Stand Out And Deliver

Lockdown may be easing now but some things haven’t changed – and aren’t likely to in the foreseeable future…

We live in an increasingly fast-paced world.  People nowadays expect instant answers and solutions to whatever they’re seeking.

Social media newsfeeds move rapidly, meaning that you have only a small window of opportunity to get your content noticed.  Equally, if someone lands on your website and doesn’t find what they want within 5 seconds or less, they’ll click away and may never return, losing you a potential sale.

If your social media updates don’t have a strong visual trigger, they’ll most likely be ignored.

You need to provide eye-catching visual content that makes people take notice – and images are a vital part of this.

Images Sell – Fact

It’s been proven in various studies that social media updates including an image generate much higher engagement rates.

Take a look at this infographic from Wishpond, showing the power of images on Facebook.

Visual Content Sharing

It’s no coincidence that these two visual content platforms have grown so rapidly.  Instagram is currently the fastest growing social network with over 1 billion monthly active users (MAU) – and Pinterest has 376 MAU as of Q1 2020.

Take a look at this Steamfeed article for an insight into why Instagram has become so popular.

Incidentally, don’t be misled into thinking that Pinterest is a social network.  Its primary function is as a search engine, and a very powerful one too.

Pinterest Facts

I first joined Pinterest in 2012 – back then it was still considered a social network, and at the time, my business was mainly focussed on social media management and training. I was active on Pinterest for 3 or 4 years but began to lose interest – until last year (2019)

Since then I’ve completely revised my Pinterest strategy in line with its search engine functionality.  I’ve learned that keywords are vitally important throughout the platform (bio, board titles/descriptions, pin titles/descriptions), as is pin design – and most importantly, that Pinterest is NOT purely for design-led businesses.

Bloggers in particular can be extremely successful on Pinterest with the right strategy.  I now get a significant amount of web traffic from Pinterest – although Facebook is still the primary source for me.

Content Brings Traffic

You need content (visual and written) to encourage visitors to your website, for example a Facebook page post, an Instagram image or a Pinterest pin.

An early marketing strategist coined the acronym AIDA – attention, interest, desire, action…  the crucial first step is ATTENTION –  that’s down to your visuals!

Then, you need content to let them get to know, like and trust you.

Posting regular blogs and videos will be a valuable contribution. If they like what you publish, they’ll come back for more.

It’s an ongoing process; you need to be publishing content social media updates on a daily basis, or several times a day – and blogging regularly (I’d suggest at least once a month, but find your own comfort level).

Ideally, you should be creating a range of content such as videos, gifs, slideshares, infographics, as well as static images, on a regular basis.

Don’t forget that one piece of content (e.g. a blog post) can be repurposed into other forms such as video, slideshare, downloadable checklist etc.

When you understand how to extract the maximum value from your content, it won’t seem like such hard work.

Making It Easy

You don’t need to hire a graphic designer, spend ££££s on software or hours studying YouTube videos in order to create attention-grabbing visual content.  I will add a caveat here –   I’d always recommend working with a graphic designer for something crucial such as a business logo, printed brochures etc. 

But for everyday visual content such as images, short videos and gifs that will be shared online – there is a myriad of online design tools that make it incredibly simple to produce excellent results. 

Ready To Get Started?

All types of content are essential to marketing these days but it’s time-consuming to create those images and videos if you’re new to the whole concept of content marketing.

Take a look at my Online Visibility Essentials package, your instant solution to getting noticed –  a collection of eye-catching graphics and videos to share on your website and social media. It’s designed for busy business owners just like you, to save you lots of time and effort!

If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed and unsure about creating your own visual content, I’d love to welcome you to my free Facebook Group VISUAL MARKETING IDEAS FOR YOUR BUSINESS, where I share lots of tips, tutorials, free resources and more for making the most of online design tools.

DIY Templates

I’d suggest you look at this bundle of over 100 visual content templates. Created by a viral marketing strategist, they are tested and proven to generate high engagement; having used them myself for the last 6 months, I can certainly confirm their effectiveness.

I only recommend products I’ve purchased, tested myself and been completely satisfied with – I am an affiliate for the Viral Templates so when you purchase from my link, I receive a commission.  The video below features a few of the images I have personally created using these templates.

PIN IT