17 Visual Storytelling Hacks to Power Your Marketing Strategy

Social media has pretty much taken over the online marketing world. If your business isn’t on social media, you’re missing out on a huge number of potential customers. The same can be said for cellphone marketing too, it can reach a wider clientele, that is why businesses can help themselves by using the SMS codes list for their marketing strategy. And it’s a big mistake to think that your business isn’t in the right industry to have a social media presence – even law firms are making sure they have a social media presence so they can go to a company like Serp (https://serp.co/services/marketing/lawyers/) and target ads to people on platforms like Facebook because, let’s face it, everyone is on Facebook! But as the number of people using social media increases, so does the number of visual-based platforms.

Snapchat. 360 Video. Facebook Live. The marketing world is buzzing about visual communication. Which tools and trends will take off in 2017? Which brands are catching attention and setting the standard for visual storytelling?

Visual content has an unmatched ability to catch your audience’s attention – you just need the right tips and tricks to make it happen!

Watch our on-demand webinar with content marketer, video producer and manager of the Libris Visual Storytelling Blog Kristin Twiford to get 17 hacks for visual storytelling, complete with stand-out examples and cutting-edge ideas to steal.

You could always hire a video production company to do the hard work for you, but we’ve also listed the 17 hacks below just in case you want to give it a go yourself and want to skim the headlines before you commit 30 minutes of webinar watching, or you watched the webinar and want to take a deep dive into some of the examples we shared! Happy hacking!

TLDR: 17 Visual Storytelling Hacks for 2017

#2 Build Visually Cohesive Campaigns

A great example of a visually cohesive campaign is Visit Norway’s #SheepWithAView. Read the full story: How VisitNorway’s #SheepWithAView Video Marketing Campaign Became a Viral Hit on Social Media.

#3 Connect with a Value

As Simon Sinek says in his TED Talk, “it’s not what you do it’s why you do it.” Learn more in our post, Video Marketing Tip: Put Your Customers’ Values in the Spotlight.

In line with this hack, Red Bull makes videos not about energy drinks, but about energy.

#5 Get Started with Video

79% of marketers say video’s importance is on the rise. Whether you’re shooting video for social media on your phone or shooting Instagram ads in-house with professional equipment, it’s time to focus on video!

Check out these examples from the webinar:

• A Featured How-to Video on Whole Foods’ Homepage

• A Short, Snackable Video on Jet.com’s Instagram

  Whether you’re cozying up with books or hosting movie nights, we’ve got whatever you need to just chill out & do you. 🿠#NewYearDoYou

  A video posted by Jet (@jet) on Jan 24, 2017 at 2:18pm PST

• Video Content Marketing by Virgin Hotels

• A Short Film by the Holland Marketing Alliance

#6 Geek Out on GIFs

GIFs make everything more fun. We like using Giphy Capture, Giphy Gifmaker and Photoshop to make our own GIFs.

The only thing better than finding your perfect getaway home, is arriving there. #bookingyeah https://t.co/hVuE7hxX6e pic.twitter.com/dDCp8thAlg

– Booking.com (@bookingcom) November 3, 2016

#7 Test Live Video

We love NatGeo’s #SafariLive! Remember, if you’re going to go live on social media, be prepared. Make sure everyone (both behind and in front of the camera) is on the same page about what you’re going to show and how long you’ll be “on air.”

#8 Experiment with 360 Video

If you want to experiment with 360 video, make sure your story is a fit for the medium.

Here are some great examples we go over in the webinar:

Checkout a 360 look at #Concepti with its designers! #ToyotaCES #Periscope360 https://t.co/BPO1JuSbRJ

– Toyota USA (@Toyota) January 5, 2017

#10 Create Shareable Experiences

Experiential marketing can help you engage your crowd in person and have a ripple effect on social media. Get inspired with our Union Square Series, which includes the #PancakeSelfie example below from the webinar.

#12 Work with Influencers

Get more ROI when you’re working with influencers by following Visit Greenland’s influencer marketing secrets.

#13 Highlight Real Employees and Customers

Meet Hudson, a real (and extremely adorable little boy) who got to meet a Southwest pilot, and see why this is a hack to steal from Southwest’s social listening strategy.

#14 Interact with Other Brands

I got here as fast as I could… #cuteanimaltweetoff pic.twitter.com/wPWHHoPaS1

– Los Angeles Zoo (@LAZoo) January 25, 2017

Fun interactions like the #CuteAnimalTweetOff and the Rockies vs. Reds Twitter snowball fight show how playing with other brands on social media can pay off.

Snowball fight anyone? pic.twitter.com/ETMaOJCJ6A

– Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) January 5, 2017

#15 Publish Your Best Photos in Real Time

Want some inspiration for a real time social media workflow?

Steal ideas from:

• Purdue
• Case Study: How to Beat the Smart Phone and Publish High Res Images to Social Media in a Flash
• Adventure Travel Trade Association

Bonus: Tell Your Story in Real Time with the Libris Uploader App

#16 Go Behind the Scenes

The Clemson Tigers are crushing it with behind the scenes content across social media channels. They not only won the College Football Playoff on the field, they also won the battle on social media. Check out their channels to get ideas for how you can give your fans a new perspective.

The details matter.#ALLIN ðŸ…🾠#Clemson pic.twitter.com/2ByjVkYjHn

– Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) January 19, 2017

#17 Make Your Archive Easily Accessible

From sponsored posts to #TBT to saving time and resources, the Baltimore Ravens show the ROI of having easy access to your brand’s images.

The Bottom Line

These are just a few of the tips we shared in this on-demand webinar. To access all the hacks and tools you can use in your visual storytelling, view the webinar or download the slides.

Trying out any of these hacks will jumpstart your 2017 video content marketing. Don’t get overwhelmed – pick a hack or two to get started, or map them out on your content calendar! We’d love to see your visual content once you’re rolling, so be sure to share it with us by tagging @getlibris on Twitter or Instagram or leaving a comment here on the blog!