Sterling member QBD is no stranger to creating effective online content that drives traffic and delivers results. However, with significant changes to Google on the horizon, visual content is going to be more essential than ever. Here, the Evesham-based full-service digital marketing agency shares its top tips for using visual content to maximise business engagement…
Visual content can be a brilliant way to connect with your audience and drive engagement for your business. Infographics, videos, photos, illustrations – they all allow you to communicate key information in a creative, eye-catching manner.
When creating visual assets, it’s essential to tailor them to your brand voice and values.
Consider creating visual content that evokes emotions or tells a story, as this leads to higher engagement. Using real people and showing company culture also helps audiences connect with your brand.
To maximise reach, focus on creating shareable, helpful visuals that solve a problem or teach something valuable. Visual content that entertains, educates and aligns with your brand has the highest potential for driving business engagement.
When sharing visual content online, ensure you optimise it for the platform you’re publishing it on.
For Instagram, square 1:1 ratio images work best as users are scrolling through their feeds. Keep captions concise but compelling. Use relevant hashtags and tags to increase reach.
Create Instagram Stories with polls, questions and swipe up links to drive engagement. Animated posts or carousels also perform well. Focus on eye-catching, colourful visuals and behind-the-scenes lifestyle content.
On LinkedIn, horizontal images and landscape videos enable the content to take up more screen real estate. Write detailed captions that summarise crucial information. Always include a call to action.
Posts with a professional look and valuable insights will attract a LinkedIn audience. Use evocative images and videos showing real people and situations. Tell stories through a sequence or series of visual content. User-generated content and hashtag campaigns also connect better with audiences.
When featuring real employees, showcase company culture, values and community engagement. Images that look authentic do better than posed or generic pictures.
The goal is to tailor visual content to each platform’s audience while supporting your brand message and style. Optimise for the platform and be insightful, authentic and engaging.
When creating visual assets, think about how they can help or what they can teach your target audience. Infographics that clearly summarise complex data, videos that demonstrate your product or explain a process and images that solve everyday problems are highly shareable. Useful content provides value and gives people a reason to engage.
Promote your visual content organically by posting natively on social platforms and paid ads if budget allows. Cross-promote content across your own channels – for example, share a LinkedIn post on Twitter and Instagram. Hashtags and tagging influencers or relevant companies can extend reach.
Interact with audiences that engage with your content. Thank people for shares, answer questions in the comments and respond when people tag you in user-generated visuals featuring your brand. This helps build relationships.
Finally, use analytics to see which types of visual content get the most engagement. Study competitors, too. Track impressions, clicks, conversions and KPIs specific to your goals. Refine your visual strategy based on what performs best.
Memorable, useful visual content aligned with your brand personality and audience needs is vital. Promote this creatively across channels, interact with your community, and continually optimise based on data. This will maximise your visual content’s reach and business impact.
To learn more about how QBD can help you optimise your online presence, visit their website: https://www.qbd.co.uk/
