The Power of Visual Marketing Cannot be Underestimated

I’m often asked, “Tom, how can we be more effective with our social media efforts?”. Hearing this, a bunch of answers spring immediately to mind. While all are valid, one in particular stands out to such a degree that all of those answers collectively pale by comparison.

It’s tricky sometimes decipher the marketing lingo of 2016. Everywhere you look, people are talking about “influencer marketing”, “inbound marketing”, “outbound marketing”, “content marketing”, “viral marketing”, “mobile marketing”, “guerrilla marketing”, etc., etc.

Throw in a mix of advertising terminology, such as “Native”, “Disruptive”, “Programmatic” and… well, you get the picture. It’s enough to make your head spin.

Oganizations and businesses that I talk to seem perpetually in search of a singular answer that will result in instant overnight success. I have to shake my head.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that these subgenres are in any way meaningless. In fact, all of them are worthy to one extent or another. The degree of worthiness however is always in question and is an element very much linked to the organization and type of business, as well as the products and services being offered. In the days and weeks to come, I’ll talk more about many of these, but from an immediate and practical perspective, how should one move forward to create a more effective social media campaign?

Well, the short and sweet answer to that is simple. Incorporate “visual marketing” into the mix. Not just once or twice, but constantly. Use visuals to attract attention. They could be photos, diagrams, illustrations, even animation and video. All work as eye-catching tools to draw attention to your message. Now the best visuals actually go beyond. I’m talking about infographics. Infographics are a fun, but highly effective way to describe processes. They can be simple or they can be complex, but either way, they serve to attract attention and, if done right, tell a story. And that story is your opportunity to engage with the audience you seek.

Companies that utilize visuals in their social media and marketing efforts engage more profoundly and more frequently with their target audience. In turn, that generates demand - demand for the products and services you have to offer, but also demand for more stories and more engagement.

I can point to several studies that verify all that I say here, but for me, having worked in the field of advertising for over twenty years, and as a still avid consumer who (like so many of you I’m sure) spends way too much time on my smartphone, I know these principles to be true. I’ve seen first hand, time and time again, how social media visitors (typically) react to content. An exquisitely written chronicle will generate a reaction to be sure. Likely, you’ll get a few shares and quite possibly attract more followers. But complement that message with a colorful piece of visual ephemera, and stand back! What I have seen over and over again is an immediate increase in resonancy and anywhere from a 10 to 100-fold boost in terms of shares, in turn generating an exponential response and increased audience for your message.

The long and short of it is, people like pictures. The more colorful and attractive they are, the better. When they tell a story, well that’s a bonus. When the pictures connect, using humor, logic, empathy, cuteness or whatever, you have successfully forged a path that with proper and ongoing care can serve as a means to sell more products and services.

There are a lot of different ways to employ marketing methodology, but none that I’ve yet seen that hold a candle to the power of visual marketing in its purest form.