Get ahead of the curve and stand out from the crowd with these visual marketing trends stealing the scene in 2019.
Adaptation is the name of the game when it comes to visual marketing trends in 2019.
There have been so many innovations in marketing in the past few years, and 2018 didn’t disappoint. From virtual reality advertising to Facebook TV, the world of digital marketing is quickly evolving past SEO and email campaigns.
But as a small business owner, there’s already more than enough marketing to keep up with, and the latest trends often seem totally out of reach. As a small business, too, we understand. The question becomes:
How do you know which marketing strategies are accessible and effective for your business — and which strategies you should pass up? That’s what we’re going to help you with today.
The Top 10 Visual Marketing Trends For Small Businesses In 2019
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Authenticity
As a business person, I’m sure you’re tired of hearing this word by now. “Authentic” marketing has become such a huge buzzword that the concept of authenticity is now starting to feel, ironically, inauthentic. But here’s the thing: It’s not going away.
People want to interact with you and your brand in personal, informal ways. They want to peek behind the curtains and see how you do things. They want to see the face of your business and know what you stand for. They want to see your stories pop up on Instagram, and they want to watch videos featuring your team. People are dying to connect in a world where authentic connection is becoming less common. So let that rule be the foundation of these visual marketing trends.
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Lifestyle Marketing Photography
We’ve seen a massive increase in requests for this style of photography in 2018, and we only expect it to grow. As personal brands and social media take a larger hold in the marketing world, many professionals are finding the need for “lifestyle” marketing shoots. This isn’t your typical headshot or professional portrait. This type of photography should capture you in your element, doing what you do best. They are meant to feel candid but look professional. If you’re a realtor, for example, this may include shots of you talking to clients, hosting an open house, negotiating a deal or handing the keys over to a family. Lifestyle marketing shots are incredibly versatile and useful — from social media to blogs to website and more.
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Visible Leadership
For the same reasons people want an authentic buying experience, they also want to see the face of the company their purchasing from. They want a company’s leadership to be visible. You can see this happen at a big, national level, and you can also see it happen here at home. When the leader of a company puts their name and face out there — showing up to community events, doing their own Facebook Lives, taking speaking opportunities — you notice them. After a while, you even begin to feel like you know them. You feel a connection and familiarity with the brand because you know the face behind it. It’s no longer another anonymous brand adding to the white noise. It’s a brand you recognize. If you haven’t stepped into the spotlight as your company’s leader or executive, 2019 is the year, my friends. Tip: The best place to start is a friendly, approachable Lifestyle Marketing shoot.
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Live Video
In a survey conducted by Livestream, 82% of respondents said they preferred tuning into a brand’s live video to reading its social media posts. It doesn’t get much clearer than that. People want to see live video in your social feed, and it’s only to get bigger in the year to come. Live video also increases engagement by 10 times compared to a written post on Facebook, according the social network’s analytics. Need another incentive? Live video isn’t an overly saturated marketing stream yet, so it gives you the opportunity to stand out. Plus, it helps you improve your on-camera chops, so you can kill it in your professionally produced sales videos.
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Stories
Since launching Stories, both Facebook and Instagram have continued to gain popularity with these new, super-quick photo and video functions. Instagram Stories has about 300 million active users a day, according to Sprout Social, and it’s only growing. With that kind of audience and engagement, why wouldn’t you want to capture those viewers? Luckily for small businesses, Stories are an easy way to expand your social reach without adding tolls or resources. You can share a behind-the-scenes peek at your office, create polls to engage with your audience about products/services, or share limited-time offers and flash sales.
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Storytelling
Not to be confused with the above social media phenomenon, the ancient art of storytelling is taking back it’s place in the marketing spotlight in 2019. No matter which marketing platforms you prefer, everyone can agree that a compelling story has the power to capture the attention of today’s overwhelmed, disengaged consumer base.
For years, media has been saturated with soundbites, and much of it still is today. We constantly hear only bits and pieces of stories that have been pulled out of context and distorted. Think about how infuriating and ineffective those soundbites are. Now think about the power of a good movie, or a fantastic new read. What happens when you hear a story that evokes emotion and humanity? You remember it. Don’t you want to be remembered?
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Social TV
You may have heard about Facebook Watch, the social network’s new video channel that’s poised to compete with YouTube. While this platform isn’t currently accessible to those of us without massive, international followings, Instagram released a new video platform this year that might provide more opportunities for small businesses. IGTV offers brands and marketers a new platform to host long-form video on Instagram. You can post to IGTV by downloading the separate app, or click the TV icon in the upper-right hand corner of the Home screen.
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Video Marketing
Although video marketing has been the norm for a few years now, it doesn’t show any signs up slowing down. In fact, it will only become more necessary for small businesses to remain relevant and competitive. Check out these fresh statistics:
- 70% of consumers say that they have shared a brand’s video. (Wyzowl)
- 72% of businesses say video has improved their conversion rate. (Wyzowl)
- 52% of consumers say that watching product videos makes them more confident in online purchase decisions. (Invodo)
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Customer Success
Customer success is basically the marketing world’s fancy way of saying: Help your customers be successful as they use your products/services. We offer business marketing videos, for example, so we also make it a priority to help our clients figure out what to do with their videos once they’ve received them. When a client purchases a professional portrait, we give them tips about how to use those shots on social media and in marketing collateral.
Our service doesn’t end when we hand over the final product; we want to help our clients make use of the final product, too. That’s client success. And one of the easiest ways to do this is to create helpful, educational videos that you can send to your client along with the final product, like a parting gift.
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One-on-One Video
This is way easier than it sounds. Also known as 1:1 video, this is the practice of sending personalized videos to your clients, usually instead of an email. How do you do it? Shoot a super brief, direct-to-camera video message and send it to your client via Facebook Messenger, text or email. It’s a more personalized way of following up and making that valuable connection with your leads.
That does it for our visual marketing trends of 2019! If you have any questions about these visual marketing trends, you know where to find us!
About SchlickArt Photography and Video
SchlickArt, a boutique photo and video studio in Santa Clarita, started in March 2012 with the simple idea that empowerment creates a kind of beauty and authenticity that shines through every camera lens. Built on a philosophy — rather than a product, service or person — SchlickArt has rapidly evolved, meeting professional portraiture, business photo and business video needs as diverse as the community we capture. It’s the desire to take care of you, the client, that drives us at SchlickArt. Follow #TheSchlickArtBlog to keep up with visual marketing trends as they develop in 2019.