The phrase ‘a picture speaks a thousand words’ is a common one. This statement is based on the fact that a visual image helps people connect with a message more than words alone. Great visual marketing makes a huge difference in the level of success a company experiences. In addition, visual perception and awareness can change an unsuccessful company’s reputation. The first step is realizing that the current marketing and image of the company is not working as well as it could.
While it can take time to get a company back on its feet, it is often well worth the investment. To create great marketing campaigns, understanding how customer perception works and creating marketing materials that appeal to the demographics targeted by the brand is critical.
The stages of visual perception
Understanding how visual perception works when planning any marketing can be helpful. Here are the steps that are facilitated by the graphics, logos, and pictures associated with the brand.
Initial stimulation
This is when a potential customer is first stimulated by the marketing a business presents to them. Marketing can stimulate some or all the senses. Even just a visual image can stimulate the sense of smell, sound, etc. For example, an ad for a delicious new food can make viewers imagine how it would taste. An ad for a pair of jeans could make viewers imagine how comfortable they are and how they would make them look when worn.
Organized thoughts and perceptions
Potential customers organize their thoughts and make judgments about a product or service. This is the stage where they consider how something may benefit them, or someone they are close to. This is also when a customer may decide that a company shares similar values to them.
For example, suppose an ad for a cosmetics company declares their products are made of environmentally friendly ingredients. As a result, a potential customer may decide that they are going to try out their product rather than buy their typical brand. They will add additional value to the product even if the retail price is higher because they feel better about their purchase.
The evaluation
At this stage, a potential customer is beginning to make more serious judgments about the business. This can determines if someone actually makes a purchase. Marketers should consider all the things someone might judge a company for and how that relates to visual marketing. A great example is the company website and online store.
Marketers should ensure that the site and store look good, are easy to navigate, and are visually appealing on desktop and mobile devices. Ensuring that the business has a great mobile site is perhaps one of the most important and all too often overlooked visual marketing tools. Making sure that the website and store are always running efficiently is also very important.
Marketers should consider how diverse images are as well. If the business is trying to appeal to many types of people, then they need to include images that people from all walks of life can identify with and form a connection.
Creating lasting memories
Visual marketing that leads to memory retention of the material is invaluable to the success of a business. Businesses want potential and current customers to think of their products at the right time. A catchy tune, slogan, logo, or ad can make an impression that is literally unforgettable.
Creating lasting memories is how companies become household names. Memories can make a person want to be part of the crowd that is loyal to a product or service. If an image or video gave someone a positive feeling, they may recall it later and decide to make a purchase or at least come back to the company site and do more research before making a purchase later. It can take some time before someone decides to purchase a product or service, but recall is responsible for plenty of growth over time at many companies.
Using words and images combined
The right combination of images and words is the key to a successful marketing campaign; it is essential for making a lasting impression on a target demographic. Just an image and logo alone can be useful at times, but the most useful marketing messages are those that have a good balance of words as well. The goal is to make the target demographic feel connected to the product and company so they draw in new customers and encourage loyalty to the brand.
Unique images can help define a brand
There are many websites that allow individuals or companies to buy the rights to use stock images. Sometimes, the use of a few stock images is a good thing and makes it much easier to put together marketing materials. The problem is that anyone can pay to use that same image, which can result in an image being seen in many different contexts, some of which may be undesirable to be associated with.
Unique images may cost more to acquire, but they offer many advantages. When a marketer hires a designer or photographer to produce a new image, then the company owns all the rights to that image, and thus, marketers can be assured that it will never be used by any other business or person without express written consent. The company also has total control over the design specifics; they can ask the designer or photographer to do things exactly as they want.
Mascots, logos, and slogans are examples of combinations of words and unique images that can take a company to the top of a niche. Most people can name some of the top companies that have become household names by just seeing their logo or slogan. Microsoft, Starbucks, and Apple are examples of top-notch visual marketing.
Hiring a skilled marketing design team or outsourcing design requests are things that a company should consider when a great logo or slogan is needed. Creating a memorable logo and slogan can enormously affect how well a customer connects and identifies with the brand.
The business world is competitive at every level. Competing in the modern business world means finding ways to stand out from the rest. When a business is considered a specialty rather than a necessity, marketing can make a huge difference in determining if the company can remain viable.
Marketing plans take considerable time
Coming up with a good marketing plan takes a lot of planning and time. It is critical that marketers take it seriously from the very beginning. Of course, even after establishing a brand and marketing campaign, they may find that the time comes when they need to change their approach. Some marketing strategies can become very dated and unappealing over the years.
Know the audience
The more a business knows about their target customers, the better. This is why a lot of companies use data analysts to mine data and find trends they can use to hone their marketing campaigns. Knowing the target demographic makes it far easier to create visually appealing marketing campaigns that ensure the customer forms a meaningful and lasting connection to the brand and what it represents.
