Quick Tips for Using Marketing Imagery

Quick Tips for Using Marketing Imagery

How important is imagery in marketing campaigns?

Images help your brand make a good impression and a lasting impact on your audience. And when used correctly, they increase the potential for more engagement and more sales.

Here’s why images matter and how to choose the best visual content for your marketing campaigns.

Why Imagery Matters in Marketing
The brain has an uncanny ability to understand the meaning of visual cues and can do so in seconds — which is a lot faster than it can understand the meaning of text. This makes images more effective and more persuasive than text alone, and a lot more memorable too.

From a marketing standpoint, improved comprehension means better campaign results. Images can also strengthen your branding, and may even encourage impulse buying.

Tips for Choosing Visual Content
Not all images are created equal, so follow these tips to choose images that will have the biggest impact.

  • Know your visual content. There are various types of visual content, including photographs, GIFs, videos, illustrations, and data visualizations. Each has unique advantages for engagement, but they’re not interchangeable. Use campaign analytics and A/B testing to figure out what works best and when so you’re not just shooting in the dark.

  • Consider the context. Just as the type of image matters, so does the placement. You’ll have different needs based on where you’re sourcing visuals for (websites vs. social media vs. print), so don’t rely too heavily on a one-size-fits-all approach.
  • Build-in your brand. Viewers should be able to quickly connect the dots between an image and your brand. The easiest way to do this is by including a logo, as well as by bringing in other markers of brand identity, such as branded colors, post-processing style, and fonts.

Have more questions? Get in touch and let’s talk.


5 Must-Know Marketing Trends for 2022

5 Must-Know Marketing Trends for 2022

Curious about what’s trending in the world of marketing?

Today’s strategies are all about improving the customer experience. Emerging best practices make it easier, safer and more pleasant to shop and interact with brands online. And if you haven’t already incorporated them into your strategy, now would be a good time to start.

Here are five trends worth learning about and adopting:

1. Privacy
There’s a lot more emphasis on privacy now, both from consumers who want more control over their data and tech companies taking those concerns seriously. Brands will need to thoroughly think through where, why and how they contact people — consumers are much more protective of their digital space.

2. Shoppable Content
Having a strong social media presence is as important as ever, but increasingly, so is incorporating shoppable content into your posts. Consumers expect to be able to shop as they scroll. Social commerce features to make it easy for them — and for sales teams.

3. Community Focus
The community that brands build through live streams, user-generated content, social media responses, and other types of engagement helps increase brand loyalty and advocacy.

4. Content Quality
SEO is still crucial, but in 2022, it’s more about user experience and content quality than keyword stuffing. Focus on incorporating real value into the content you produce, and write in a way that’s more conversational and more in tune with what an audience wants and needs.

5. Authenticity
Brands have a voice and an identity. Authentic, relevant material will help cut through the noise and build trust with audiences, so don’t be afraid to have a point of view when creating new marketing content.  

Need more guidance? Let’s talk.


5 Luxury Marketing Ideas to Learn From

5 Luxury Marketing Ideas to Learn From

There’s a lot to learn from looking at how luxury products and services are marketed. And there’s a lot that you can emulate, even if your product or service isn’t catering to the same audience.

Think you might want to try out a marketing tactic from the luxury market? From messaging to online user experiences, here are five things luxury brands do differently:

1. Focus on Storytelling

All marketing is intended to get the point across. Luxury brands, however, do this with storytelling tactics that tend to focus on history, craftsmanship, and passion.

2. Be Conscientious

Among the chief concerns of a luxury marketer is paying close attention to brand perception, particularly in regards to humanity and authenticity. Consumers have high expectations for brands and want to see social consciousness along with a great product.

3. Use Only High-Quality Content

When done right, you can tell a brand is catering toward a luxury market immediately. That’s done, in part, with exceptional marketing content that uses high-quality images and specific language to elevate brand voice and identity.

4. Be Aspirational

All good marketers understand who their customers are, but luxury marketers also understand who their customers want to be. They recognize the importance of appealing to people’s lifestyle goals.

5. Give a Great User Experience

Consider the difference between a lux brand’s website and the website of a big box brand. Prices are different, of course, but the former is also a whole lot prettier (and easier) to shop on. Luxury brands make sure that their website and checkout process are a seamless experience.

