The whys and hows of business marketing visuals. I think we're going to have a lot of fun with today’s topic. Business marketing visuals are very close to my heart. I’ve taught a business presentation course for over 10 years.
And when I talk about the importance of business marketing visuals, the first question is often, "What the heck is business marketing visual?" Which is closely followed by, "and why do I need them?" I thought I would start by answering these two important questions, and hopefully you'll see the incredible value these tools can bring to your business marketing plan.
Business marketing visuals is any content that relies more on graphics than on the written word.
Rather than an article with lots of boring statistics or instructions, for example, you might substitute a chart or graph that clearly illustrates the same information.
Visuals are easy to scan, they provide a lot of information quickly, and are almost always memorable.
The attention spans of website visitors are short. If they can't quickly glance through your site and find the information they're seeking, they'll click away and be gone forever. Show them what they're looking for, though, and they'll stay a while, dig deeper, and return to your site again and again.
So now that you know what business marketing visuals are and why you need them, let's take a closer look at your options - I promise that no matter what your creative business model is, you can find a visual that will be useful to your audience, so stick around!
Let's take a look at some different kinds of visuals and how you can use them in your marketing plan:
Charts and Graphs:
Source: Social Computing Magazine
These are often the first thing we think of when we consider using visuals, and with good reason. Communicating detailed information about statistics is easy when you use a simple bar, pie chart, line graph or timeline.
Learn how to create an graph in Microsoft Word.
Illustrations and Cartoons:
For giving direction you really can't beat a good illustrated cartoon. People in general are more likely to study a series of pictures than read through detailed step-by-step instructions.
Great sharable Comics at GoComics.com
Mindmaps:
Source: http://directory.ac/online-marketing.html
When you have a lot of ideas that don't need to be in a specific order, a mind map is a good way to give an overview without being overwhelming. Readers can concentrate only on the nodes that relate to them, expand other points for more information, or even rearrange the structure to suit their own needs.
Ready to create a mind map? Then go to Mindmeister
Infographics:
Souce: http://www.cmo.com/social-media/cmos-guide-social-media-landscape
Infograhics are the granddaddy of business marketing visuals, these are generally large pieces that convey a huge amount of information. Infographics merge art with statistics, informing the reader while at the same time keeping her entertained. When well done, these visuals can take on a life of their own and are absolutely fantastic at generating incoming links to your site.
Use Visual.ly to create your first infographic.
I hope I've got your creative juices flowing with ideas for colorful, informative graphics to entertain and engage your readers.
Talk with you later!
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