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Visual content marketing: it’s nothing new folks. I’m sure many of your insurance agencies are already making use of this powerful form of content within your digital marketing efforts, but I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, visual content marketing is king. Sometimes, even though we are putting a valuable asset to use,it doesn’t hurt to brush up on the fundamentals that got us there in the first place. Let’s talk about why visual content, to this day, remains king in the digital marketplace, and how you and your insurance agency can make the most out of this powerful tool.
But first things first, what exactly is included when we say “visual content?” Let’s start with a simple definition:
“Visual content marketing gathers the different forms of content marketing based on visual elements. Visual content marketing encompasses use of images, infographics, slides, comics, videos, and more.” – The Digital Marketing Glossary
That’s right, visual content marketing is literally any form of content online that appeals to your audience’s eye, and for that reason alone, it’s destined for engagement. Let’s take a deeper look.
Visual Content Statistics you Simply Can’t Ignore (Compiled by Hubspot)
If you’re not quite sold on the power behind visual content marketing, then sit tight for just a moment, because you’re about to be. Visual content, stepping into 2016, is still heavily leading the way in engaging audiences online, and in more ways than just one. Let’s take a look at the statistics behind visual content marketing, because the numbers don’t lie:
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Researchers found that colored visuals increase people’s willingness to read a piece of content by 80%. – Xerox
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When people hear information, they’re likely to remember only 10% of that information three days later. However, if a relevant image is paired with that same information, people retained 65% of the information three days later. – Lifelearn
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Content with relevant images gets 94% more views than content without relevant images. – Kissmetrics
From there, the list goes on. Hubspot actually compiled a list of 37 marketing statistics that perfectly demonstrates the power behind this engaging form of content. With numbers like this, your insurance agency should already be on top of visual content marketing. Let’s reinforce the “how” behind visual content marketing, to ensure your agency’s success in the digital world.
The Fundamentals Behind Visual Content Marketing
Visual content marketing isn’t just about taking or creating pictures and visual content and then throwing it out into the online world. It’s not a wall, and we’re not here to just “see what sticks.” There’s an art behind crafting visual content that will not only resonate with your audience, but get you the engagement you’re looking for.
The first thing you should consider when crafting visuals, whether it be done by your marketing team in-house or outsourced to a marketing professional, is that each of your crafted visuals should reflect your insurance agency’s brand. We had a branding expert carefully put together our branding guidelines for our marketing team’s visual content creation, but each time they sit down to create a visual, they follow our guidelines from start to finish. After consistently branding your visuals, your audience will recognize that the content they are looking at belongs to your insurance agency.. This is a way of connecting with your audience’s subconscious, and staying in the back of their minds on a regular basis, which is great for things like generating word of mouth referrals! If you need help with looking for a branding expert, feel free to reach out to me at cparadiso@paradisoinsurance.com, and as far as in-house marketers go, I suggest that you make hiring them a priority.
Here is an example of one of our branded blog covers. Our branded design elements, color schemes, branded text, and more all allow our audience to immediately recognize that this content belongs to Paradiso Insurance.
The next thing you need to think about when it comes to visual content is to use organic photos from time to time within your social media networks. Social media is about making connections, being personable, and welcoming people to engage with you. If every post reads like an insurance sales pitch, they’ll be turned off to following you. On the other hand, posting more personable content or making posts that remind your audience that you are in fact real human beings will make them more prone to engage with you. One way you can accomplish this is to post organic photos of yourself, your insurance agency, and your staff from time to time, especially if you have a company event or holiday gathering.
Here is a picture we put up on social media of one of our agents with a satisfied customer, another great way to capitalize on this technique!
The last immediate thing that you should consider when visual content marketing is where you will be posting or pushing out your content. If your content has a nice balance of branded visuals and organic photos, you’re off to a great start. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest are all great places to organize and share your visual content in the social world. LinkedIn is another great social outlet for this type of content, but just be sure to keep it a little more professional when posting visuals to this networks. Also, you should 100% be including visual content in your email marketing campaigns, and remember, that includes the use of video! Did you realize that your customers will be 19% more inclined to open an email if the word “video” is simply used in the subject line (provided by Hubspot)? That’s power, the type of power that could make or break your email marketing campaign. Not to mention, your insurance agency’s digital marketing powerhouse, being your website, should be flooded with visual content. It should be organized, of course, but if you’re not using visual content in your website, you are missing out.
Visual content should be present in all aspects of your digital marketing efforts, and it can come in many forms. We’ve only scratched the surface with the endless possibilities that visual content marketing has to offer. If you haven’t already started with visual content marketing, I highly suggest you don’t wait another day.
As always agents, best of luck with your marketing!
