If you have recently launched a startup, your priority would be to increase traffic and get customers. But how do you do that? With so many new businesses dominating the world, competition is at an all-time high. In such times, you need a strategy to escalate your sales and keep you at the forefront. And for that, you have visual marketing.
What is Visual Marketing?
Visual marketing is the latest marketing strategy used by thousands of businesses across the globe. As the name suggests, the strategy involves embracing graphics and marketing your products or services via visuals. According to Forbes, about 91% of consumers prefer visual content over text-based.
With such an impressive statistic, you must incorporate visual marketing today to take your business to the next level. Let’s look at the best ways you can integrate this approach and boost the sales and visibility of your startup.
- Repurpose Your Content
If you already have a running website, blog, or social media page, repurpose your old written content first. In other words, convert your words into visual media to increase engagement. You can repurpose your content through the following:
- Images
- Videos
- GIFs
- Illustrations
- Memes
- Infographics
Carefully choose the medium that best represents your company. For example, if you run an educational business, you will mostly need infographics to break down complex ideas. On the other hand, a car-related business can benefit from videos to showcase speed, design, and functionality to its prospective consumers.
Creating new graphics is relatively easy, thanks to the availability of online tools and freelancers. You can also check out royalty-free images in online stock libraries for cost-effective yet high-quality visual options.
- Embrace Storytelling
People love content that is relatable. And that is done easily through visual storytelling. Your goal is to market your products and engage with your potential customers on a deeper level. Create visual content by incorporating emotions that your consumers could feel.
You can also create visual testimonials of your clients and showcase their experience with your brand. This will help you increase sales as people rely heavily on reviews before shopping for a particular brand. You can also create fun BTS or mini vlogs to make your marketing more personalized.
- Make More Videos
Do you know that people retain 55% more information when it is combined with an image or a video? Yes, the audience loves watching visuals and videos. They are also more likely to retain information through visuals and connect with a brand than by reading long-form articles or plain content.
This is probably why about 87% of marketers use videos to market content.
In today’s era, businesses benefit from this tactic by making more reels, short videos, and vlogs to market their brand.
- Run a User-Generated Campaign
Another unique strategy could be to run a user-generated campaign, where users could broadcast using your products or services by tagging them under your brand’s official hashtags. This idea works well with word-of-mouth as people are genuinely more interested in purchasing products used by their friends and family.
An example is when Apple ran a highly-successful user-generated campaign, #shotoniphone, where people uploaded their photos and videos using the hashtag. This helped the company increase sales and gain more customers.
- Use Humor
Who doesn’t love humor? Your audience does too. If you run a brand targeted towards youth, you must use memes and GIFs frequently to hook your audience. Adding them strategically will capture their attention and make your content more engaging for the viewers.
Plus, they will inject a touch of lightheartedness, giving your customers a reason to smile throughout their journey with your brand
- Go Live
If you want to take personalization to the next level, go live. Live videos really help people see the human side of your brand and help them realize that actual people are running your company.
Schedule live videos once a month at least to address your customers’ concerns, queries, or talk about announcements. You can also show the physical atmosphere of your company and team to help your customers realize your team’s efforts in catering to their concerns.
- Include a Livestream
Another way to connect with your consumers is to conduct a live stream. Similar to a live video, a live stream can be helpful in showcasing an event or presentation such as a product launch.
You can also incorporate live shoppable links in your visual content, helping customers purchase directly from your social media page or website. This helps your customers save time and engage more with the post.
- Use Social Media
We all know that social media is the marketing hub, as you can find thousands of potential customers online. If you are a startup, you must start by setting up your accounts on different social media networks and work on them to consistently increase brand reach.
The choice of social media mediums depends on your niche. If you run a photography business, utilize Instagram more often. If you have a recruitment company, you could opt for LinkedIn. Your target audience determines your medium, so choose wisely.
- Share Visual Quotes
You don’t necessarily have to promote your products every time you post. Whip up your content marketing strategy by posting relatable visual quotes, as they have the power to evoke emotions and inspire action in your audience.
Use the strategy to share about your startup’s journey, the values of your business, and the aspects that make you stand out from the competitors. However, don’t overdo the tactic as that can wary the viewers.
- Use Hashtags
Nowadays, people like searching for products or services using hashtags. You must use relevant and popular hashtags to help your target audience reach out to you easily.
Whether it’s about a new product launch, valuable insight, or a niche-specific keyword, the right hashtag will connect you with the right audience and enhance brand awareness.
- Launch Ads
Ads are often deemed annoying and disruptive. You can change this perspective by adding in-video ads. Utilize this approach by adding mini ads of other products or services in your videos, helping your customers explore and learn more about them.
- Include Unboxing Videos
This feature is particularly helpful for products-based startups. People are often skeptical about startups and refrain from purchasing from new businesses with no reviews. If you are new to the scene, you could change this perspective by posting unboxing or live videos of your products.
This helps potential customers learn about your authenticity and will be more inclined to purchase from a genuine brand.
- Transition into Metaverse
Metaverse has transformed marketing. If your startup has been running for a while, you can increase your marketing efforts by transitioning into the metaverse. For instance, you could showcase virtual tours of your company or dynamic launches of your products to help customers get a better understanding of your business.
- Incorporate Offline Marketing Strategy
You don’t always need to go online. Keep a balance by going offline, i.e., if a customer purchases a product from you through your online store, you could send that person a flyer or a handwritten thank-you note. This will help your business grow as the person would share your token of appreciation online, encouraging people in their friend list to explore your brand as well.
Final Thoughts
Visual marketing is about embracing visuals and adding spice to traditional content marketing techniques. Remember, you will not see success overnight. It is about experimenting and testing the mentioned tricks to see which options tick with your prospects.
By harnessing the power of compelling visuals, startups can effectively convey brand messages, connect with their target audience on an emotional level, and stand out amidst the noise. Whether through engaging social media graphics, captivating videos, or eye-catching infographics, visual marketing offers a dynamic way to tell a startup’s story and showcase its unique value proposition.
Embrace these creative strategies and establish a strong online presence and foster meaningful customer relationships. Good luck!
