Let's Get Visual

By Anandi Vara​

We, as humans, are visual beings. We react to facial expressions, to body language and even certain colours can affect our mood! So, it seems only natural that we incorporate visual elements into marketing, no?

Here’s what you need to know about incorporating visual content into your branding and messaging.

What counts as visual content?

Images – Yep, you guessed it. Images. Hear a piece of information, and three days later you'll remember 10% of it but if you add a picture, you'll remember 65%. Though it may seem obvious, adding an image can help to increase memorability, shareability and engagement.

Data – ‘But I don’t want to see another bar graph!’ I hear you say. Data is more than just pie charts and bar graphs, it can be infographics brimming gorgeous graphics, it can be presented with bright colours, but most of all, it can be beautiful.  

Graphics – These can range from the smallest icon to a behemoth billboard but the visual and colours instantly grab your attention.

Video – With 4 times as many consumers preferring to watch a video about a product than to read about it, video is proving to be one of the most impactful forms of media on social channels such as Facebook. 

Building your visual identity

Branding – How often should you include your logo? For this, you need to be mindful about where your message will be seen. If you’re producing a billboard or poster, the visuals will be seen without any context and therefore should include your branding as well as concise messaging. However, if you’re posting on social media there are a few more things to consider. The content will be coming directly from your brand pages therefore you don’t want to overload the image with your logo and straplines, however you must be mindful of the fact that if the image is shared, you want people to know where it originated from. 

Mood – The colours you use when designing your website, promo content and even social content can impact the overall mood of your brand. So, whether you’re looking for a clean, fun or retro mood, always keep in mind the colours and fonts used – and remember to be consistent.

Tone of Voice – If you’re including text in your visuals, whether it’s a billboard, poster, leaflet or social post, be conscious about your wording and tone of voice. Both the imagery and the text will feed off each other so make sure they fit together.

Platforms – Content you create for a billboard will have to prepared very differently to the content you create for Facebook. The content you create for Facebook will be prepared differently to the content you create for Instagram. Each platform has different requirements and restrictions so make sure you do your research first in order to get the most out of your assets.

Our brains process visual information around 60,000 times faster than text. With so many brands out there fighting for their share of voice in the industry, you have to ensure that you are doing all you can to set yourself apart.

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