Studies show time and again that people absorb information differently, based on their preferred sensory perception: through listening, through reading and through seeing. Visual media goes beyond text-based content and traditional printed materials. It incorporates a combination of audio, visual, animated and multimedia content, resulting in videos, podcasts, webinars, presentations and a bevy of other interactive content elements that provide alternative methods of communicating with your audience.
While different formats can be more engaging and enhance the user’s experience, visual media also serves a critical role in the return on a marketer’s investment. With the flood of material being put on the web, truly effective content demonstrates value. Search engines are smart enough to separate the mundane from the meaningful, so developing relevant, purposeful content requires an investment of time and resources.
Visual media elements give marketers the ability to extend the reach of a solid piece of content through different representations of that same, valid information.
For example, the charts from a white paper could be highlighted in a pre-recorded podcast. The same white paper could serve as the basis of an on-demand PowerPoint discussing technical concepts within the paper. And what about customer testimonial videos that focus on a problem solved in the same white paper? Many paths are created from the same starting point.
Animated, interactive product tours as well as more traditional style videos and live presentations can feature experts discussing industry trends, new technologies or “hot tips” and FAQs to help explain a product or technology. Visual media, and its interactive nature, not only humanizes a company, but provides another style of learning versus just written copy that will appeal to a broader audience.
Whether it’s downloaded, streamed live or available on-demand, visual content is an extremely versatile tool. It can be displayed on, interacted with and accessed by computers, smartphones as well as other electronic devices.
But another aspect of effectively using visual media is the often overlooked: in-person interaction. Speaking opportunities at industry events, sales presentation as well as customer meetings all provide an opportunity to utilize compelling visuals to get your message across.
Regardless of where your audience resides (in the virtual or physical realm), we believe there’s always a place for visual content.
Don’t know where to start? Don’t worry, we do! The wide variety of visual styles available can be effectively employed in a number of other marcom tactics as well.
Tradeshow booths can showcase a demo as attendees walk by. Your website can house a library of interactive material, while your social media pages and blog can highlight the most popular selections in that library. Marketing automation, direct marketing and paid promotional placements with publications benefit tremendously from visual content by enticing viewers to register…the list goes on.
And an added bonus of using visuals across several elements of your marcom program is that it keeps costs manageable by reusing content!