Social channels aren’t as attractive for marketers as they used to be. Blame the content noise and excessive advertising, some social channels are now giving more space to personal content and working to block the brand noise. How then can brands manage to appeal to their audience?

The answer is – visual content. But just using visual content isn’t the solution. Almost every business is investing in visual content and trying to engage their customers through it. 80% of marketers use visual assets in their social media marketing. Video (63%), alone, has also surpassed blogging (60%) in usage as a social media marketing asset.

To make a difference and stand out from the crowd, here is what you should be doing:

1) Work with more than one format
For social media success, you should not rely on a single content format but experiment with the different visual creatives to grab your user’s attention and engage them effectively at different points in their purchase journey.

Start by introducing an awareness campaign. Use short videos to help users understand your business, create a layer of engagement by inviting them with GIFs and memes. To help them evaluate your business, give them infographics. In fact, infographics also work great for comparisons and thus help customers compare your product benefits with others. To push the user further down the funnel, offer them video tutorials.

On social platforms, variety is crucial in keeping your business on their radar.

2) Share real-time stories
When people log in to their social accounts, they prefer being a part of stories than being bombarded with advertising content.

Social platforms, with their “Story” feature, have given marketers an amazing opportunity to connect with their customers in a more meaningful way.

Both Instagram and Facebook stories have enhanced social storytelling by letting brands be more creative in their behind-the-scenes stories, live encounters, unboxings etc. These stories shape the viewer’s perception of a brand and are a great way of influencing purchase behavior with a less intrusive approach.

3) Maintain consistency in visual elements
To ensure that your social profile leaves a visually rich impression on your viewers, make sure to keep your visual elements consistent. Consistency doesn’t just enhance your visual appeal but also helps in building brand memorability.

To implement this, ensure that all your images carry your brand logo. Focus on keeping a fixed placement for text in images, infographics etc. Also, maintain a uniform color scheme in your posts.

But at the same time do remember that while consistency is crucial, it must not come at the cost of excessive repetition.

4) Repurpose your best content into a visual creative
It can be challenging to create a consistent visual strategy. But it’s crucial to understand that not everything has to be made from scratch. You can take your old content and repurpose it into a visual creative.

The advantage of repurposing your best content is that it gives a new life to old ideas and helps add a new layer of engagement with the users.

Closing thoughts
Visual and social media marketing are complementary. Without a strong visual strategy, your social success isn’t possible. So make sure to keep the above points in mind when crafting visually compelling social posts.

By: Deepasha Kakkar