Engaging the Visual Generation: A #CMWorld Twitter Chat with Amy Balliett

We communicate in non-verbal, visual ways now more than ever. Killer Visual Strategies’ Founder Amy Balliett says the Visual Generation (audiences comprised of Millennials and Gen Z) aren’t just digital natives. They’re visual natives too.

The CMWorld community came together to discuss videos, infographics, gifs, and memes with Amy on a recent Twitter chat. If you’re not leveraging visual design in your content marketing strategy, now is the time to catch up. What follows is a brief recap of our conversation.

Is all visual content created equal? What make some types of visual communication content perform better than others?

A1, pt 2: #Visualcommunication content that displays entirely custom design (custom illustrations, icons, etc.) performs far better than visual content that relies entirely on stock imagery. Also, content with less text performs better than text-heavy visuals #CMWorld

— Amy Balliett (@AmyBalliett) June 30, 2020

A1: Clarity over everything! You can have a piece of content that looks great, but it has to communicate clearly.

Here’s a post from Barstool yesterday that confused people. #CMWorld https://t.co/GoheTMfJyz

— Brianne Fleming (@brianne2k) June 30, 2020

A1 #CMWorld
Aim of any visual content is to attract the users attention in the least possible time.
📹 Video makes use of sound, effects, images and transitions to do this

📱Infographics represent data in a digestable format, use of colour

💻 Photos/Images give rise to emotions

— Smita (@Smita_DigiMarke) June 30, 2020

#cmworld A1. Not at all. I think content has to be relevant and skillfully executed to perform well with an audience. A huge part of it relates to knowing the audience. Also, make sure the visual content works. It can’t connect with an audience if they can’t access it.

— Dana Lemaster (@DanaLemaster) June 30, 2020

Many marketers have experience creating traditional text-based articles. But Amy Balliett says we should be engaging the Visual Generation. Does a push towards visual storytelling mean consumers are becoming resistant to blog posts?

A2, pt 2: Still, marketers relying on blog posts alone need to shift their strategies. The Visual Generation expects high-quality visuals from your brand first & foremost. Visual content invites them into the conversion funnel, & blogs push them further down that funnel. #CMWorld

— Amy Balliett (@AmyBalliett) June 30, 2020

A2) Not exactly. Consumers’ lives are busy and fast-paced so it is important to give them information in ways that are quick and more easily digestible. If they like the infographic/visual, there is a greater chance they will read the blog in full when they have time #cmworld

— OnePitch (@onepitchsaas) June 30, 2020

A2: I think it depends on the topic and audience. Some people do avoid articles, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t appropriate for in-depth topics.

I prefer creating content in article form, then repurposing for videos and infographics. #CMWorld

— Mike Lewis (@MaverickAdverts) June 30, 2020

A2: I don’t think consumers will ever be resistant to blog posts. But they WILL be resistant to blog posts that are poorly written or under-researched. Always do your due diligence, no matter what you’re creating. #CMWorld

— mara (@mara_calv) June 30, 2020

Is the Visual Generation an age group? If so, are generational concepts such as millennials and Gen Z useful audience segmentations when talking about visual storytelling?

A3: The Visual Generation comprises millennials & Generation Z, and they comprise two-thirds of the global population. These are digital and visual natives born after 1981, & they’re fundamentally different, because they expect visual content from brands—not text. #CMWorld https://t.co/BZ5CSh24Qz

— Amy Balliett (@AmyBalliett) June 30, 2020

A3: The Visual Generation is an all age thing. Generational concepts are important when creating content that is relevant. Everyone luvs a good story, just make sure it’s has context.#CMWorld

— Richard Sink, Principal at Critical Connections (@Richard_Sink) June 30, 2020

A3. I don’t think visual generation is an age group. Everyone enjoys visuals that make content readable and quick to grasp. As for segmentation, it certainly helps to understand your audience and then create content according to their preferences. #CMWorld

— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) June 30, 2020

Are there ways for companies to easily add more visuals to their content marketing efforts? How can you do this seamlessly, and should we go back and add/embed visuals in evergreen content?

A4, pt. 2: I would also encourage companies to go back and add visuals to evergreen content. In fact, this can act as the basis for the workbench of assets, as it can help to inform the types of illustrations and iconography you’ll need to use again and again. #CMWorld

— Amy Balliett (@AmyBalliett) June 30, 2020

A4: I love revisiting our evergreen content to either add new visuals or revisit any graphics we may have used. We have done this many times @CMIContent. #CMWorld

— Joseph Kalinowski (@jkkalinowski) June 30, 2020

A4: Start small. Instead of a block quote in a post, make it a simple color graphic. Instead of listing stats from studies, put 2 or 3 stats in an infographic. Also definitely update images where you can in previous evergreen content. It’s a small investment for 📈 ROI. #CMWorld

— Rachel Wendte (@rkwendte) June 30, 2020

A4: Turn that letter from the CEO into a video interview. Turn the powerpoint into an infographic. Turn the webinar into bite-sized videos for social. Turn the webinar into a more in-depth whitepaper or blog with infographic. The visual possibilities are endless! #CMWorld https://t.co/58H4UXY9lm

— Jennifer L. Dawson (@JLDContentQueen) June 30, 2020

When engaging with the Visual Generation, how can you build an emotional connection with your audience while staying on brand? And do you ever worry about visual content on rented land?

