Maybe you and I have noticed the same thing about all the advice out there on marketing. It seems that it’s all about content. Content is king. Content is crucial.

The fact is, that it’s true. You won’t get anywhere, especially on social media, without stellar content. But, it feels like we’re missing a big part of the picture, literally.

I’m talking about visual marketing, about how you are visually stimulating your audience on social media. The success of visual platforms like Instagram and Snapchat have forced us to look more closely at the impact of visual marketing, and how it can help businesses build their brands.

It turns out there are a few tricks to killer visual content. Here are 5 ideas for taking your visual marketing strategy up a few notches.

Infographics for Instant Visual Appeal

What’s one thing that people love? It’s statistics. We gobble up facts and numbers because they’re short, digestible pieces of information that give us insight into the big picture. Statistics are like a power snack. Chock full of good stuff, but not too filling.

The only problem is that sometimes, you need to read through quite a bit of text to get to the good parts. Suddenly, that power snack has turned into a meal that you weren’t really hungry for. If you’re burying facts and statistics in the depths of your content, it’s time to pull them out in the form of an infographic.

An infographic is a visual element used to communicate information found in, or relevant to, your content. It adds instant visual appeal to your content, no matter how “dry” the topic might be. Audiences love infographics so much that they are liked and shared 3 times as much as any other type of content.

Creating infographics that really stand out on social media means thinking outside the box. You have limited space, so you’ve really got to pack a punch into a small area. Think about trying interactive infographics, info-GIFs, and using colors that will pop for your audience as their scrolling through an endless feed of look-a-like content.

Ephemeral Content for a Lasting Impression

Ephemeral content are images and video that show up on social media and then magically disappear after 24 hours. It’s here today, gone forever and it drives engagement like crazy.

So, when Adweek mentioned it as one of the top 5 impactors for marketing this coming year, it makes it even more worthy of paying attention to.

Let’s look at how ephemeral content can generate more engagement than other types of visual marketing. Say, you’re a life coach who wants to run a social media campaign featuring short snippets of real, but inspirational, advice.

You decide on a series of short videos posted on Facebook. You get some engagement that you’re excited about, but not as much as you’d hoped for. It’s probably because some of the people you were hoping to reach saw your content, but decided to come back to it later. After all, it’s not going anywhere, and there’s so much more to look at.

If you’d went with ephemeral content, the fear of missing out would have prompted those same people to stop and engage before the opportunity was gone. Ephemeral content also has the power to keep your audience hooked, waiting for more.

The key to getting more out of ephemeral content is keeping it real. Ephemeral gives your brand an authenticity that other types of visual content misses the mark on. Don’t go overboard planning and scripting ephemeral content. Be yourself and watch engagement rise.

Go Vertical for the Mobile Consumer

It’s almost a guarantee that your audience is using a mobile device to check you out on social media. The next time you’re out, take a look around. How many people have their smartphones in their hand? Now how many have their laptops spread out in front of them?

It should be clear. You need to optimize your visual content for the mobile consumer.

In the past, mobile users were happy to turn their phones horizontally to view videos and other forms of visual content, but that technique is starting to get old.

Now, mobile consumers want high quality visual content that can be viewed in its entirety without the need to stop and reconfigure the device in their hands. In response, social platforms like Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook have not only made it easier to create vertical content, but they’re also actively encouraging you to do it.

Illustrations Pop

Social media, and the way that people are using it is changing. They want a richer, more satisfying experience. Visual content that looks like everything else they scroll past isn’t going to win their attention.

You need to stand out.

Right, you already know that. The question is how, and the answer involves stepping outside the box and dabbling with illustrations.

Illustrations, instead of picture images, make the user stop and pay attention. Smart businesses are going to be getting creative with ways to use images on social media. You’re going to start seeing more illustrations combined with graphics and also illustrations that look enough like a picture, that you can’t help but stop and do a double take.

Now’s the time to start thinking about how you can update your social image with modern looking illustrations.

Think About Rebranding Through Color

Speaking of making your visual content “pop”, color can be your new best friend for rebranding yourself through visual media.

Start by looking at the visual content that you’re already producing. What does it say about you? Is it flat, and is that the image you want for your brand? If you aren’t communicating the true energy of your brand, try adding a color pop.

For example, consider changing the background colors on your images to a certain color scheme. Think bright fresh colors that also have a clean refreshing feel about them.

What are your plans for visual marketing on social media this year? The trends are refreshing, and brands are going to be able to reach out to, and engage with, their audience in a more meaningful and personal way than ever before. Now’s the time to make your brand shine with visual marketing.