Visual storytelling is the name of the game for professional communicators and marketers. That being said, financial services firms generally lag behind their peers in other industries when it comes to successfully incorporating images, graphics, cartoons and otherwise attention-grabbing eye candy. While larger firms with big budgets have made moves in this area, the reality is that small and mid-sized firms also need to embrace visual storytelling. Integrating strong visual elements has the potential to differentiate these firms as emerging players, while lacking them can cause firms to fall away as marketing also-rans.
How can you best implement a more visual marketing approach? Below are three tips to help take your social media game to the next level.
1) Simplify the complex:
Visuals simplify complex financial topics and make them more accessible to a broader audience. If you are looking to expand your business, images and video-based content are the way to go. Let’s be honest — financial jargon can be overwhelming to the average person. Visual marketing content allows you to present technical or complicated subjects in an instantly accessible way. The best financial content combines clean, bright design with a logical flow, visually guiding the audience through the main points.
2) Create compelling topical content:
Topical visual content has immense public relations potential. Not only does it garner attention from prospects and increase sentiment and brand trust, but it’s also more likely to be picked up by publishers. This can go a long way toward generating additional positive coverage. People like to share new data and well-researched information that looks great in a visual. For example, Amplify ETFs shares infographics with relevant data that supports their investment products.
If you want to take it a step further, try gifographics. You might not have heard of them, but these are basically animated infographics. Gifographics combine the power of an effective infographic with a format more likely to be shared by the audience, as in the example below.
3) Appeal to consumer emotions:
Emotions and visuals go hand in hand. Financial services is certainly an emotional industry, and one of the best ways to connect with your audience’s emotions is through video. Short, informative videos often see more engagement on platforms like LinkedIn. Here at Gregory FCA, we produce videos that adapt the production principles of a typical live newscast for our clients with little to no post-production time, allowing them to instantly engage with their audiences. For example, Facet Wealth does a great job of leveraging these informational videos to capture the value they bring to clients.
It’s a quick way to establish trust, authenticity and empathy in an industry full of stigma. Along the same lines, if you have a spokesperson who is willing to speak directly to their audience, try incorporating vlogs into your visual marketing strategy. For example, Exencial Wealth Chief Investment Officer Tim Courtney makes sure to connect “face to face” with his clients and prospects via this format.
The financial world is full of data that can be open to interpretation. Strategically implementing visual marketing material opens up possibilities for creative, shareable and high-impact content that can resonate with your audience and break down barriers in a matter of seconds. Sometimes, it’s better to show rather than tell.