Written By: Steven Clarke
Since we are visual beings, it is no surprise that visual content marketing is the most successful form of content marketing in order for your business to gain attention, drive traffic and build brand loyalty. However, it is vital that you come up with a good visual marketing strategy, because the same way that visuals can be the factor that guides your visitors to convert to leads, they can also be overwhelming or simply unattractive and drive them away.
A good visual marketing content strategy is determined by how well you apply visual elements to your website’s user experience, so you need to make sure that you use the right things in the proper amount. Never forget that you’re engaging with people via your visuals, so it is essential that you communicate your message properly and never leave them hanging. Here are 10 ways bad decisions for your visual presence can impact your online business.
You’re using too much text
While it is a fact that your visitors want to gather all the information they can about your business, serving them large volumes of text that they have to consume in one go simply will not do. What your visitors expect are condensed chunks of text that are easy to digest. It is often best that you don’t type everything out, but use other visual tools such as videos or images in order to break up the text. If there is no visual adversity in your posts, you will most likely lose your visitors’ attention.
Your images don’t reflect your brand
Your brand image represents your beliefs, services, and the value that it adds to the world. Therefore, the images that you use need to reflect this. Your followers have a reason that they follow you, which is because they like your product and/or what you stand for. If your images don’t represent this in the right way, there is a lot less chance that your content will get shared, and you will come off as unprofessional.
Your design doesn’t stand out
The psychological effects of color are an essential element of your design. Mediocre visual content that doesn’t pay attention to how the colors affect your visitors is not going to stand out and separate you from competition. It is important that you experiment with different color palettes and appeal to your audience’s emotions and desires with colors that will encourage them to share your content or buy your product. The coloring is essential to your images as well, so it is a good idea to enhance them by adjusting contrast, upping the saturation or adding filters.
Your visuals don’t comply with different platforms
It is essential that you think of every social media platform when sharing your visual content since every one of them has its own pre-existing size recommendations. You need to comply with these recommendations, or your images won’t make the desired impact on your visitors. Take the extra time to create individual images for every social media account that you have. Your visuals are of no use if your audience cannot see them properly.
You don’t use videos properly
Videos are an important visual element if they are properly implemented. They need to be short, have a clear message, and be attractive to your audience. Since your visitors don’t want to spend their whole time watching a single video, making a long video will most likely drive them away. Also, a video that isn’t relevant to their search results will leave a bad impression. Take a professional approach to embedding your videos, by using third party video hosting services other than YouTube.
Your logo’s design isn’t professional
Your logo is the most important element of your brand recognition. According to logo design experts from Sydney, it is essential that your logo clearly reflects your brand’s image. A logo that isn’t professionally designed and is incompatible with your brand will significantly affect your brand loyalty and the success of your business. Generic or overly-trendy logos with too many or inappropriate fonts and unattractive colors spread the wrong message about your company and services.
You aren’t implementing infographics right
If your infographics look like an ordinary Excel template, your company will not be perceived as an expert in the field and it will drive away potential customers. They need to be unique and original, as well as informative and valuable. Visuals are vital elements of infographics, so you should rely on them more than typography. Keep in mind that not everyone is familiar with the topic you are representing, so you need to make your infographics as much educational as possible. Templates and clip arts are a no go. Finally, your infographics won’t market themselves, so you need to actively promote them on social media, blogs and other platforms that you use.
Your content isn’t amusing
Visual content is more than just creating amazing visuals. Its task is to motivate your audience to take action. If your content isn’t informative and amusing as well as attractive, it will serve as no more than eye-candy, and therefore fail to achieve its full purpose. You need to know what your audience wants and think about what you want them to do when they see your content. If you link your visuals with appropriate actions and objectives, you will be a source of valuable information for your visitors. Otherwise, your content won’t lead to conversions.
Your images are low-quality
Low-quality images won’t impress your audience and are bound to leave a bad aftertaste, so your posts are a lot less likely to get shared. Your visual content directly reflects the quality of your brand, so if your images aren’t up to par, they will send the wrong message about your business. Use your budget to hire a professional photographer or purchase high-quality stock photos. Your photos must be high-res so that they don’t appear pixelated on larger devices, and the text on them must be readable.
You aren’t following the trends
You will miss on the opportunity to get your content shared if you don’t follow contemporary trends. The reason trends work so well is because of their popular appeal. Explore the social media pages of other brands, and learn why their visual content is so successful. Replicate posts with similar visuals, but don’t be a simple copycat, in order to increase the chances of your content having the same appeal and getting shared on various platforms.
Final words
Visual content marketing is a game of trial and error, where you constantly need to test and improve your marketing strategies in order to keep up with current trends and sustain the appeal for your audiences. If you avoid these 10 common mistakes, your visual content strategy will give your visitors something valuable to search for and share, and leave an impression that you are a professional business that knows how to do its job.
