The facts that Facebook bought Instagram and Pinterest has become the third most popular social media site (passing Google+ and LinkedIn) has led us to the same conclusion that visual content is important for contemporary visual advertising and marketing. PointRoll conducted a Digital Marketer Survey to find out what today's marketers are doing for their advertisements as well as where their budget is going. They found that 79% of marketers will increase their social media advertising budgets and 97% will use online video as their main form of advertising in 2012.
What does this mean for your business? Obviously, for B2B and B2C there is a difference in the strategies and goals of visual marketing.
B2B: Your visual ads should take your sophisticated concept and put it in an easy-to-understand format. Written reports can be wordy and confusing and your consumers may even stop reading them because they just don't understand. Visuals help a complicated process seem simpler. Using video and/or infographics will increase your customers knowledge and understanding of your product.
B2C: You want your consumers to remember you and like you, right? Then give them a creative, funny, and dramatic visual. Going visual for you is the most direct way to get in people's mind. Videos are easy to share and the visual elements sticks with consumers long after the written word.
Regardless if you are a B2B or B2C company your first goal is to get in front of your customers. With 79% of marketers increasing their ad spending on social media and 97% using online video for advertising, knowing what you are doing is critical so that your time and money isn't wasted.
“Like” network rather than “social” network: Pinterest isn't like the other social networks, consumers are able to connect with brands based on their interests and what catches their eye instead of on creating social connections with people. Purely visual with minimal descriptive words, Pinterest provides a forum for consumers to connect with brands via print and video. This is especially important because it provides brands the ability to explain themselves in a simplistic and eye-appealing manner, even before the audience know you well.
Find the “right” audience: Retargeting is a technique that allows companies to do just that. It puts ads in front of the prospective customers, who know about your brand, but just haven't made a purchasing decision yet. To learn more about how to effectively retargeting technique can work for your brand, check out FiG's how-to on retargeting.
Go Visual: Online videos are a science. There are do's and don'ts that will allow your video to stand out in a web-sea of other videos. Your biggest advantage is visibility, taking the appropriate steps is necessary for effectiveness.
Are you ready to take the leap in going visual? Have you already but your strategies don't meet your goals? That's where FiG comes in handy. We can assist you in taking that first giant-step or aid the restructuring of your strategic online presence. To find out more or for a free-consultation contact us here at FiG and let us make your brand visible.