To make a fast and memorable impression, you need visual marketing. To do this effectively and consistently, you need a visual marketing strategy.

Where 97% of people go online to find a business now, you need unique images to stand out. To maximize your visibility, use images that set you apart from your competition and create a personal connection at the same time. A simple and powerful way to increase your marketing effectiveness is to implement a visual marketing strategy. It’s your reference guide for when to use the right visual, at the right time, in the right place.

Did you know the average person sees over 10,000 images a day? If you’re going to stand out, you need strategic and compelling images that capture attention. And they need to do two things:

1. Represent your brand.
2. Appeal to and attract your ideal client.

A well thought out visual marketing strategy will achieve this.

The science behind a visual

To better understand why a visual marketing strategy is important for your business, let’s look at what science has revealed:

• The human brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than reading text.
• The human brain can process an image in 13 milliseconds, while it forms the first impression within 50 milliseconds.
• Pair an image with text and people will remember the information 65% longer than reading the text alone.
• Our eyes can process 36,000 visual messages per hour.⁣
• 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual.
• Photos with people in them perform 64% better than photos that only show products.
• 30% of our brain cortex is dedicated to processing visuals.

What makes that last one so significant is the cerebral cortex is the largest part of the brain. It’s responsible for critical functions including sensation, perception, memory, association, thought, and voluntary physical action. The statistics above confirm how powerful a visual is in the decision-making process.

The statistics above also confirm that a predictable headshot won’t achieve what we need it to. Neither will a generic stock image. Especially when it doesn’t connect with your target audience in a realistic way. However, an image that tells a story will! And branding is all about making an impression, that becomes a connection, and converts to a customer.

What a Visual Marketing Strategy delivers

A solid visual marketing strategy helps you deliver consistent messaging. It communicates your brand story in a way that connects with your audience. It’s an essential tool to showcase your client experience and convert sales. It takes the guesswork out of creating content and strengthens your marketing efforts. Most importantly, it’s a proven methodology that grows your business faster.

You might be asking how to do this. First, identify every possible client touchpoint where your brand is seen in order to navigate your customer experience from discovery, to building brand recognition, to fostering long-term client relationships. Then, design a roadmap that outlines your visibility. Once that is done, develop a workflow with step-by-step actions that implement the plan. This also doubles as a checklist to include the necessary visual components such as composition, room for text overlay, main focus of the image, highlight a location, or to set the mood. Next, create on-brand assets that help brand recognition and create familiarity with your audience and continue throughout the entire client journey. Lastly, implement the strategy and track metrics to analyze the best performers and why they work so well.

There are three types of images that every brand needs to incorporate into its strategy. You can learn more about them here.

Ready to create your visual marketing strategy and grow your business faster, with the right people? Click here to get started!