Let Me Give It To Ya Straight:
Did you know 30% of our brains are taken up by neurons devoted to visual processing as compared to 8% devoted to touch and only 3% devoted to hearing? Or the fact that people have the ability to process visual information 60,000x faster than text information! Lastly, you have 8 seconds to make an impression and get someone’s attention before they click to something else. (That’s shorter than the attention span of a goldfish!)
Long story short: visuals matter. And today I’m going to walk you through ways that you can share stories through the images, fonts, colors, and styles you are sharing online. I get it, we all know that stories matter but maybe we’re struggling with how to share stories through the images we’re trying to make all “Instagram worthy”
This episode is to show you that visuals of your brand go FAR beyond being aesthetically pleasing or “pretty”- they can truly make you brand and personality memorable, professional, … and most importantly, move your bottom line. Ready to post with purpose? Thought so!
VISUAL STORY #1: How do we harness the power of telling meaningful stories on our feeds?
It starts with the heart of the business. Your value isn’t found in what you’re selling, it’s found in the fact that YOU are the one selling it.
Listen up! We are all in saturated markets, struggling to compete and survive. Most consumers can’t decipher a big difference between you and your competition. We look to others in our industry to inspire us. Therefore the only thing truly unique about us and what we can offer is US. Your ability to tell a story can transform the way people connect with you, your brand, your products and service.
When you tell stories, you can create a connection beyond what you sell, humanize the brand, and give people a reason to follow you even if they don’t need your product or service! You have to create connection points with your followers beyond WHAT you do…. you want to share WHO you are.
How do you show this visually?
- Incorporate tools and elements: what are things you use daily or to do your work that you can incorporate! (ex: laptop, microphone, camera)
- You in your environment: showing you at work in your office, where you create your best work, behind the scenes, traveling.
- Head Shots: beautiful, clean images of you, your team, your family, whatever you feel comfortable sharing that offers a human connection.
- Styled Stock Images: purchase styled stock images that are on brand in terms of color, aesthetic, and styling
Visual Story #2: Followers Imagine themselves being clients
Think of a story of transformation, either your own or a client. People often get stumped here but absolutely every human being has been through a transformation in their life. People LOVE to hear about how you started in one place and transformed into a new location. (Hellllo, who doesn’t love seeing before and after photos and then learning how that transformation took place?) To give THIS story major power in terms of business, a transformation on how you got to where you are can open conversations up and allow people to see more of the journey that you’ve encountered.
Image ideas for Transformations:
- Images of your product: in a setting that makes sense and/or a consumer enjoying or using said product.
- Before and Afters: this is one of the most powerful ways to share a testimonial or transformation, it paints the visual before and after.
- Elements of your offer: if you’re selling a service or a digital product, how can you showcase it in a way that makes it clear to your viewer to help them imagine the after.
- Clients: Use your client created images to showcase real-life product users that your followers can relate to.
- Confused at all? I dig into a super thorough example of this on the episode! Tune in here!
In summary: Your followers want to visualize themselves in… let them imagine themselves as the client.
Visual Story #3: What Is Your Classic Brand Story?
A classic brand story is a story containing the things you become known for BEYOND what do you or create. These are touchpoint of connection that connect you to your followers regardless of if they are going to purchase from you right now.
How to visually tell brand stories:
- Lifestyle shots: Images of things other than what you sell. Using different items that help create that editorial feel for you and act as serving before selling.
- Personal photos: Create connection through images of things that will draw connection with your ideal clients even if they AREN’T currently in the market for what you are selling.
- Growth photos: Photos that show your growth or change that allow people to see your journey in a new way.
- Conflict photos: Share some of the obstacles or objections boldly so that you can be the hero of your own story and allow your followers to imagine themselves as the hero of their life.
- Styled Shots: Photos that give you the chance to write more to the story or to share your heart (even if it isn’t fully aligned with the story!)
Wow, this topic! This blog post is a great place to start, but the episode is full of so much juicy content (and tons of specific examples!) This blog is a great starting point, but if you want more examples and secret tips, you’ll have to tune in. If you pair this knowledge with the tips on the show, you’ll be sure that not every post will serve everybody, but that every post will serve a purpose.
This is an area I’m working on in my own business. I want to show the transformation my customers will have with my products and services. I’m also trying to use more stories in my content instead of using salesy or pitchy copy which can be challenging. Thanks for the great tips!
Hi. I loved this podcast. I feel like it speaks really well to those with service tased businesses or people selling products that can impact lives, but I sell “Swiss designs”. I live in a small resort town in the Swiss Alps (an expat married to a Swiss) and started my business 2 years ago. I get how I can tell that story or show the cool Alpine lifestyle that goes with my brand, but how can I show that Swiss made handbags are going to change your life? I struggle with finding the problem in my customers’ lives that I need to solve… Do you have any suggestions for product based businesses that are more luxury than life changing?
Thank you so much! I literally stopped everything i was doing and had to keep pausing to make sure i took notes of all you were saying! I plan on incorporating these techniques to my brand ASAP.
[…] thinks you should check out this Goal Digger podcast. It’s all about the importance of visuals and how to tell stories that capture attention. […]
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I love this one .. it really challenges you to be self reflecting and honest.
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