Since the inception of marketing, when it was confined to posters and banners, one strategy that has stood out is the ‘visuals over information.’ Even today, conventional marketing is all about visually aesthetic images displayed on billboards. That’s because visuals and imagery draw the audience’s attention, fostering brand awareness.
Today’s digital landscape looks at visual marketing as the new way forward. Brand managers have started to use images, videos, and other visual elements to promote their product and service offerings. It enables them to enhance brand recognition and convey unique selling points without bombarding them with information. So, are you ready to get creative with your marketing campaigns?
As a marketer, you may begin by posting captivating images on social media and then move to visual advertisements in the form of engaging videos. Remember to keep the videos brief and crisp since digital consumers have a short attention span. It will deliver a persuasive experience that resonates with your target market and encourages them to take action.
Do you need more ideas? If so, keep reading. Here are six tips to create a visual marketing strategy for your eCommerce business.
1. Design Interactive Infographics
If you have lengthy blog posts and articles on your website, turn them into interactive infographics to attract higher traffic. Interactive infographics draw users’ attention instantly and convince them to look for more information by tapping and clicking on the graphics. Now, the question is how to make an infographic interactive. First, add headings and one-liner information to give context to the readers. You can integrate a few slider images that pop up once the visitor clicks on the text.
Similarly, add a few high-quality stock photos to the infographics for a better visual appeal. You can also hide text behind these images, which will be visible when users click the picture. Besides boosting the engagement rate, it will educate the audiences about your product and service offering. In addition, such unique content will help you stand out from the competitors and establish credibility.
2. Run User-Oriented Campaigns
The primary goal of visual marketing is to engage customers on digital forums. You could post videos and graphics or design user-oriented campaigns. Let us explain how this works. A few months ago, Apple created a similar campaign with the hashtag #shootoniPhone, and millions of people participated. They shared pictures and videos taken from their iPhones, enabling the company to generate high sales.
As a brand manager, you can also think of something similar. Let’s say you own a coffee brand where you sell coffee beans. You can ask people to share their coffee recipes with the hashtag #incompletemorningswithoutcoffee. It will boost recognition while helping your business attract new customers. Also, the catchy hashtags encourage people to share their pictures with the product, spreading your brand message across.
3. Design Visual Brand Stories
Almost every brand has a story of how they started, their beliefs, their vision, and what they want to achieve. These stories go beyond promoting products and services; it is about the brand itself. While most brands mention these stories on their “about us” section of the website, it doesn’t reach a wider audience. So, why not create a visual story? You can make a video of the founder and co-founder sharing their journey and the brand’s vision.
You can also add visually appealing images and other relatable graphics to build the story and captivate audiences. A well-crafted brand story will help the audience resonate with your brand. In addition, you can define your brand’s value to target the audience more specifically. For example, you can talk about your contribution to reducing the environmental footprint, which can attract eco-friendly consumers.
4. Curate an Engaging Customer Journey
Often, people don’t know what to buy while visiting a website. Some browse and explore, whereas others cannot find what they want. Here, your visual marketing tactics can do wonders for the business. You can guide potential customers by designing a visually engaging customer journey. Here are a few tips.
- The first step is to gain users’ trust and showcase you are a credible eCommerce business. For this, put customer reviews and testimonials on your homepage. It will be your previous customers sharing their shopping experience with your brand.
- After this, integrate high-quality visuals on the rest of the pages to represent your products better. You can also add “how-to-do” video tutorials so that users can visualize your products and make more informed decisions.
- Add multiple call-to-action buttons to encourage users to complete their shopping journey.
5. Upload Unboxing Videos
Recently, unboxing videos have become a trend on social media forums. Almost every blogger posts videos of opening PR packages, making it a popular way to engage people and generate interest in the products. How about you also upload a few unboxing videos? It will show people what they can expect from their purchases – the size, packaging, colors, etc.
Similarly, you can contact influencers to post unboxing videos of your product offerings. They can also do a live stream while unboxing to respond to people’s queries and tell them about the product’s benefits. It will help you reach a wider audience while raising awareness about your eCommerce business. However, you must keep these videos short so they are shareable on other social forums.
6. Launch In-App Ads
Digital ads haven’t been fruitful for eCommerce businesses since people find them disruptive. Imagine watching a 15-second-long ad while browsing social media; it will be super annoying. As such, brands should consider launching in-app ads. It could be a short animation or an image that pops up within the app. You can also include some content with the graphic to provide valuable information to the users. It will improve traffic flow while boosting newsletter sign-ups.
Remember to make your ads interesting; otherwise, people will close them. You can highlight your best-selling products or discount offer that makes an impact on your prospects. It will ensure people can recall your brand or business later, even when they leave the app.
Conclusion
Visual marketing has become the need of the hour today as customers demand an exceptional shopping experience. Visuals and graphics help gain users’ attention and keep them engaged while exploring products. Therefore, brands should start investing in visual marketing by launching ads, making aesthetic videos, and generating interactive content. It will position your eCommerce store as a market leader, helping you stand out from the competitors.