A5, pt 2: Sharing visual content on rented land is still worthwhile because it can build brand recognition and drive traffic back to your site. Just make sure to maintain a consistent look and feel across all visuals, otherwise you won’t achieve that brand recognition! #CMWorld

— Amy Balliett (@AmyBalliett) June 30, 2020

A5: That’s why having your own #blog is indispenable because you don’t own #socialmedia. Everything that I post here shows up on my blog first. #CMWorld https://t.co/YyVjHbOkk9

— Carlarjenkins (@carlarjenkins) June 30, 2020

A5
Tell a good story with solid focus.

Case in point: Our new video that talks about the importance of IH/OHS scientists to families.https://t.co/gARNSJVrO9

(We’re just rolling it out now!)#CMWorld

— Creatively brave. 😷 (@bhrome) June 30, 2020

In addition to good design, you need to consider how well your visuals fit your audience’s preferences on the platform. With new platforms being introduced regularly, is there a way to produce visuals so they can be repurposed on more than one platform?

A6: It’s all about planning ahead. Before starting any design, all the channels where the design will live should be taken into consideration. The initial design can then be created to ensure you can easily scale, crop, or resize the image as needed #CMWorld https://t.co/odSqzFKVUw

— Amy Balliett (@AmyBalliett) June 30, 2020

A6: Design all the visuals with the sizes and platforms at the same time. I share this handy-dandy chart with any designer for the social media images. https://t.co/DBzsNB7WhN #CMWorld

— Lisa Baer (@lbaer_lisa) June 30, 2020

A6. Well I think that is something TikTok really thought about. Because you can share their videos on every platform. I think we are going to start seeing more of this. Of course each platform has it’s own style…#CMWorld

— Twoheads-Video Marketing (@TwoheadsC) June 30, 2020

A6: Not only multiple platforms, but multiple devices. I think there are a couple of standards around size and most good content creation platforms allow you to easily adjust. You also should be adjusting the visual itself for diff platforms because audiences are diff. #CMWorld https://t.co/RsXs2VIjxW

— Andi Robinson (@hijinxmarketing) June 30, 2020

What brands have you recently seen tell a compelling visual story?

A7: I think @VICE has mastered telling compelling visual stories for years, and at a time when so much is happening in the world on top of the challenge of remote reporting and Zoom interviews, Vice has remained cutting edge with quite visceral visual storytelling #CMWorld https://t.co/4esKz2MQHR

— Amy Balliett (@AmyBalliett) June 30, 2020

A7: Not to be political, but from a marketing perspective, The Lincoln Project is creating some fantastic visuals to tell a story. #CMWorld

— Sue Brady (@SueBrady) June 30, 2020

A7: I think @OlaySkin has been doing a great job of telling beautiful stories lately. #CMWorld https://t.co/x2fSHD0BJM

— Andi Robinson (@hijinxmarketing) June 30, 2020

A7: @infatuation, @patagonia, @Spotify, & @FastCompany. #CMWorld

— Rachel Wendte (@rkwendte) June 30, 2020

A7: @TeamCoco puts out hilarious and innovative visual content! Incredible designs and use of color. #CMWorld

— Joseph Kalinowski (@jkkalinowski) June 30, 2020

A7.

✅ @MeetEdgar have been doing a fantastic job recently. I absolutely love their new branding, too.

✅ @semrush snag my attention immediately because they’re always so ‘on brand’ and have such a consistent visual style.

✅ And of course @CMIContent 🧡🧡#cmworld https://t.co/V7DBBjaxrX

— 🎨 Nicky Pasquier: Canva Certified Creative (@VirtuosoAssist) June 30, 2020

A7: Salesforce, Microsoft, @NatlParkService, Apple all come to mind first for compelling visual storytelling. #CMWorld

— Penny Gralewski (@virtualpenny) June 30, 2020

A7: #CMWorld@Timberland @Nike @LinkedInMktg @ASOS

— Smita (@Smita_DigiMarke) June 30, 2020

A7: I follow @REI and luv their shares. #CMWorld

— Richard Sink, Principal at Critical Connections (@Richard_Sink) June 30, 2020

A7. @Grammarly, @wyzowl, @trello as well as @toggl are some excellent brands telling compelling visuals stories. #CMWorld

— Masooma | Content Writer (@inkandcopy) June 30, 2020

Many thanks to Amy for sharing her insights. We’re happy she could spend time with us on the day her new book launched. Check out Killer Visual Strategies if you’re looking to develop better visual communication.

Want to dive into the Visual Generation more? Catch Amy’s session at Content Marketing World. Can’t wait until October? Amy is also speaking at ContentTECH Summit!