Ever wonder what makes some social media posts, videos, or blogs “go viral,” while yours are lucky to have 3 shares and two comments (if it’s a good day). While it might seem like some well-kept secret that only the gurus know. The truth is it’s easy enough to create shareable content, if you put some thought and creativity into your efforts. But keep in mind your marketing should always have purpose and circle back to what you offer in your business. It needs to match your business products and services. So, don’t get caught up in the bright shiny objects that seem cool but aren’t in alignment with your goals.
Visual Content Is on the Rise
Videos, images, graphs, charts, infographics, etc. are some of the ways that we can best reach our ideal audiences and are a must have in order to compete in tomorrow’s marketplace. According to this infographic on Social Media Today. From 2019 to 2020 46% of businesses will rely heavily on visuals as part of their marketing strategy.
So what kind of visuals have been used most frequently in businesses recently?
Stock Images 40%
Original Graphics (E.g. Infographics) 37%
Charts and Data Visualization 12%
Videos and Presentations 7%
Gifs and Memes 4%
But there’s more…
Even though the above were used more often we need to know what got the most engagement?
Original Graphics 40%
Videos and Presentations 23%
Charts and Data Visualization 20%
Stock Images 12%
Gifs and Memes 5%
So, as you can tell this data can help you with the question
“What do I do next in my marketing”.
Are your creative juices going crazy right now with these stats or are you already freaking out because you see video and presentations are at 23% (some sources have this even higher) and you hate seeing yourself on camera? Trust me you are not alone. The “Fear of Public Speaking” is real and it has a name Glossophobia and is said to affect over 75% of the population.
Even though it’s a scary step it can be overcome with practice, patience and the power of positive thinking that you can do it. I know for some that’s easier said than done so it might take some professional training to help you get more comfortable. I get that.
But keep in mind, we are trying to grow your business and if you are a small business or entrepreneur than more than likely you are your brand. So, if growth and profits are tied to our bottom line then we must think more like this quote.
“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.”
It’s about growing and stepping into a bigger version of yourself. What do you need to do that you haven’t already tried?
So maybe you’d prefer to go the other route for now and do something more like Original Graphics?
Everyone Loves Infographics
Whether you want to know more about how coffee is grown, or you’re looking for ways to boost your blog traffic, you’ll find a variety of infographics to fill you in.
These colorful, easy-to-read graphics share vast amounts of data while still entertaining an audience. By condensing numbers and stats down to easily digestible bite-sized pieces, you can make valuable information highly understandable for any audience. Even better, your market will be happy to share (and share and share).
If you’re not artistic, or don’t have the skills required to create your own, you can hire designers or use a tool such as Piktochart to quickly make infographics your audience will love.
**Pro tip: create an embeddable link for your infographic and encourage other blog owners to share it on their sites. You’ll automatically drive traffic from every site that posts your content.
Create Some Eye Candy
So, let’s look at what are the biggest trends for 2019 for your other graphic options.
Futuristic patterns, vivid color palette’s and bold fonts are what’s happening today! Bold fonts that make them easy to read on mobile and stand out. Mobile marketing is super important, and we need to make sure that whatever we do looks good on those smartphones that are attached to everyone’s body these days.
Bold typefaces and fonts are all the rage for brands. Deep your toes into it and experiment. Check out companies that we use to help us create graphics. I recommend Stencil and PicMonkey because they have templates that you can use and make your own without starting from scratch.
Color, color and more color make a brand pop and grab attention. So be intense, colorful and bright in your marketing. Don’t be afraid to be BOLD. You can still minimalism but use color verses the old muted tones. That’s so old school.
Next let’s talk shapes. It’s like fashion we need to look at using geometric shapes and abstract patterns. Have fun and get creative. Even if you use stock images look for the ones that look more natural and place some fun elements into them.
Need more ideas look at the big brands out there and see what they are using in their marketing to fuel your ideas.
Don’t Forget About Blogging It’s Still Relevant
Writing a blog post? Well it’s got to be longer these days. Don’t just skim the surface of a topic. Dig deep. Provide as much information as you can on the topic and bring along these amazing visual elements we have been looking at. Keep in mind, we all still go to Google to find stuff to feed our minds. Why not be one of those resources?
Bigger is better and gets more attention because it’s hopefully offering the good stuff people are looking for. Google still loves fresh content! Today’s blogs however need more words. According to Hook Agency posts of at least 1,000 words are more likely to be shared than their shorter cousins and favored by Google. 1705 is the sweet spot for SEO. So, don’t worry about attention spans. Readers have proven they want good info and they don’t mind digging into a long post to find it.
Let Your Personality Shine
No one wants to read or share another “me too” post. Not you and not your audience.
What they do want—and what they’ll happily share with their friends and fans—is personality-driven pieces that aren’t afraid to take a stand.
Be a giver and educate your audience. Don’t hide the good stuff behind a pay gate. People want solutions and if you provide them with some, they will become your followers. I give FREE information all the time and I’ve grown a few successful businesses because of it. Don’t get me wrong we need to make money to survive but if you have a great sales funnel, strategy and plan that will all come.
It’s easy to form a connection with someone when you feel like you know them personally. And what do you do with your friend’s content? You share it, of course!
It doesn’t take much to be shareable. Just be yourself, be transparent, and be valuable. In short, just do what you’re already doing, only with a little bit more creativity, generousity and planning. Remember if it was easy everyone would be doing it.