Visual content is all information that can be expressed using images (diagrams, photos, drawings, infographics, logos, and other designs) and video.
Take a look at your social media account, anyone. View your friends’ latest messages. Pay attention to the ratio of the number of text posts to visual ones. Chances are, images, gifs, videos, or graphics will rule your news feed!
On the one hand, this means that your friends on social networks are well informed (it is useful for them). They know a public secret: people interact with visual content on social media. Both marketing enthusiasts and professionals know this by heart – amazing content attracts likes, reposts, it increases traffic, increases engagement.
In a situation where everyone uses this type of content as a marketing tool, several problems can arise:
- What if your product/service is not based on visuals?
- Is there some kind of design logic that you should follow as a brand, or should you let your creativity run wild?
- Finally, if everyone is relying on visual content – how could you stand out?
These and similar questions keep marketing enthusiasts and professionals alike awake. Let’s try to answer some of them.
- Non-visual companies and visual content.
You can gift visually compelling content to your subscribers, even if your products and services are not visually based (like a service or an online product, for example). Take, for example, software companies. They certainly could have posted screenshots, which would probably not have led to applause and cheers from the audience. However, the following types of content will definitely suit them:
- instructional videos;
- cool gifs (if they fit the theme);
- behind the scenes photos;
- infographics.
All of these forms of visual content can definitely enrich the social presence of non-visual companies.
- Visual Logic – Do You Need a Design Strategy?
The most common mistake social media managers make, aside from posting content that promotes a business but doesn’t provide value to the reader, is that they don’t deliver strategic messages through design. Putting a company logo in your social media post is fine, but there’s a lot more to design and learning its tricks will lead you to some truly compelling content. Finally, having a clear strategy reveals your brand’s uniqueness. Anyone using social media for business needs to have a clear design strategy for each channel.
- Everyone relies on visual content, so how do you stand out?
While most brands on social media recognize the benefits of visual posting, it’s likely that only a few really use a solid design strategy! Therefore, the first step towards becoming a memorable figure in social networks is, above all, strategic thinking. With a clear plan for how you want to present your brand, it becomes easier to add personality, unique traits, and creativity that will make you stand out from the crowd.
Always keep in mind the 2021 rule of thumb in media marketing: A successful marketing strategy depends on the right use of design. A well-planned design takes all social media marketing to the next level and will bring results regardless of the channel.
Expert in legal marketing. Head of marketing agency MAVR.
Business degree “Master of Business Administration” (MBA).