea that seems hard to pull off because of its intricacy, go for infographics. 

Source: LinkedIn

GIFs

GIFs are somewhat akin to infographics. But because they’re animated, they offer a livelier appeal than static web images. If you use Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, you’ve surely come across this type of visual content. A study by Buffer says social media posts with animated graphics are shared more. That said, using GIFs for your marketing will surely boost your engagement rates.

Quotes

If you’re looking for social media graphic design ideas that inspire, quotation cards are a great solution. And if you interview source persons for your company blog asset anyway, you might as well make the most out of it. From the transcript, find good quotes and use those for social media posts. In the same vein, you can also use them as blog teasers to direct the audience to your site.

Simon Sinek uses quotes regularly on his Instagram. 

Virtual presentations

Not a lot of people recognize virtual slides as visual marketing material. However, slides are a combination of content marketing writing and graphic design, so they surely fit within this category. 

How Google Works Slideshare

If you think virtual presentations are all about pitch decks, think again. Many ventures create a presentation and post them on SlideShare, giving them all the SEO benefits of having visuals on a platform. You can simply upload it on SlideShare and include it in your blog post for the best results.

Illustrations

Do you want unique content design materials that flawlessly convey your message along with your brand identity? Illustrations do a great job in this department. However, you’ll surely need a pro for this. That said, if you don’t have an in-house graphic designer, then you might want to consider hiring a professional service provider. 

Memes

Everyone loves a good laugh. It’s, therefore, no surprise that memes get a lot of shares and engagement online! But memes are more than just funny animations. In addition to humor, they also best convey a meaning when words aren’t enough.

Take advantage of your audience’s craving for humor and make memes a part of your regular visual content. Thankfully, there are many online sources where you can get memes and short videos. With resourcefulness, you’ll never run out of clever, relatable, and witty memes to tickle your audience.

Final thoughts

Knowing why your small business needs a visual content marketing strategy will surely push you to include it in your bag of tricks. By making the most out of visuals, you can establish a deep and strong connection with your community and, thus, improve your brand's online reputation. More importantly, visual content can provide great value to your audience, and they’ll love your brand for it. 

Visual content marketing strategy FAQs

What is visual content marketing?

Visual marketing utilizes images to deliver info and maximize engagement. Visual content marketing trends have taken center stage over the past decade. 

What are examples of visual content?

Here are 8 types of visual content: photos, videos, infographics, GIFs, quotes, virtual presentations, illustrations, and memes. 

Why is visual content important?

Visual content is important because it can help increase engagement, increase traffic, and improve conversion rates.