The Impact of Visual Content on Marketing Performance

“How can I drive more customers to my business?” 

This is the age-old concern of every single business across all industries. As the competition increases, building a positive presence among audiences is crucial. And the oldest and most proven method is advertising.

But today’s business landscape teaches us that advertising products and services is not enough. Businesses must also connect with customers through other media, most commonly social media platforms. 

This is where visual content marketing becomes a key player to success.

Blogs, articles, and PRs have been part of marketing plans for years, sure. However, people are now more inclined towards social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. 

By adding a link to your TikTok bio, you can effectively direct your audience to your website, product pages, or other social media platforms, making it easier to connect and engage with them.

Due to this rapid shift to visually oriented platforms, the need for visual content has grown, thanks to its ability to share information or messages with customers in a fast and entertaining manner. Hence, the impact of visual content on marketing performance needs to be analyzed.

This guide explores everything there is to know about visual content. We will cover every detail, from what it is to some examples and how it impacts marketing performance. Keep reading.

What is Visual Content Marketing?

Visual content marketing involves using eye-catching media, including images, animations, videos, and infographics, to grab customers’ attention and deliver the brand message as quickly as possible.

The four mentioned visual content types are only the tip of the iceberg. There’s a sea of other visual content, and we’ll explore some of the main ones below:

Common Types of Visual Content

A. Images

Images are the primary visual content that can be used. These are very powerful and help in sharing your message in a lucrative, catchy, and connecting manner. Using simple and high-quality pictures is quite important for this purpose. You can share features, benefits, and other such aspects as well in the form of images.

B. Videos

Video marketing is a great way to share insights, from product demonstrations to the benefits of product use. Unlike reading, where the eyes, brain, and fingers are actively involved in assimilating information, videos are more spoonfed. The footage does everything, and users simply have to watch.

Additionally, as per Wyzowl, 87% of video marketers have experienced an increase in lead generation with the help of the right video strategy.

C. Infographics

Everybody today loves to have a snippet of complex information in one place that can be glanced at quickly. This is what infographics aim to offer.

Infographics transform complex data into a simpler and digestible format, allowing users to absorb information quickly. Using this visual marketing content strategy lets you demonstrate statistics, process flow, and much more, making them a perfect choice for educating the audience.

D. Animations and memes

Brands can also use animation in place of videos, which is not only quirky but also an innovative way to connect with the audience. Such videos use attractive characters, fonts, and even GIFs that explain the product in a dynamic and varied manner.

On the other hand, memes share good information but in a funny and catchy style. Using a proper combination of these can be enormously productive.

E. Interactive content

Many visual content types, like images and videos, is passive. This means means users are not involved in the process. However, you can take a step ahead and create interactive content, such as a poll, quiz, or QR code for promotions. While other visual content works just fine, interactive visuals can engage the audience more with your brand.

F. User-generated content

UGC, or user-generated content, means customers created the content and shared it on social media platforms. It is like influencer marketing and product review rolled into one.

Customers who see the UGC content get an insight into what it’s like to use your product. Plus, since influencers mostly create UGC content, they have the leverage to encourage followers to try the products out.

Many UGC pieces are created using Instagram reels or TikTok. You can also create some YouTube shorts to share snippets of people’s testimonials about your brand or include a Facebook feed on your website to showcase real-time user engagement.

When products or services are endorsed by customers, trust and authenticity increases.

G. Live streams

One of the most unique and efficient visual content presentations is live streams. Live streams let businesses connect directly with customers and address their inquiries on the fly. They feel more raw and authentic, even if extensive planning was done behind the scenes.

This type of real-time engagement can significantly impact your brand perception and image. Live streams can be done on multiple platforms, such as Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and even Twitch (for the gamer crowd).

Now that you know the most common marketing visuals, it is time to learn about their impact and get some tips for increasing it positively.

Impact of Visual Content on Marketing Performance

According to a report published by Venngage, 9 out of 10 customers prefer visually appealing content over plain text, which explains why more than 50% of entrepreneurs use a combination of visual content in their marketing efforts. 

This report showcases the value of visual content for marketing and underscores why understanding how visual content impacts marketing performance is even more important.

