In today’s competitive marketplace, both physical and digital, visual storytelling is crucial for brands to capture consumer attention and foster engagement. As digital marketing experts, Code3 combines platform expertise, data-driven insights, and emotionally-driven storytelling in order to truly understand the needs of potential customers.
Our content approach equips shoppers with the specs and sizes that enable them to confirm compatibility and understand how a product can enrich and improve their lives. For example, when working on creative for an air filter replacement, I can ensure the customer is quickly and easily able to scan for details on compatibility, while also demonstrating the benefit of a reduction in allergens that means they can maintain focus during a yoga routine or snuggle up a little closer to the family dog. And who doesn’t like seeing a good doggo in a brand’s creative?
But all that is easier said than done. We're sharing guiding principles brands can easily use when aiming to incorporate more visual storytelling in their marketing.
The Essence of Visual Storytelling
Visual storytelling uses images, videos, graphics, and other visual elements to convey a narrative that resonates with your audience. It goes beyond traditional advertising by creating emotional connections and memorable experiences. According to HubSpot, 80% of marketers say visual content is essential to their strategy, highlighting its growing importance.
Key Components
Successful visual storytelling doesn’t just happen - it takes a solid foundation of storytelling, a lot of planning, and of course, high quality execution. While those are all critical, there are also several key visual components that go into successful campaigns:
- Imagery: High-quality photos and graphics that align with your brand’s message.
- Video Content: Engaging videos that dynamically tell your brand’s story.
- Infographics: Simplified complex information presented visually.
Building Emotional Connections
Best practices are important: brands should have content, both images and video content, that is high quality visually and shows the product in a beautiful way. But the most important aspect of visual storytelling is the emotional connection. The best visual storytelling doesn’t just have great content, it connects brands to their audience. Emotions drive consumer behavior, and visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than text. Forbes found that 92% of consumers want brands to make ads that feel like a story, not a sales pitch.
But this doesn’t mean you have to make viewers cry. Emotional connections can be made in a variety of ways: humor, nostalgia, happiness, and much more. The most important aspect of building an emotional connection is staying true to your brand story and guidelines: more than ever, consumers can spot inauthenticity. Focus on connecting to your audiences why - appeal to the emotions behind your products or brand story and an emotional connection will be natural.
Modern consumers prefer quick, visually appealing content. Venngage found that 41.5% of marketers said infographics and other original graphics engage their audience best.
Creating Authentic Content
Share behind-the-scenes content, customer testimonials, and user-generated content (UGC) to build trust and authenticity. Authentic and UGC content has been on the rise and resonates particularly well with Gen Z. According to a Nielsen online survey, 84% of global respondents say recommendations from friends and family are the most trustworthy.
Leverage Social Media
Use Instagram Stories and Reels, TikTok videos, and Pinterest boards to share engaging visual content. Keep a close eye on what is successful and what is not on social media channels, as performance can be an excellent indicator on what is resonating with audiences. Use these insights to further optimize and guide visual strategy.
Enhancing Brand Recall
Consumers remember visual content better. Research shows that people retain 65% of information when it’s paired with relevant visuals, compared to 10% when hearing information alone.
Owning the Digital and Physical Shelf
Maintaining a consistent look and feel across digital and traditional platforms enhances brand recognition, trust, and customer experience. Customers often use their phones to quickly check pricing and product information while shopping in-store or browsing online. This allows them to compare prices, read reviews, and make informed purchasing decisions on the go. In some ways, the modern shopping journey is more unpredictable than ever, and planning ahead with the right content approach ensures you are always able to meet the customer where they are.
A customer might be in a Lowe’s, walking past air filters and remember theirs is close to replacement or has been beeping for a couple of weeks for replacement. If their Air Purifier was purchased online, they can quickly pull up the item details in their order history via in-app order history or email and locate the item - whether that search begins via Google, a marketplace, or anywhere else. Having these details on air filter compatibility in Amazon PDPs or other marketplaces provides that clarity and peace of mind and ensures you don’t miss an opportunity to reach your customer at the most impactful times.
The modern shopper has more choices than at any point in history, both in terms of products and marketplaces. As a result, customers have more freedom than ever to find the right product for increasingly specialized needs. Brands that prioritize creative as a tool of not only standing out aesthetically but as a means to connect with audiences on the experiences and benefits their products offer will emerge from the crowded landscape.
Ready to elevate your brand and reach your customer in the ways they expect? Partner with Code3 for expert strategies and personalized support tailored to your brand's unique needs. Contact us today.