Our brains can process images 60,000 times faster than text. That might be why social media usage has pivoted so heavily to Instagram and TikTok in the last five years, and why the LinkedIn algorithm favours posts with images over text alone. We are living in an image hungry society - constantly absorbing up to 6,000-10,000 ads a day - and whilst visual marketing strategies definitely work, you don't want to fall into the trap of adding to the bombardment on your audience with images, videos and graphics that don't align with your brand, don't convey any valuable information, or - lets be honest, are just out right random.
At The Chaos Collective we’re passionate about putting out content that resonates with our clients (and their audiences), but that is definitely easier said than done. With decades of combined experience in photography, videography, graphic design and visual branding within our team, we can help make sure you’re adding value to your audience’s social media feeds.
To help you push your startup into new realms, we’ve put together three questions to keep in mind next time you post - plus some helpful hints and tips!
Do your visuals align to your brand and values?
Our first point is perhaps the most important because nothing turns your audience cold like inauthenticity - and nothing screams inauthenticity like misalignment. It’s vital that the visuals you use, whether they are stock or not, are aligned with your brand. This might be made easier by expanding your image bank. This could be done by using a range of different online resources such as Unsplash, Pixabay, iStock or Burst by Shopify. Your image selection should be centred around your brand’s tone of voice and positioning, let these guide you in making your creative decisions.
PSA: We’ll mention brand positioning and guidelines a few times in this blog, as they are a high priority when selecting and creating visuals. They should include information on: your target audience, brand personality and identity, competitor research and USPs. Plus, a lot more! Luckily for you, The Chaos Collective are seasoned pros at creating these and working out what makes a business tick, so get in touch if you need a helping hand.
Another solution is to expand your company’s in-house image bank. Whilst employing a photographer may seem like an extreme option, the outcome of a curated library on the engagement of your audience is hard to beat. Leaning on in house talent could also be a workaround; with most smartphones doubling as a DSLR, it can be easier than you think to capture content in your workplace to support case studies and social media posts; and getting your own employees involved, who are familiar with your mission, will help you stay aligned and authentic.
2. Is your visual identity cohesive and consistent?
Tying your visual content together can feel like a daunting task. How do you avoid images feeling random? Or videos feeling too corporate when you are trying to convey a laid back, approachable team? The answer is always within the strength of your brand positioning and guidelines. Make sure these are concrete and signed off across your team before you launch into creating your visual marketing strategies.
Something as simple as keeping the same font in graphics and on image overlays as you use on your website or marketing materials can help improve cohesion across your platforms and marketing campaigns. You can also rely on colour schemes to impact image selection and colour grading. When you’ve got this nailed down, you will eventually get to a place where your content is recognisable to your audience, without the need for an obvious logo or mention of your services. This works wonders for your brand awareness and triggers a feeling of familiarity - more often than not, leading to your audience actively reading your content, interacting with posts, or increasing your click through rates.
A brilliant example of this is Ikea’s and Ogilvy's recent marketing campaign ‘Proudly the second best’ featuring candid visuals of caregivers and their children. The images could have been taken straight from your iPhone camera roll; all that separates them from this are strategically placed Ikea products with their well known Ikea Sans font captioning their names and prices. The audience knows whose advert it is before even checking for context or a logo, and that is down to Ikea’s marketing strategies - take note, that could be you soon!
3. Are your visuals adding value?
Creating and sharing content that inspires and informs your audience should be your driving force. Making sure you do this through your visuals is just as important as the copywriting for your next blog, tweet, or white paper.
Thankfully, with access to new, relatively accessible (and affordable!) software, such as Canva for designing and Miro for visual collaboration, anyone can produce infographics - and knowing what we know about the brain’s ability to take in images much faster then text, this is a great method for spreading knowledge. Combining stats, data and diagrams can be a really easy, succinct, way to get information across to your audience. However, take caution when putting together your next graphic as it is easy to make mistakes that can undermine the professionalism of your brand, affecting your overall reputation and your visual’s value. Here are the most common mishaps we see and how to avoid them.
Low res graphics leading to a pixelated visual. To remedy this, check your export settings, making sure they align with the format you are creating for. Eg LinkedIn banners are set at 1584 × 396 pixels whilst the iconic Instagram square is 1080px by 1080px.
Wonky elements and text. To avoid this, take use of the automated guides that pop up when you’re using Canva, or turn on ruler guidelines in Adobe InDesign. Measuring distances between letters in words, and pictures in frames, is just as important (and obvious!) on digital images as those that go to physical print.
Inconsistent colour and design choices. When using software like Canva, it’s easy to get carried away with your selection of design elements, stickers, frames and colours. In our experience, it’s best to keep it simple. Choose three to five elements, colours, and templates that will work across the board and get creative with placement, varying opacities and your image selection instead of switching everything up, every time.
Once your visual looks great, ask yourself ‘what is our audience taking away from this?’ Are they learning something about our company? Ethos? A new service? Or perhaps being enlightened by a fact they will find insightful? If you cannot clearly define your value add - you should probably go back to the drawing board to avoid putting out content that will just get lost in their newsfeed.
At The Chaos Collective, visual marketing is one of our specialties, and in the fast-paced world we live in today, there are countless ways we can help your brand cut through. Whether you need help with creating your brand guidelines and positioning, planning a social media campaign, producing a personal image bank or designing bespoke elements - we’re on your team!