The importance of visual storytelling in email marketing
If you regularly use email marketing to stay in touch with your customers, then you are already on the right path to boosting engagement. But at a time when everyone’s inboxes are flooded with promotional emails, users are rarely giving their full attention to the emails they receive.
So, if you’ve been looking for ways to capture your readers’ attention, look no further! We bring you a great solution and one of today’s most powerful email marketing tools: visual storytelling.
By Manar Sadkou Unlock the power of visual storytelling in your email marketing to captivate and engage your audience.
What is visual storytelling? If you don’t know, no worries! This blog post is here to answer all your undying questions. Keep reading to learn how to incorporate visuals in your emails for optimal results!
What is visual storytelling?
Visual storytelling, as its name suggests, is the art of narrating using visual media. It’s the ability to convey a message and evoke emotions relying solely on mediums like images, videos, graphics, and other visual design elements. This form of storytelling is as old as time, evolving from cave paintings in the prehistoric era to stained glass windows in the Middle Ages and making its way to our screens in the 21st century through digital media.
Visual storytelling can make complex topics more digestible and make deep, lasting impressions on viewers. Researchers at MIT found that the human brain is able to process visuals as fast as 13 milliseconds, 60,000 times faster than our brains can process text. In fact, people generally process and respond to visual information more efficiently than any other type of data. So, it is no wonder that our human desire to communicate through visual elements remains unchanged and that this art form continues to evolve along with cultural shifts and technological advancement.
Visual storytelling examples
Considering how long the art form has been around, examples of visual storytelling are endless. As is the case with any creative practice, ideas are almost unlimited, and the digital era isn’t facing any shortage of brilliant, talented artists who move viewers with their stunning visuals every day. Here are some of our favorite visual storytelling forms in the digital era:
Portrait photography (portraiture): This genre of photography aims to convey the personality or character of the subjects it focuses on. Capturing a person’s essence in one still image is no easy feat and requires strategic thinking about backdrops and lighting along with a tremendous effort to pose the subject without it coming across as unnatural. For those reasons, we believe portrait photography deserves a spot as one of the most powerful visual storytelling forms of our time.
Graphs and charts: Those of us who are visual learners surely must share an appreciation for this medium of storytelling. Graphs and charts can represent information and data in a manner that a lot of people agree is easier to interpret. And not only are they informative, but they also come in multiple forms and are highly customizable. What more can we ask for?
Films: While this form of storytelling doesn’t rely solely on visuals, a meticulous thought process behind the cinematography, editing, and production design is a major component in the making of any great film. For example, George Miller’s “Mad Max: Fury Road” is easily one of the finest works of visual storytelling in cinema. Not only is this movie simply a feast for anyone’s eyes, but it also shows how visual elements like the movement of the camera, the color palette, and the set design can not only enhance storytelling but almost entirely drive it. So, if you are interested in visual storytelling, we can’t recommend this thrilling action spectacle enough!
Memes: This honorable mention deserves a spot for all the fun and humor it brings to our lives. It is no secret that memes have taken over social media in the past few years and for a good reason: No matter how old you are, what your interests are, and what sense of humor you have, there are most certainly some memes out there to keep you entertained and make you laugh!
Why is storytelling important in business?
Now that you have an idea about what visual storytelling consists of, let us tell you why it should be of interest to you as a business owner or marketer! Here are some benefits of incorporating visual storytelling in your email marketing campaigns:
Visuals are eye-catching. As we’ve mentioned before, most users are bombarded with multiple promotional emails daily. So, if you want yours to stand out, it’s time to get creative! Visual storytelling grabs people’s attention instantly and makes them more likely to spend time viewing your emails.
People want to be moved. Visuals have the power to elicit an emotional response from your viewers, which is exactly what you want. Human beings crave meaningful connections, and visual storytelling can truly help you create a deeper bond with your customer base, ensuring they remember your product and get into action!
Communication is key. The success of any relationship depends highly on how well the parties involved can communicate with one another. Conveying information with ease and efficiency is one of the many perks of incorporating visuals in your email marketing campaigns.
Reach for the stars. You always want your campaigns to be engaging, shareable and impactful. Luckily, good visual marketing and design can go a long way toward increasing your brand’s reach and boosting engagement!
How can you incorporate visual storytelling in email marketing?
Have we managed to convince you of the importance of visuals in your email marketing campaigns? You must now be wondering how to harness the power of visual storytelling. No worries! We have a few suggestions for how you can leverage it for your email marketing strategy:
Images: This one might seem obvious but simply incorporating a few images in your emails can add more character and depth. For optimal results, stick to high-quality images that are relevant to the content of the email and the overall message you are trying to convey.
GIFs and memes: These two can really add a dynamic and humorful feel to your emails that will surely grab your readers’ attention. Besides creating a more memorable experience, GIFs and memes are generally super engaging and can ensure viewers don’t click out immediately!
Colors: Don’t underestimate the power of the colors you use! We often have mental associations with the colors we see and while the way a color makes us feel can vary depending on the person, people generally react similarly to certain colors or color palettes. For example, the color red is psychologically associated with passion and aggression, which is why it tends to evoke a sense of urgency in us when we see it (Think clearance sales!). So, we recommend you do some more digging into color psychology and choose the colors you use in your emails wisely!
Data visualization: Data is often harder to process in the form of text and if your email is genuinely difficult to understand, then your readers are more likely to click out. For that reason, it’s always a win-win situation to employ charts, graphs, or maps when trying to convey complex information.
Bonus explainer: Video in email marketing
While videos are a great form of visual storytelling, we recommend that you steer clear of them when it comes to email marketing. If you are trying to reach a larger audience, you should know that quite a few email providers (Gmail for example) don’t support the embedding of videos. So, there is a good chance many users won’t be able to see your video, making it pointless. Including videos can also sometimes cause your emails to be flagged as spam, meaning they likely won’t be delivered to a good amount of your audience. Yikes, that’s one risk we don’t advise you to take!
If you’ve made it this far, then you are equipped with all the knowledge you need to fully take advantage of the power of visual storytelling in your upcoming email marketing campaigns. Giving your readers a pleasant visual experience can truly go a long way toward boosting engagement and building brand loyalty. So, what are you waiting for? Give it a try and let us know how it goes in the comments below!
And if you still don’t have an email account with mail.com, why not sign up for free today?
