Visual images are increasingly important for online marketers. You probably already know this, but it is worthy of another mention: content with images attract more clicks.
And now Google is switching to a mobile-first index, using graphic design in marketing is not a nice-to-have, but a must-do. Mobile-users are more inclined to read graphically designed advertising.
Not heard of the mobile-first index? Quick brief: Google will be ranking websites based on how mobile users interact with your website instead of desktop users.
Therefore, if your website and content therein is not mobile-friendly, you’re screwed.
I’m not about to launch into an article about how search engines rank websites, but it is useful information to know, so check out this article from Moz.
What I will tell you here is how graphic design in marketing can be used to attract and engage audiences. In doing so, the metrics search engines use to assess user-engagement are given the SEO equivalent of a pinch of snuff.
But just so you know: the longer visitors stay on your website and explore your webpages, the higher you rank in search engines. There, enough said!
The importance of graphic design in small business marketing
Graphic design has a central role on digital platforms. Visuals are eye-catching, engaging, exciting, communicate your marketing message, appeal to your customers, and can influence purchasing decisions.
Not only does visual media, attract the attention of customers through various marketing channels, graphic design can be used to provide information, keep visitors on-site and promote further exploration.
This study by nngroup.com shows most visitors leave a website within 20 seconds - even when a website appears trustworthy. Alarm bells!? Not really; people leave because the content is rubbish.
And the first thing web users judge is…? You guessed, the visuals!
Professional looking websites
If you’re an online business, it’s a no-brainer to have a professional looking website. Quality graphic design not only makes you appear trustworthy and authentic, it engages users.
Digital marketers recognise the importance of quality graphic design – especially now the majority of internet browsing is performed on a mobile device. People won’t read reams of text on a tiny screen.
But they will stop and admire visuals. And images are a great communicator. In fact, I’m sure there is a popular saying about that. So use graphic design to brighten up a screen with your marketing message.
I’m not going to give you a reason to convince you that graphic design are essential in marketing: I’m going to give you 42 reasons.
Attract attention on social media
Let me ask you this: how much traffic do you drive to your website from your social media network?
If the answer is ‘not a lot,’ there could be a curable reason. Studies show that images in social posts increase engagement by as much as 42%.
So imagine what engaging, high-quality images designed by professional graphic designers will do for traffic, leads and sales.
Needless to say, that by attracting a larger audience you are going to sell more merchandise. Or services; whatever you are selling, graphic designs help sell more.
As a result, you make more profit and can grow your business. Ya-da-ya-da-ya. You already know that marketing line. But it has to be said that attracting customers from social media networks increases traffic and thus user-engagement.
Let’s go full circle here: when you improve user-engagement you rank better in search engines. When you rank better in search engines, you don’t have to spend as much on advertising.
Furthermore, the majority of internet users are using their mobile devices to access social networks. There is a direct correlation here. And graphic design in marketing is the glue that brings the seams together.
Consumer psychology
The last piece of the marketing jigsaw is consumer psychology. Our subconscious minds draw us towards colours, fonts and images that we find visually appealing.
And this is an area of marketing when graphic design comes into its own. Consumers are drawn to visuals because the human brain can process more information from an image without being overwhelmed.
Any graphic designer worth their fee will create a profile of your ideal target audience and create appropriate visuals using colours, fonts and images that reflect your brand.
Marketing your small business is not merely putting a message out there. It is how you make readers of your message feel. And high-quality graphic design can influence consumers in many ways.
For a small business to get any joy from digital marketing, you need to be visible on multiple online platforms. But with so many businesses grappling for attention, it is difficult to stand out.
And that is why high-quality graphic design is so critically important for marketing campaigns.
