Web pages are often only viewed for 10-20 seconds before users click away, making boosting engagement a key focus of digital marketing. Read on to learn more about how going visual can be one of the easiest and most effective ways to do this, and which types of visual content creation are most successful.
The Importance of Different Types of Visual Content
Content with visuals gets 94% more views than those without, and social media users are 40% more likely to share visual content than any other. Additionally, information retention rates are much higher when consumed through a visual medium.
When creating a marketing campaign, itâs vital that visual content is given as much thought as any other element. To help you create the best visual content for your marketing campaign, weâve compiled a list of our top 5 tips for creating engaging and compelling visual content, as well as the different types of visual content creation.
1. Know Your Audience
Undertaking market research is imperative when creating effective marketing campaigns, so it should come as no surprise that itâs important for creating effective visuals as well.
Ask yourself who your audience is, what platforms they use and how they consume visual content. With this information, you can shape your content in a way that makes sense for your marketing goals.
For example, if you know your audience mainly shares information through Twitter, ensure that your visuals work for that platform. By doing this, youâre giving yourself the best chance of engagement from the get-go.
2. Maintain Consistent Visual Marketing and Design Across Platforms
Maintaining a clear and consistent brand voice is just as important for your copy as your visuals. While this does not mean that your visual content needs to look the same (in fact, they should be varied and diverse), they should have cohesive elements that mesh with your other visuals, as well as your overall brand.
Whether this is done by using the same color palette, the same tone of voice, or something as simple as font, itâs a key step in creating professional and engaging visual content that best represents your brand.
3. Utilize Copywriting Techniques
In addition to maintaining consistency and knowing your audience, using basic copywriting techniques when creating your visuals can be the difference between average and memorable visual content.
This doesnât have to be incredibly complex. Copywriting techniques can enhance your visual content if you are aware of the benefits your product or service provides, are empathetic to your audience, understand their problems and clearly demonstrate how you can solve these problems.
4. Simplify
One of the best arguments for using visual content in your marketing campaigns is its ability to break up text and provide information in a simple, digestible format. To make the most of these benefits, itâs vital that you simplify your visual content.
Visuals that rely too heavily on text, are small and cramped, or clutter the page, can negate the benefits of visual content. Once your visuals are ready, try removing one or two elements to see if that helps with the overall feel of the page.
5. Use Varied Types of Visual Content Creation
In addition to remaining aware of the tips above, itâs worth thinking about the types of visual content creation available to you and your business. Itâs a great idea to use dynamic and diverse visual content to engage and entertain users â there are many forms of visual content, so donât limit yourself to photographs and images.
Types of Visual Content Creation
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Photos
Photos are the most common form of visual content and theyâre common for a reason. When used correctly, theyâre eye-catching, informative and can help with traffic retention.
Using stock photos is easy, but they arenât personal and can disconnect readers from your message. Additionally, make sure youâre being vigilant about copyright. Alternatively, using photos you or your business has taken is great because theyâre immediately personalized and you donât have to worry about copyright.
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Infographics
Infographics are one of the best options for displaying data. When done well, theyâre easily comprehended, memorable and can be personalized to suit your brand voice. So next time you want to convey statistics in a format that is easy to read and places emphasis on the information you want, try compiling them into an infographic.
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Videos
Static images are often thought of when considering the types of visual content creation, but videos (which are often overlooked) are a great addition to your marketing toolkit.
Instead of relying on the reading comprehension skills of your target audience, videos get straight to the heart of the matter and put a face to the content. Because they are immediately personalized, videos are a great medium to give instructions and answer questions.
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Gifs
Gifs are a helpful way to give movement to static images without having to click off into a video. In the same way a blank screen and silence immediately arrest our attention when watching TV, movement on a static page does the same.
Because of the limited and looping nature of a gif, theyâre not great options for displaying information. However, they are a great way to include dynamic CTAâs and eye-catching graphics.
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Interactive Content
Interactive content like polls and quizzes are a great way to boost consumer engagement with your brand. Despite being an unconventional form of visual content, when executed well they serve as a visual respite in the same way traditional visuals do.
Additionally, theyâre an easy way to convey your voice and tone, as well as getting to know your audience better.
When creating a marketing campaign, remember to pay attention to the visual content you create. By researching your audience, maintaining a consistent brand voice, simplifying, following copywriting techniques and varying the types of visual content you employ, youâre giving your business the best possible chance of success.