Need help incorporating more luxury ideas into your marketing strategy? Let’s talk.


Seven Reasons Why Your Business Needs a Marketing Makeover

Seven Reasons Why Your Business Needs a Marketing Makeover

Your firm or organization has just begun another year of operation, which is an achievement to be proud of.

So, how’s the marketing at your company going? In terms of marketing strategy, are you head and shoulders above your competitors? If you’re not happy with your company’s overall brand image and messaging, a marketing makeover may well be necessary.

But how can you tell if your brand needs a total overhaul or just a refresh? The key is to be aware of specific Red Flags that will indicate whether you need to rebrand or at the very least change your marketing messaging.

If you believe your company exhibits more than one of these Red Flags, it’s time for a marketing makeover.


The Seven (7) Red Flags in Marketing To Look Out For

 

  1. Inconsistent Branding

Great brands all have one thing in common – consistent visual images, colors, and messaging.

By having mismatched marketing imaginary, including collateral materials, consumers will be confused, which often means they’ll not be drawn to your brand and will search for another provider that will provide them with the assurance they’re looking for. If your logo, brochures, sell sheets and website do not look consistent with each other, as if they were designed by different providers over the years, then it’s time for them to be re-designed by the same creative provider so your company has that consistent brand imaging that is essential in today’s competitive environment.

 

  1. Your Competition’s Marketing Is Better

You need to make a change if your competitors’ content, appearance, and overall branding are better than yours.

We often find that the companies that provide superior products or services often are not the best marketers. If your lessor competitors have better marketing, then there’s a good chance they’re larger and more profitable.

Making a great first impression with potential customers is essential. The world moves so fast that you may not get a chance to make a second impression. If your competitors’ marketing imagery and messaging make yours look amateurish, then it’s time to do something about it.

It may be the perfect time to call in a marketing and branding expert, to evaluate your current marketing efforts while taking a look at what your competitors are doing.

In all, it’s essential to understand your company’s unique story and what makes you different and yes, better than the competition, and share those unique offerings and benefits with the marketplace in a memorable and engaging way.

 

  1. Your Marketing Is Focused Too Much On You

To truly connect with your audience, you must focus entirely on them. What can you do to help them make their lives easier? What solutions do you have to resolve their problems? This is a challenging road to traverse because you need to engage with them on several levels while marketing your firm and its goods or services.

Relationship building should be a top focus when it comes to marketing. Important communications and conversations accomplish more than disrupting meaningful messages and discussions with constant advertisement.

Customers will become more loyal the more you understand them and interact with them in a way that promotes a connection.

 

  1. Low ROI (Return On Investments)

The cost per acquisition (CPA), or how much it costs to acquire one new customer, is tied to a company’s return on investment (ROI).

For your business to survive in the corporate world, you should be able to minimize the amount you spend on gaining new customers, in order to maximize ROI.

If you’re not convinced that your sales and marketing efforts are maximizing your ROI, it could be time to revamp your marketing strategy.

 

  1. Poor Web Traffic

Poor web traffic is a result of several factors such as — Poor SEO, terrible website load time, unresponsive website formatting, plenty of broken links and images, etc.

But all these ultimately signify that your marketing efforts are ineffective in driving traffic to your website and social media accounts. Your digital marketing is in need of a makeover if this is the scenario.

 

  1. Poor Conversions

While it is essential to invest in effective SEO to drive traffic to your website, this shouldn’t be the end goal.

Many businesses engage in effective SEO and advertising with only the purpose of increasing traffic to their website. Although they may be successful in doing this, only driving in traffic would not improve sales.

Businesses should be able to convert at least 2 to 5 % of their incoming traffic.

If your website receives tons of traffic but isn’t converting them into paying customers that simply hints that your web copy is ineffective. If this is the case, then your online marketing needs a revamp.

 

  1. Technology Has Changed…Have You?

Is it easy to find your message on different marketing and social media channels that matter to your target audience? Is it simple to explore your website and place orders? If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re losing money.

According to research published in October 2021, 55 percent of consumers worldwide made purchases using their mobile phones.

