Why Industrial Companies Should Embrace Visual Content
Time to Read: 3m 15s
You invest a great deal of time in the content you put on your website. You take pains to describe products accurately and ensure that every word correctly reflects your brand. Text is an essential part of your content strategy, but it shouldn’t be your whole strategy. If you’re not using visual content on your website, blog, email and social platforms, you’re missing out. For industrial marketers in particular, it can be difficult to get people to understand exactly what it is that you do. Visual content – which includes photos, videos and infographics – can help bridge that gap.
Photos
When it first launched in the 19th century, the Montgomery Ward catalog was a marketing revolution. It allowed customers to understand a product without seeing it firsthand. Part of the catalog’s success was due to the black and white images that accompanied product descriptions. It has been 144 years since the first Montgomery Ward catalog was printed and little has changed: if you want to move a product, it helps to show an image of it.How industrial marketers can use photos
If you run an e-commerce site, you should absolutely include an image for each product. Even better: our part number builders show customers different images when they choose different product attributes, so they always get a clear idea of all of the different options that are available. If you do mostly custom work, use images to show the types of parts you can make. Of course, photos can show more than just your products. Take photos of your facility. Take photos of your team. Take photos of your equipment. Show people who are you are and give them all the information they need at a glance.Videos
Film has fascinated people ever since the first movie theater opened in Pittsburgh in 1905. It should come as no surprise, then, that video is an extremely powerful marketing tool. According to Forbes, adding video to your site can keep people on it 88% longer.How industrial marketers can use videos
Many of our clients use cutting-edge technologies and innovative equipment. Use video to show the efficiency of your foam convoluter or the accuracy of your water jet cutter. Combat negative stereotypes about manufacturing with videos of your employees doing engaging work in a clean, well-lit environment. Give potential customers a virtual tour of your facility. Offer step-by-step tutorials that educate customers on how to use your product. There’s no limit to what industrial marketers can do with video.Infographics
Infographics are everywhere these days. Why? One simple reason: they are effective. They are a simple and powerful way to organize information into visually-appealing charts or diagrams that get the message across.How industrial marketers can use infographics
Use infographics to show the advantages of CNC electro discharge machining. Or create flowcharts that help people choose the right fasteners. Use them to showcase research you’ve done on a particular industry or product.Some things to Keep in Mind
- Visual content can give you a boost, but you need to be careful with it. Images that are too large will slow down your site.
- An unoptimized image is a missed opportunity. Remember to optimize your images with alt tags, captions and correct file names.
- People will watch videos that have less-than-stellar video quality, but they don’t put up with videos that have bad audio. Make sure the audio tracks on your videos are crisp and clear, even if they’re just music.
- Just like you need to optimize images, you need to optimize videos. Make sure YouTube descriptions are rich and contain your keywords.
- Infographics require an investment of time and money. Before you make infographics, be sure you have enough of what you need to make great ones.