5 Mistakes to Avoid With Your Visual Content

Most audiences will discover a new brand online. But with so many businesses out there, and an endless sea of content to browse, how do you make yours stand out?  85% of adults now consume content on multiple devices at the same time, so you need to make sure your marketing not only captures but also sustain the attention of your audience. Visual content is by far the most effective way to get your message to stick.

Let’s look at some of the ways you can use visual content to your advantage in your marketing strategy, as well as the biggest pitfalls to avoid.

What is Visual Content? 

Visual content refers to any materials that is primarily image-based, focussing on delivering information in a visually appealing format.

• Images
• Videos
• Infographics
• Data visualisations
• Slide decks
• Screenshots
• GIFs

How will visual content benefit my marketing? 

Before you get started with our visual content tips, it’s important to understand why visual content marketing is so important and how it can benefit your business.

Increased engagement and retention  

Including visuals in content is a win-win for you and your customer base. Whether it’s a social media post, a blog, or a report, audiences are far more likely to engage with your content if it contains visuals. Moreover, studies have shown that people can recall 65% of the visual content that they see almost three days later, in comparison to about 10% of written content three days after it’s read. Increased engagement and retention mean a wider reach and more potential leads.

Distinct brand identity 

Consistency is key when it comes to curating a cohesive brand identity. With around 334 million businesses operating globally, it is important to make your own mark. When a potential customer sees a piece of your content, you want them to instantly know who it’s from. Having a clear visual brand identity is key to building customer recognition, credibility, and brand trust.

Improved conversion rates 

If visual content has helped a customer to engaged with and remember your brand, they are ultimately more likely to follow through with a purchase or order. For example, 84% of consumers agree that watching promotional videos have convinced them to purchase a product or service, it’s evident that a well-polished site with engaging materials is vital to maintaining your customer’s attention.

Mistakes to avoid

1: Not keeping your brand’s visual content consistent 

Mistake:

Having no visual content is bad; having inconsistent visuals that don’t match up with your brand may be worse. Your visual content shouldn’t be random or generic. It should be an extension of your brand identity and values and a considered part of your strategy. If not, it could create a host of issues for your business poor brand recognition and professionalism, weakened branding messaging, and losing out to competitors.

Solution:

Ensuring that your brand’s visuals are consistent and aligned across all platforms will help you to avoid these problems and improve brand recall. Make sure you have brand guidelines in place with clear instructions on colour pallet, typography, and logo positioning. This will help your team to maintain a uniform voice and consistent visual style that’s easily recognised for your audience. These brand guidelines are vital to determine a consistent communication style and define the look of your brand. A uniform voice not only helps to create a better customer experience, but also helps to build brand credibility, reputation, and trust.

2: Using poor quality images 

Mistake:

Using low resolution or blurry photos in your visual content looks unprofessional and may turn some customers off of your product or service. It may even devalue your brand can reduce the value of the brand, as they will associate the poor quality images with the quality of the product/ service itself.

Solution:

This is an easy fix. Only use high-quality images with at least 1080 pixels or 4k pixels to ensure a high-definition picture. Consider hiring a professional to create a library of bespoke images that are authentic to your brand. Alternatively, you can use reputable online image banks like Adobe Stock Images or Shutterstock. Including quality images can increase your page traffic by 147%, according to a study by Backlinko. Don’t forget to optimise each image for the platform they’ll be posted on. This can be done by compressing an image’s file size to boost their loading speed, and cropping it according to each platforms’ image specifications.

3: Not personalising your visual content

Mistake:

There are many design platforms available, such as Canva which can be great for sole traders or small businesses that don’t have an in-house design team. These platforms enable small brands to create visual content for marketing campaigns. However they can be limiting as they prevent full personalisation of your brand. This lack of customisation can make it difficult to differentiate your business from similar competitors.

Solution:

If you are using design platforms such as Canva, you must customise your templates. For growing businesses looking to scale, investing in professionally designed assets could help to take your marketing output to the next level. Infographics, for example, are a great way to share data and insights in an engaging and digestible way. And, according to Hubspot, audiences share infographics more than any other type of content, so you’ll want to put your best foot forward!

Want to know more? Get in touch with our design team to arrange an audit.

4: Failing to align your visual content with the type of service/product you offer 

Mistake:

A common mistake you may have come across is visual content that doesn’t accurately represents a business’s services and products. Misaligned marketing materials can reflect poorly on your promotions as it can cause confusion or distrust of your brand’s direction in the eyes of the customer.

Solution:

The best way to avoid this mistake is to have an in-depth understanding of your product/ service and your target audience, including demographics, psychographics, and consumer behaviours. Ensure that your images and colour pallet align with your company’s services, and that it appeals to the right audience.

5: Having too much information 

Mistake:

Overwhelming your audience is unlikely to convert them into potential customers, and may drive them away from your business.

Solution:

Focus on the purpose for your visual content, and only include the essentials. Don’t think about what you want. Instead, consider what your potential customer or client needs to hear to act. By providing a clear call to action, you’ll avoid stuffing your promotional materials with unnecessary information, creating a clear path for your audience to connect with you.

Final thoughts

By being mindful of these common visual content mistakes and taking proactive steps to avoid them, you can increase the impact of your visual content. Visual content holds value as if done well it can successfully engage your audience, so ensure it is worthwhile remembering. If you’d like to explore how our team at Constellation Marketing can develop your visual content, check out or services here.