Well-written content remains the most dependable way to get more and more visitors to your online shopping site. It is also the only proven way to top the search engine results pages (SERPs).
However, a profound change has happened in how information is delivered. As high bandwidth, more than 2 Mbps, became the global standard and smart devices became bigger, visual content consumption has slowly been creeping up. It began with YouTube a decade back. The trend continued with Facebook and grew more formidable with Instagram and Snapchat. The main two reasons for this modification of behavior being:
1. A picture really is worth a thousand words. That is why newspaper sales have fallen for the past 30 years as people consumed news from television.
2. It is impossible to read text-heavy pages on a smart device with a six-inch screen. The content has to be visual and consist of high-quality videos, infographics, and images.
Visuals are an appealing way to engage with the audience of an e-commerce website and often take less time. It isn’t very easy to be effective with written words. If you want to describe an apple to someone, try writing about it. On the other hand, you could show a picture of an apple, apple tree and cider. Which is easier?
Pages that include visuals in them get viewed more and are retained longer in memory. It is essential to understand that content is not only broadcasting what your product does or what your store offers but also having the customer recall it when the need arises.
Extensive research has shown that an overwhelming number of people are visual learners. It is easier to remember an image rather than paragraphs of text.
Furthermore, there’s a greater possibility of your content being shared. Can you imagine a 1,000-word essay on apples shared across Facebook? Not quite. But a fantastic image of apples with a catchy caption or a tongue-in-cheek comment is likely to be circulated.
Also, it is possible to promote your brand through an impressive but subtle display of your logo. If one of your posts goes viral, you want the thousands of viewers to remember and recognize your brand. It is hard and nearly impossible to achieve that recognition with text.
Why are movies more popular than books? There is a gripping narrative, of course, but the pace can be set at the onset of the visuals rather than given out in bits and pieces over 400 pages.
Storytelling through visuals is an art, but thankfully it is one that has been modified to a large extent by film schools. The impact of visual storytelling can significantly affect your e-commerce site. You could promise a unique experience or highlight what sets your store apart from the rest, in the space of 30 seconds and a series of still images.
There is but one aim of this exercise – the narrow end of the sales funnel. The considerable brand awareness that your visual content marketing campaign generates leads to more visitors and increases sales. To get more leads is the key objective and any marketing strategy that, while incredibly popular, has not led to more sales is considered a failure.
One of the most ignored strategies is the intelligent use of infographics. When producing sleek videos and fascinating still shots, infographics get relegated to the background. However, the information presented by visuals can be processed 60,000 times faster, not unusual considering the size of our visual cortex. The use of infographics leads to 12 percent more revenue, so you have to consider it to be a spearhead of your marketing plans.
Platforms as powerful as Facebook and Snapchat have a reach that spans millions of customers. These platforms also offer targeted advertising options at an affordable rate, so it’s easy to overdo it.
However, nothing is more annoying than always finding the same branded photographs and clips on your timeline cluttering up your cyber existence.
Make your online visuals exciting using bespoke labels and prints. Engage a professional for custom labeling such as iCustomLabel and get bespoke labels for your products. You can post these personalized labels in some of your social media ads to leave a great impression with your viewers.
Make the landing page attractive. Stock photos are great, but they can only go so far. Rather enter into a partnership with a budding professional photographer. Your work would give him exposure and in return, you can enjoy discounted rates. The photos should be relatable and on-brand. Consider using pictures to tell the story of your business. Perhaps some behind the scenes shots and a peek into the new product development would do the trick. Entice the customer into your world and make them feel a sense of rapport.
What makes visual content marketing so suitable is that it offers a level playing field to new entrants. When you don’t have the budget that Amazon does, be innovative. Through your uniqueness and creativity, you’ll enjoy a large number of visitors who are potential customers. Maintain freshness in your approach, promote your online store wisely and in time the trickle at the narrow end of the sales funnel will turn to flood.