Not only that, but Google declared on April 21, 2015, that mobile-friendly websites will be ranked higher than non-mobile-friendly websites. If your website is unresponsive, it will have a big impact on how it appears in search results. And how will you engage with your consumers if no one visits your website?

 

What’s My Next Step?

Giving your marketing a makeover doesn’t have to be a monumental task; a new logo and brand colors could suffice. A few minor changes to your existing website, such as new images, more engaging copy, and a mobile-friendly design, maybe all that’s required.

A 360-degree corporate rebranding, which could include a new company name, logo, website, marketing materials, social media presence, and more, can be a major undertaking.

In the wrong hands, a marketing makeover has the potential to dramatically reshape your company image and not in a good way. That is why working with a professional marketing agency to guide you through the process is important.

For over 25 years, Smith Marketing has assisted businesses and organizations with their brand messaging. We have the expertise, knowledge, and technological skills to build the brand your firm deserves.

It is not necessary to wait months to give your company a refreshed look or even an image makeover. We’ve worked with businesses where we gave their business a fresh new look with a new logo, tagline, website, and marketing elements in as little as 45 days. Now, these businesses are good for at least another five years, perhaps even longer.

 

So what’s holding you back?

If you need help in taking your company’s marketing to the next level, give us a call at 815-355-6892, email us at info@smithmarketing.com or visit our website at www.smithmarketing.com

 

 


6 Tips for More Intimate Marketing

6 Tips for More Intimate Marketing

Is your content connecting with customers?

Effective marketing is — and likely always will be — a distinctly human-to-human endeavor. It’s important that your content cultivates intimacy with your audience and engages in a way that builds trust. And that’s not something you can fake (or pass off to AI robots).   

So, how do you get more personal? Here are six tips to get you started.

1. Start with customer-first policies and practices.
If you start from a place of genuinely wanting to provide your customers with an authentic and positive experience, the content you create will naturally reflect those goals.

2. Stay in the conversation.
Don’t just put out content and call it a day. Stay engaged and moderate conversations as needed to ensure a welcoming environment for your audience.

3. Add context to data.
Talk to your customers like people. Try to humanize data with context instead of just throwing out stats and numbers and letting your audience fill in the blanks.

4. Tell customer stories.
Use narrative case studies to show the human element of your product or service, as well as to illustrate that there are real people who rely on and benefit from what you do.

5. Embrace micro-communities.
Going micro with your targeting is essential to making strong and sustainable connections. It can also help make your marketing more effective since the engaged individuals are more likely to be interested in your brand.

6. Reward loyalty, and say thank you.
Say you care — and show it, too. Loyalty programs are a great way to build positive relationships with your customers. And saying a genuine “thank you” is as human as it gets.

For help creating a more intimate marketing strategy, get in touch with us.


Is Your Marketing Strategy All-Inclusive?

Is Your Marketing Strategy All-Inclusive?

By now you’ve probably realized that consumers expect more diversity from their favorite brands’ marketing content, images, social media, community initiatives and offerings.

If you’re not considering diversity and inclusion with thoughtfulness and intent, you’re losing out on a big opportunity to connect with your audience. And you might even be losing customers.

Here’s why diversity in marketing matters — and a few action steps to take.

Audiences Want Diversity

Everyone wants to feel like they belong. Yet, many consumers don’t find themselves accurately portrayed in marketing, if they can find themselves there at all.

A majority of Americans (61%) believe that diversity in advertising is important, and 38% say they’re more likely to trust brands that do a good job at it. Likewise, consumers report being more loyal to brands that make a commitment to addressing social inequities.

Now more than ever, diversity has a direct impact on brand reputation. Your audience wants to be represented, and if they’re not, they’ll find somewhere that they are.

Action Steps

  • Define what diversity is. Diversity in skin color is a great start but go further than that. True inclusion involves a diversity of disabilities, religion, gender, body types, and all other things that make people unique.
  • Walk the walk. Your audience can see through a shallow social justice campaign. Prioritize diversity throughout your organization, including not just your marketing materials but also your company and team.
  • Diversify your content. Before greenlighting a piece of marketing content, ask yourself: Is the language inclusive? Are the images diverse? Is the copy human and empathetic? You want people to feel welcome and understood by your ads — not left out.

It’s never too late to bring diversity into your marketing. We can help, so get in touch today for additional guidance and advice.