Here are some of the impacts of visual content on marketing:

1. Enhances Comprehension

When visual content marketing is integrated into blogs, articles, or any other shareable content, the absorption of information is greatly amplified. 

Though text can share information with readers, graphs, and charts can simplify the information for easier absorption. Instead of giving instructions using heavy text content, images that explain the process flow make it easier to understand directions.

IKEA’s manual is a perfect example here, setting an example of making visual content representation a perfect global expansion seamless.

2. Increases Retention

With so many competitors in the market, the only way to increase your sales is to stand out. This is possible by creating and maintaining a strong presence in the market, and visual content marketing helps establish this effortlessly. 

For example, starting an Instagram blog where you can share posts, reels, and crisp stories about your brand can be helpful. Couple that with well-crafted and informative images or videos, you can leave a long-lasting impression on your viewer’s mind.

This is crucial to help customers remember your brand—this is where design and YouTube management services come in handy, helping you to create visual content that resonates with your target audience.

There was a season in 2023 when Chris Do used the same aesthetic for his IG posts. Using your brand colors as part of your visual content is an effective way to increase retention (it certainly retained mine!):

3. Boosts Engagement

Engaging customers is important, especially when building a solid foothold in the market. Offering them impactful content can accomplish this.

To understand this better, consider the ads shared by Red Bull.

When we think of Red Bull, users often think of energy, extreme sports, and youth culture since the product is an energy drink. But this line of ads does not fit the mold. Red Bull used pastel colors and cute illustrations in their visual content marketing to deliver its message.

It certainly caught some people’s attention enough to gain notoriety and get people talking.

4. Speeds-up Communication

People have a short attention span. Forbes says it sits at 8 seconds and continues to get shorter by the minute. 

In other words, if you fail to engage audiences in the first few seconds, you might lose their interest forever. An effective visual marketing content prevents this from happening. 

With visual content, you only have to share bite-sized nuggets of information, and audiences will catch the drift.

Think of infographics. Instead of reading an entire product detailing brochure, an infographic can share a snippet of features, benefits, and rest at a glance. This saves time and expedites the user’s decision-making process when buying the product or service.

5. Improves SEO Performance

Adding visual content to your blog improves the content’s SEO performance. Remember that Google values user experience most, and visual content breaks blocks of text, supporting a hassle-free reading experience.

Visual content may also motivate visitors to stay on the page longer, boosting dwell time. This helps your content satisfy essential website metrics, increasing the chances of boosting the website’s performance.

These granular data may signal to Google that your web page is relevant to the query, improving the page’s search engine positioning.

6. Strengthens Brand Identity

Every marketing effort drives in one direction: building a strong brand identity.

This is possible when you put efforts into helping your audience connect with your brand and make them aware of it.

Consider Apple, for instance.

Apple has positioned itself as the pinnacle of phone technology and luxury. The brand’s visual content marketing pieces aligns with this created identity.

7. Enhances Emotional Connection

Visual content enhances your communication with your audience. By doing so, you can create a base of loyal customers more inclined to buy your product or service than a competitor. 

In fact, integrating social media into your SEO and marketing strategy can help you stay in touch with your customers even better.

Hence, using images, videos, and even testimonial slides can motivate consumers to make a purchase, as emotional responses often influence buying decisions.

8. Moves Psychological Aspect

Visual content plays an important role in influencing consumer psychology. When you use the right mix of colors, images, and visual patterns, you can attract customers to engage with you and even associate with your brands. 

Using psychological influence appropriately can transform buying behavior in your favor.

For example, if you are an organic brand, using green will directly convey that you are completely natural and safe.

Conversely, fast-food chains, like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and KFC, use red colors as this is believed to stimulate the appetite.

9. Helps Improve ROI

Using visual content in marketing can help your business gain high returns by making marketing campaigns more effective. The right visuals can attract viewers, generate leads, and close sales. This is true for every business, product, and service.

Just like when you use videos on your landing page, you directly invite your consumers to explore the usability through demos. This gives them the much-needed clarity of the product and allows them to easily decide to buy.

10. Facilitates Social Sharing

When you use visual content in marketing efforts, say in social media posts, it becomes easy for existing customers to share your content on their pages. This significantly impacts your reach and improves engagement.  

