Original Content for San Francisco Design/Creative Think Tank (Writing Sample)
The Eyes Have It: Why Visual Content Is King In The 21st Century
By Willow Older (October 2015)
“If a tree falls in the forest and no one’s around to hear it, does it make a sound?” We’ve all pondered this 18th-century philosophical question, but here’s a 21st-century version that’s worth considering: “If you share your brand message with the world but no one notices, does your brand really exist?” Indeed, this may be the burning philosophical – and extremely practical — question for today’s businesses. Given today’s global glut of multimedia messaging, ensuring that your (often overwhelmed) audience will notice, remember and ultimately support your brand surely is mission critical.
A key word when contemplating this conundrum? Notice. Since we learn 80% of what we know about the world through our eyes, it’s become crystal clear that visual tools are vital for amplifying everything from hard facts and stats to “softer” (but equally important) messages about your company’s culture and values. Simply put, top-notch design- and graphics-oriented presentations and content are attention-grabbing, memory-jogging, loyalty-building tools to help your business quickly and strategically connect with current and prospective consumers.
Photos, slideshows and memes, oh my!
We know visual content helps you communicate and share information in appealing, enticing and memorable ways. With countless types of visual content to choose from, you can integrate everything from photos and infographics to slideshows and interactive graphics on your website or social media accounts, in presentations and for targeted or sponsored publications. No matter your medium, visually compelling content helps keep consumers
- engaged in your brand messaging today
- curious about your brand messaging in the future
- educated about your products and values
- loyal to your clear, sticky, engaging communications
See, share, care
Although the days of obsessively counting click-through rates are behind us, we know there’s real value associated with shared content. In fact, there’s no better – or more economical – way to boost brand awareness than through consumers’ willingness to share their favorite content (ideally, yours). Brands that communicate with eye-catching, informative, visually appealing content get the lion’s share of shares. What usually follows? Consumers comment on or “like” an effective piece of visual content – and then, ideally, they follow a strategic CTA that pushes your conversion rate ever higher.
Visual content ABCs
Of course, leveraging visual content like a pro takes a lot more than just a well-placed cat video. A successful endeavor combines plenty of creative thinking, strategic analysis, consumer insights and, of course, professional quality visual content that works across myriad platforms. Before embarking on this process, consider this ABC framework:
Analyze: A deep, genuine understanding of your target audience is vital for a successful visual content campaign. Capture insights about your audience (both existing and potential) in a detailed creative brief that addresses business objectives, CTAs, branding guidelines and distribution channels, too.
Brainstorm: Creative collaboration provides an opportunity to develop, critique and further analyze the ideas laid out in the creative brief. All your ideas should support the business goals and objectives established at the outset.
Create: Time to start developing smart, effective, compelling content that aligns with and supports your strategies for audience engagement. Determine your timeline and assess your in-house and external resources. Now let the creative juices flow!