TRENDING: THE FUTURE OF VISUAL MARKETING

Technology has transformed the way we live our lives in modern society - the way we work, to the way we communicate with friends and family, to the way we consume entertainment. While nearly every element of our day-to-day is now consumed with technology, perhaps no activity has been more greatly affected than the way we shop!

With brick-and-mortar stores closing at a rapid pace, and e-commerce expected to reach 15% of all retail sales by 2020, brands are understandably eager to get ahead of market trends and beat out a growing presence of global competition. These challenges must be solved across all
consumer industries, including retail, travel, housewares, beauty, luxury, hospitality, and automotive, among others. Additionally, marketing has grown increasingly visual in recent years, with the expansion of social networks like Facebook and Instagram & the growth
in digital touch points where consumers choose to engage with brands. As a result, modern marketers are turning to new sources of visual content & implementing more connected consumer experiences.

But what is visual marketing? Visual marketing is the process of marketing with photos, videos, and other visual elements that attest to the value of your product or brand. Visual marketing has always been important, long before the days of digital strategies.

Yet why has a best practice suddenly become a necessity?

1. Our attention spans are shrinking. The more data and stimuli we have to process on a daily basis, the more filtering our brain automatically does. Our brain is constantly looking for shortcuts.
2. Humans are wired to absorb visual information. Visual content provides those shortcuts for your brain. It helps you follow your natural tendency to learn through visuals. The rate at which this is happening is only speeding up because of the amount of stimuli out there right now that’s demanded of you every day.

Here you will find five key predictions for the visual marketing space that brands should consider to drive engagement and revenue in 2018 and beyond:

1. Video marketing and technology will evolve to address a greater demand for personalization across emerging formats.
2. Brands will build long-term relationships with influencers, and consumers will demand transparency about those relationships.
3. “Respect” and “privacy” will take center stage in marketing conversations as the line between consumers and creators continues to blur.
4. Increased consumer demand for seamless buying experiences and greater availability of social buying technology will help set brands apart from competition.
5. Ephemeral formats will prove effective beyond engagement and brand awareness, demonstrating value as conversion engines.

With emerging content formats, social buying, data-driven content strategies and considerations surrounding consumer privacy all evolving, brands will need to deploy an intelligent content mix to succeed now and into the future. Influencer content, consumer content & brand-owned content across channels will all prove valuable contributors to connecting a fragmented buyer’s journey. With new technology, brands have a great opportunity to create personalized, authentic visual marketing experiences that will achieve engagement, revenue, and long-term customer value.