It is clear that using visual content in marketing is important and it has a positive impact on marketing performance.

So, let’s address the elephant in the room: how can you implement a visual content marketing strategy on your business? Keep reading and we’ll enumerate the steps below:

Step-by-step Guide in Using Visual Content Marketing for your Business

Now that you know the impact of visual content on marketing performance, it is equally vital to understand the steps to follow while using it.

With the proper understanding and in-depth knowledge, you can gain the desired results.

Below are the steps to follow:

Step 1: Define Your Objectives

To use visual content, you first need to address your objective.

Whether you want to create awareness or drive more sales, understanding your goal is a must. Clear objectives will help you develop the right visuals for your marketing campaigns. 

For instance, you might want to focus on infographics or storytelling videos if you’re running an awareness campaigns. Conversely, it might make more sense to create video testimonials or explainer videos if the goal is sales conversion.

Step 2: Understand Your Audience

You must understand your audience while planning your visual content. Do they prefer videos or will images suffice to get their interest?

A proper data-driven marketing strategy for your audience will help you craft not just the intended marketing visuals, but the marketing plan as a whole. Plans crafted to meet particular audience needs are more effective than generic ones. 

For this, you might want to test the waters by A/B testing to see which content format drives more engagement.

Step 3: Make the Right Choice for Visual Content

Not all visual content is effective for all situations.

Graphs and infographics are perfect for sharing information. Videos and animations are good for introducing the brand. Meanwhile, images are good for sharing information quickly. However, they might all also overlap depending on your audience.

Understanding the differences is quite important. Thus, ensure that you use visual content that suits your marketing needs. 

Step 4: Develop Effective Visuals

The first and most important step is to settle on the visual content that will be applied. Only after this is finalized can the next step be considered.

Start by creating a compelling visual. For this, you would need to focus on quality, color, contrast, and more. This ensures your visuals are not only appealing but also communicate professionalism and credibility.

Step 5: Optimize for Each Platform

Today, audiences are available on multiple platforms. From accessing your website on a laptop to using it on mobile, the choices to grab information online have increased.

Hence, it is important to develop and create visual content that can be repurposed for each platform. Consider the technical aspects quite precisely so that there are no lapses. 

Step 6: Incorporate Branding Consistently

Your branding is your identity. Without it, people will have a harder time associating visual content marketing tactics with your company. That’s why you must ensure brand consistency across all your channels.

This includes:

• Brand colors
• Fonts
• Logos
• Standard messaging and brand tone

It’s advisable to create a brand kit so that every marketing visual is consistent across the board.

Step 7: Use SEO Best Practices

When you use visual content online, you must use the right SEO practices.

Add the tags and titles properly for each of your images and videos. Ensure that they share the intended meaning with visitors.

This will help enhance the overall performance and glorify the quality of your marketing efforts.

Step 8: Analyze and Adjust

Lastly, tracking performance is vital to determining whether your campaigns are effective.

Monitor metrics like click-through rates, engagement rates, and conversions. This will help you identify good-performing content and craft future content more effectively.  

Properly implementing these steps can ensure a positive outcome for your marketing efforts. 

Tips for Effective Visual Content Marketing

Here are the main best practices to consider to boost your visual content performance and increase its success rate in reaching your business goals:

• Always use high-quality images and videos.
• Keep images simple and effective.
• Use the right color combination so that the message is not suppressed.
• When creating a video, ensure your message is clear.
• Maintain a common color theme throughout your marketing plan.
• Make sure your design is a perfect fit for all types of platforms.
• Wherever possible, try to incorporate user-generated content. This will help instill a sense of authenticity and trust.
• Implement proper SEO strategies to ensure your reach.
• Track your progress and reach regularly.
• Refresh and update visual content regularly to keep it relevant and engaging.

Conclusion

Strategic visual content marketing can enhance performance and outcomes quite greatly.

It can help you improve your overall marketing results by connecting with your audience more effectively. 

Appropriate use of images, videos, animations, graphs, and other visual elements can boost marketing efforts.

So, if you are a marketer looking to fully utilize the market’s potential, it’s time to use marketing visuals. 

So, ready to run your own visual content marketing strategy?

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