Surveys are another tool used by companies to help them make marketing decisions and even determine if a new product or service has a good chance of success.
Online advertising and marketing needs consistent updates
Keeping the same ads all the time is not a good idea. While having a recurrent motif or theme is important for brand recognition, there must be an array of visual advertisements that changes often. Changing ads to coincide with the seasons, for example, offers great visual appeal. Advertising sales and specials means always having some new marketing materials ready to go.
Reaching out to potential customers on social media is a wonderful and easy-to-use marketing tool, but marketers need to make sure that they stick to a schedule of releasing regular content. Some programs allow marketing team members to set up content on social media to be released on a schedule. This allows them to plan months of messages and marketing ahead of time, so they always have something fresh to use.
Marketing campaigns are team efforts
There are a lot of people involved in creating successful marketing campaigns. Larger businesses and corporations may have full-time, full-service marketing teams, whereas smaller businesses may have no one that is dedicated to just marketing. For a smaller or growing business, hiring outside help for many aspects of visual marketing campaigns is very common. No matter what size the company might be, it can be quite beneficial to hire outside help to collaborate, even if they do have some marketing staff at the company.
Graphic designers and photographers are often outsourced help that adds visual appeal to marketing materials.
Questions to ask when creating a brand
When deciding how people should perceive a brand and company, there is a lot to consider. It is useful to answer some basic questions at the very beginning of this process. This information makes it more likely that the marketing team understands the vision and ideals of the company.
What type of lifestyles are we trying to appeal to?
Visually appealing marketing materials need to contain images that potential and current customers can connect with. This may vary quite a bit depending on where the advertisement or message will appear. For example, when advertising hiking boots in a magazine for experienced hikers and backpackers, the business may want to use a picture showing people on a complicated or dangerous-looking hike. On the other hand, the same hiking boot may be more appealing to those in urban environments if the business shows them being worn in a more casual situation.
In the magazine, the business should showcase that the hiking boots can take on rough terrain and advanced trails, whereas, in the casual ad, they could show urban dwellers that the shoes offer amazing comfort on the sidewalk.
Are there symbols that signify the brand? Can they be used for a memorable logo?
A logo is a major example of visual perception. A symbol that people can easily associate with a company and products is highly beneficial but not always easy to design. This is a good project to consult with a graphic designer and conduct surveys and research to test multiple designs with a focus group. Testing visual awareness and perception before making the final choice of which design is the best logo will ensure that the business can choose the most successful design from the start.
Rebranding is possible, but it is not always necessary or appropriate because it means establishing the company with their client base all over again. However, a new logo and rebranding can help transform a business that has experienced negative publicity or that has been struggling with presenting the image it desires.
There is a strong demand for marketing experts
Since companies require good marketing no matter where they are in their business plan, there is a strong demand for those with great marketing skills and strategies. Now is a great time for interested individuals to consider a career change to marketing. St. Bonaventure University Online offers an excellent online Master of Arts in Communication degree with several specializations that prepare students to help businesses succeed. Students can choose to specialize in content or integrated marketing and earn a degree in as little as 22 months while keeping their current job.
Marketing experts have a lot of job choices
Individuals in marketing can find a job in practically any location. Once they gain experience and a good portfolio, they may even be able to work independently or start a marketing agency. Some marketing jobs can be done almost, if not entirely, from home or wherever the individual wishes to travel. Some marketing experts travel regularly to consult with a variety of companies or work on projects at different company branches.
If an individual is particularly passionate about an industry, then they may be able to find a position within it. Perhaps they have been working in a particular industry for years and want to continue to do so but in a different position. Having a strong background in a particular industry can help individuals stand out when the company makes a hiring decision.
Marketing is an exciting career for those who love to work as a team
For individuals who are people-oriented and like to achieve goals in a team environment, marketing may be the extremely rewarding career that they are looking for. For those who have always dreamed of having an artistic career, marketing could be a good choice too. Designing visually appealing content requires a good eye for artistic value.
Each ad or campaign allows marketers to be incredibly creative and make something that no one has ever seen before while enjoying a competitive salary. The more experience they have and the more successful marketing campaigns they work on, the more doors to opportunity open.
Conclusion
Visually appealing marketing is essential for all businesses. While in the past it was common to use print advertising, the internet has made it possible for even small companies to advertise more widely and to easily change their marketing campaigns over time.
Having a talented marketing team or agency on hand is advisable for any business that wants to stay ahead of the competition. A team or agency can ensure that they have very appealing materials that resonate with their target demographic.
Marketing strategies need to be constantly scrutinized and updated to keep the attention of potential customers. This means there is a demand for high volumes of visually appealing messages and images.
