Photos, Videos & Graphics. Why Are They Important?
By Nine Hive Digital
It’s nothing new when I tell you that visuals are an integral part to marketing online. With the average social media user inundated by visuals seeking their attention, it’s become highly important to pay more attention to crafting your visuals to appeal to them.
The first thing that the eye is drawn to when it comes across a post is the visual. This determines whether the viewer will move on to read the rest of the post text and eventually follow through on the journey you set out for them (through links, calls-to-action, etc).
How do you utilize photos, videos and graphics to your advantage and cut through the noise?
Minimal text.
Sometimes, I come across a visual that asks too much of the viewer with too many words. People aren’t attracted to a visual that’s too wordy, and they’ll move onto the next post usually. For photos and still graphics, my rule is usually 1-2 sentences at most. You can definitely elaborate on it through the post text, which is usually above the visual on major social media platforms.
Don’t overcomplicate it.
Clean and simple, that’s the way. Don’t inundate a visual with too many things in it. Is the picture too busy? Choose a different one. Are there too many designs in the graphic? Remove most of them. Does your video have too many little transitions? Dial it down to simple cuts and fades. Give your message the center stage.
Avoid the corporate look.
Sure, there’s a standard to how your visuals should look for your brand to be perceived as professional. But it’s easy to get lost in a crowd of brands when your visuals look just like the others’.
Stock footage is great, but only when it looks organic.
Stock images from online databases save us the time and effort from going out and taking photos and videos. But to avoid the risk of looking similar to other brands, always opt for the footage that looks more down-to-earth and organic. Be sure to also edit the photos to fit your brand image more.
Pay attention to the timing in your videos.
You have a finite amount of time to capture a person’s interest and have them watch your video till the end. The first 3-7 seconds determine whether they will or not. Appeal to their interest within these first several seconds in order to retain them. If you’re using text motion graphics, read them out loud and in your mind, then dial in the amount of time the text appears before transitioning out. Have it not be too short, or too long, just enough time for majority of people to read through till the end before the next set of text.
Be you.
There’s no point in trying to mimic someone else’s brand, because you will never do it better than them. So it’s important to carve out your own authentic brand image. Be authentically you. Nobody could represent you and your brand better than you can.