‘Show, don’t tell’ is one of the most important guidelines for any successful marketing strategy. This ideal has stood the test of time simply because it not only applies to business-related thought processes, but also in our daily lives.
Consider this hypothetical scenario; you’re seated somewhere in Rodney Bay reading the latest issue of Dazzle Magazine when a long-time friend runs up to you and tells you about a funny incident that happened earlier in the day. Your friend goes on and on telling you this funny and somewhat unbelievable story until you ask whether he/she took any photos or videos of the incident. The answer is ‘no’, at which point the story turns out to be not as impactful as it could have been, and you’re no longer as interested because there was nothing to show in the first place. With this real-world example in mind, let’s see why ‘showing’ is important in the world of business.
As a business owner/entrepreneur you must first have a detailed understanding of who your potential customers are. This knowledge will guide you as to how you choose to SHOW what your product or service is all about. You can take advantage of the various social media platforms that have emerged in recent years by using those that are more suitable for a visual-heavy marketing strategy.
Take Snapchat and Instagram as examples; these two social networking apps have now overtaken more mainstream social networks like Facebook in some circles by virtue of their ecosystems being almost exclusively visual.
When brainstorming, see how best you can include video and other imagery (pictures, graphics, GIFs) in your content plan. Users often scroll through social media timelines without paying close attention to everything that’s on their screen. The only way to improve your chances of reaching a wider audience and gain their genuine interest is by showing them what you have to offer.
Similarly, it is equally important to stand out with the style and designs you choose for your brand or business when showing. And if you’re not quite sold yet, consider the findings of a OneSpot study which show that the human brain processes images 60 times faster than words. This is certainly a useful bit of information that’s worthy of pondering over.
Whether it’s for individual branding or an entire organisation, always try to leverage a sufficient amount of visual content as part of your marketing strategy in order to draw customers in and to retain existing customers. Not only does this mantra apply to your digital marketing but also in face-to-face interactions, should your product or service allow for that. If a customer walks into your store and initially shows interest in what you are offering, don’t bore them with spec-sheets and numbers that won’t be of significant value to them. Instead, carry out a demonstration, if possible, or highlight a product that shows the very best of what you have to offer and why they need to buy it. On the other hand, there is still a place for telling through text. Sometimes a combination of the two will suit you just fine. The key is finding balance between the two
