When surveyed on the importance of visual assets, marketers said photography, illustrations, infographics, and video are all “core to customer engagement,” but a study from the CMO Council found that most brands are underutilizing visual media in their storytelling.Every day, on every site, brands have the opportunity to tell stories with imagery. Through imagery they can express their unique personalities, encourage interaction, and create a consistent atmosphere that keeps their customers coming back. To do this well takes more than just a knack for choosing nice pictures; the most effective visual marketers consider everything from the mood inspired by a photo to the role of the image in their marketing plan.Below are three tried and true strategies for making images part of your unique narrative.1. Leverage Color to Evoke EmotionsImage by el loboThere’s no question that color preferences are a personal thing. For some, yellow is synonymous with happiness. Others find the bright shade hard on the eyes. Individual experience, cultural background, state of mind — these factors can all affect how we interpret color.That makes choosing a photo for your site a major challenge, right? Not necessarily. When you consider how brands use color, you start to notice some patterns emerge. It’s clear that most brands believe consumers see green as synonymous with nature and health, while red reads as thrilling and bold.With photography, you want to consider more than color alone. The saturation of color in an image, along with the amount of light, can influence how your brand story is interpreted. For example, the images below show a similar scene, but the story they tell is quite different. The vibrant color and bright light in the first image make it appear optimistic, while the second is more subdued and dramatic.Image by brickrenaImage by Mariusz SzczygielIf your goal is to have your customers come away with a sense that your brand is cheerful and positive, make photography choices that reflect those emotions. The same rule applies to brands that wish to be regarded as serene, wholesome, or playful. Color and light can have a powerful effect on the way customers perceive your brand, and both considerations should play a big part in the image selection process.2. Demonstrate ValueBrand stories can serve any number of purposes, from building company awareness to boosting affinity. Regardless of your objective, photos can help by demonstrating your value — particularly when that value is inspired by your customers. Consider all the ways they use your product, and let that inform your visual content decisions. Are parents putting your new flavor of yogurt in smoothies for their kids? Use this information to shape a visual story that relays your product’s range of use.Image by Tomsickova TatyanaAre your wireless speakers providing the soundtrack for customers’ outdoor workouts? Use this knowledge — and a memorable photo — to tell that story.Image by PKpixThis approach is great for generating social media content, where photos go an especially long way. In fact, Twitter posts that include photos average 35 percent more retweets than those that don’t.3. Take Your Customers Behind the ScenesEveryone is enticed by the idea of lifting the curtain to see what goes on behind the scenes. There’s a certain amount of mystery tied to every brand, and when companies offer a glimpse into what makes them tick, consumers are intrigued.To achieve this, companies should aim to highlight aspects of their brand story that aren’t often seen. For a boutique clothing store, this may mean showcasing the careful manufacture of their one-of-a-kind pieces.Image by Transient EternalA restaurant chain, meanwhile, might offer insight into a cooking technique or highlight the core component of a seasonal dish.Image by MARCELODLT Couple these photos with a blog post or Facebook update that provides copy in greater detail and you can communicate a story your customers wouldn’t otherwise hear — one that has the potential to be liked, shared, and remembered.Photographs of all kinds can help brands tell a story. Adopt a smart strategy for using them, and that story is far more likely to catch your customer’s eye.Top image by Surkov VladimirThe post 3 Clever Ways to Tell Your Brand Story with Photography appeared first on The Shutterstock Blog.
