When you drive your sales and marketing efforts through visual means, you will strengthen customer relationships, both old and new.
Impressions are everything when it comes to marketing. This goes double for building effective customer relationships. If your brand can consistently meet your customers’ expectations, they’ll trust you over time.
But what about getting new loyal users?
In the age of social media, prospects are now constantly in search of information about the products they buy. In fact, a 2014 survey by research companies Crowdtap and Ipsos revealed that while millennials equally trusted professional reviews and user-generated content, the latter was 20% more influential in making purchase decisions. So you need to stand out of the crowd online. And that means you need to get visual.
Why does visual engagement work?
Visual-based marketing and sales has become indispensable. Businesses can use visual engagement across the customer journey, from getting new customers to try their brands to assisting clients through customer service.
Brands like Starbucks and NatureBox have created amazing Facebook ads with simple yet relevant photos. Despite their simplicity, the fact that they allow customers to see products encourages clients to make a purchase, thereby increasing sales.
If your product matches customers’ expectations, they’ll likely have positive opinions of your brand, so much so that they’ll share these thoughts on social networks. With 71% of millennials engaged in social media activities, opinions that spread through this medium can quickly build or break your brand’s reputation. That’s why visual engagement is so important.
Let’s break down why exactly visual engagement works so well for building customer relationships.
1. Inform people faster
Most viewers consume visual materials faster, especially on social media sites where millennials spend most of their time.
Given that Facebook boasts more than a billion users as of 2015, companies have more potential than before to reach a wider target market through social media. People are more likely to share social media notices like Starbucks’ event invite and Naturebox’s free trial.
By simply showing your product or an interesting visual, you can draw attention to your content faster. This becomes more effective when you include a discount, a few useful tips, or even a simple announcement.
Once you have driven people to your own site, it’s time to bring out live visual engagement tools like cobrowsing and screen sharing. Now you have the opportunity to allow customers to gain an even deeper understanding of your products and services by walking them through the options. Spend less time explaining about your offerings and more time showing and you will seal the deal faster than ever.
2. Show more detail
Aside from getting information faster, customers need to see what they’re buying before making the purchase.
Images, infographics, videos, cobrowsing, and screen sharing work because with them, companies can show exactly what they’re offering. By breaking down information into easily understandable parts, or in a sequential format, you can keep viewers engaged long enough to get your message across.
As with the case of Naturebox, you can showcase your product and where to get it. This lets you take the first step in showing you can deliver your promises as a brand.
What happens after that depends on how the customer finds your product after trying it out for themselves.
3. Provide opportunities for creative execution
In any great story, there will always be an initial problem to solve, a solution to end it, and a lesson to learn. But to tell a story convincingly, you need visuals to make it easier to understand, as with the Edinburgh Police social media campaign.
In this example, Edinburgh Police’s home safety depicted scenarios with Lego-based materials. What’s even more interesting was that these scenarios were posted in sequence on the Edinburgh Police’s Twitter page, giving it a more sequential and easy-to-follow format, with the problem of burglary at the start and the measures to prevent it at the end.
The bottom line: show more to sell more
Given the viral nature of social media and the short period of time you have to capture your audience’s attention, it’s extraordinarily important for companies to actively participate online. By visually engaging your customers, you can secure existing customers’ positive opinions and help new ones come on board.
Using visual content, you can show your story in the most compelling way possible. Showing exactly what you have to offer also keeps negative impressions from hurting your brand. Honesty and transparency will work in your favor, securing customers’ trust and loyalty.
Ready to learn how visual engagement solutions can improve customer experience for your business? Download the free eBook: Do I Need Visual Engagement Software?
Additional Reference: Sullivan, Luke. Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This! A Guide to Creating Great Ads. 3rd ed. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, 2008.
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About Glance Networks
Glance helps enterprise organizations create the ultimate customer experience with smart, omni-channel visual engagement solutions based around integrated cobrowse, screen share, and one-way agent video. We are one of the world’s simplest, most reliable and secure platforms that enable companies to see, show and share anything online, creating a frictionless path to great experiences in sales, support and customer service. The result is improved customer satisfaction and loyalty, increased revenue growth and operational savings. From financial services and healthcare to retail and travel and leisure, even the most advanced technology and SaaS organizations – we transform the customer experience for today’s business. Learn More »
About Rick Enrico
Rick Enrico is the CEO and Founder of SlideGenius, Inc., a presentation design agency with clients all over the world. He is also a blog enthusiast with a particular interest in Internet Marketing, writing full-time about how to become a more effective presenter on the SlideGenius blog. He currently oversees an experienced team of talented designers, software developers and marketing professionals that specialize in creating custom corporate presentations and cloud publishing applications. You can connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter.
