Picture This
We all want our small business to catch the eye, preferably of the highest spending customer. As human beings, we tend to be drawn first by what we see, what catches our eyes, and it is in the first few seconds of that moment that our sale is almost made. Super-fast image processing is one of the incredible attributes of the human brain and it’s much more powerful than our abilities to make sense of sound or smell. Apparently, it takes less than a second for the brain to decide it wants to look longer at an image or investigate further. That’s tight timing to convince a customer they want you.
Videos, graphics, banners, colours, images all serve to catch the customer’s attention and hold it long enough to convince them to buy your service or product. Visuals are one of the most powerful tool in a business owner’s kit.
And while we love to read and write, in an era where attention spans are shrinking and there never seems to be enough time to read and contemplate, it is the video and the eye-catching image that are dominating how we receive and understand information. We are bombarded with information from a multitude of sources these days, so the easier it is for the potential customer to receive and process that information, the more likely they are to follow through, read the blurb and follow up a call to action. Reams of text just doesn’t do it like it used to, but a picture really can paint a thousand words.
All businesses are jostling for space in an increasingly crowded marketplace, so when a customer starts to search for something they want, they need to be able to catch a glimpse of what you offer, or what you are like – it’s not just the service they will look for, it is making sure that it is the perfect fit for them. These days, it is the online search engines that will provide the information they want, and images are ever more valuable than text when it comes to catching the attention on a screen.
To make sure your small enterprise, even if it is a non-commercial project, gets pulled up by those fickle search engines and catches those roving eyes, try some of the following tips:
Define your brand
Your identity needs to be crystal clear so that you eventually become immediately recognisable. This is more than just having a clearly identifiable logo. It’s about the colour scheme you use in all your marketing, the fonts in your messaging, the clothes you wear, the images you use, even about how you word your emails. Who are you, what do you offer, how can people find you – all that needs to be worked out so that your message is defined and clear. Visuals, logo and more, are all part of the defining and identifying of your brand
Keep consistent
Consistency is key when it comes to visual marketing. If you want your brand to appear polished, cohesive and instantly recognisable, then use the same style of images, the same colours, fonts and design elements across all your graphics, online and on paper, on clothing, on the side of vans, on any marketing. This will form your identity and make you memorable
Use banners on your website
These can be static, or you can use animation, video and even interactive banners. They are colourful, there is motion, they can instantly represent who you are and what you do, and they tempt the hovering cursor to be converted into a click that takes the customer straight into your landing page. Banners are easily recognisable and memorable so will draw the customers back to your website over and over again.
Graphics
The word encompasses so much and can be used right across the main social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok...and the variety is vast. You can use video, photos, images, stories, covers, infographics, Gifs, thumbnails, posters, logos and more, but keep them simple, avoiding clutter and complexity that might cause instant confusion.
Colours and fonts
Again, the variety is vast and there is a combination that will best represent your business’ services, ethos and personality. For the solopreneur, the graphics, including colour, font and layout you use in your website, emails, online newsletters and social media will say as much about you and your business as any combination of words will.
Perk up your emails
Emails can be dry as dust. If you are using email to engage with customers, give them a high-quality design make over. Use graphics and images, photos of your product, interactive maps, infographics to explain data, include hyperlinks to parts of your site that offers more information. Choose an easily legible font, something clear and crisp and not too fancy and write plainly so that the message is easily understood.
Use high quality images
Whether you create these yourself if you have the skill set or purchase high quality images, you need to select those that best match the message you are trying to convey. And whenever you can, avoid free stock photos (they can be great, not knocking them) but you will find these are used over and over again by so many others, that if you want to stand out, you’ll need to be just that little bit different.
Use product photos
If you are selling something, this is indispensable. People want to see what they are getting when they click the ‘buy now’ button. Quality photos showing the product to its best advantage work well – don’t sell yourself short by just using words, in this case, words are not enough.
And finally...
Reach out to Athena Services!
We can help you to communicate with your customers, whether you are starting out and need some support and advice, whether you want us to help you set up your website, social media and online marketing, or whether you want another set of eyes helping to review your existing visuals. The first consultation with us is free and with no obligation, and we can then work out a tailor-made package of support that best suits your needs.