Capture attention in the blink of an eye

The power of visual content

Research shows that when an image is part of a message, it increases recall by more than 600%. Nearly one-quarter of marketers worldwide say that creating enough and the right visual content for their brand and business is their biggest marketing challenge.

The increasing importance of video content

80% of marketers use visual content for their social media marketing. 63% of that content is now video. In recent surveys, more than 50% of consumers wanted to see more video content from a brand or business they support. 70% of YouTube users seek video content to help them solve a problem. All of this points to the fact that video marketing is not the future; it is now.

Whether it is how-to' videos, case studies and testimonials, or videos that create context around a product or service, professionally produced video is increasingly essential in successful communication strategies. 

The challenge of visual content marketing

Whether its images or video, visual content can be expensive to create. This is especially challenging for business sectors that have not traditionally invested heavily in marketing but now realise its essential to survive and thrive. 

Budgeting for visual content becomes much more palatable when you have a clear strategy to use content in different ways over a longer time frame. It becomes even more acceptable when you see the return on your investment. Like all investments, marketing should be driven by returns.

How to measure the ROI of your visual marketing content

For every dollar you spend on marketing, you should expect 5 dollars in return. If you plan correctly and work with an experienced and talented marketing team, that figure is more than achievable and can build over time. What's more, the right investment and execution can help build brand value and integrity, which can increase the value of your businesses IP portfolio. 
How to define a marketing budget

Businesses worldwide are now averaging a marketing investment of between 7.5% to 12% of revenue, depending on their sector. For many businesses, this figure may seem high, but keep in mind these businesses make this investment year after year because of the returns it delivers. Even a small business with a turnover of $2 million should be investing somewhere around $150K per year, with an expected ROI of $750K. 

Where to focus your marketing efforts

Understanding where your target audience seeks information is the best place to start. Increasing your profile on browser searches can be done through SEO and paid per click advertising. Remarketing campaigns can follow those who have visited specific pages in your website around with call to actions to engage with your brand and business. Email and social media campaigns can help maintain contact with existing customers while reaching entirely new audiences. 

Reach and frequency are essential ingredients in successful marketing investments, however, without the right visual content, your messages will go largely unnoticed. 

Where to start

The best place to start is with an understanding of where you want to be. Start with your 12-month growth goals and extend your vision out for 5 years. Engage with an experienced marketing team like Digital Storytelling Collective and learn how you can create a marketing and communication strategy that uses visual (and written) content to create compelling stories about your brand and business that drive predictable and repeatable sales growth.