The power of design-led content marketing

The inception of design-led content marketing has assisted marketing companies in South Africa, and around the world, in landing brand messages that resonate and drive sales conversions.

With brand messages flooding the news feeds of 4.5 billion internet users, we can thank the introduction of visual design to digital for giving us all a fighting chance. If your goal is to supersede your greatest competitors and have your brand exist in the mind of your target audience, incorporating design into your content marketing strategies is compulsory.

What is design-led content marketing? 

The gist of design-led marketing lies in observing your content from a visual perspective. Copy and design work hand-in-hand; where copy is the message, the design is what tells a story. And, that’s what makes content appealing, memorable, and what keeps your audience coming back for more.

Quickly defined, it helps brands express their unique messaging in a more creative capacity. It also allows them to analyse and alter their strategies according to what works and what their audiences are looking for. With a multitude of formats to select from, including video content, infographics, mailers and others, brands have been handed the freedom and the power to change the face of content marketing.

So, what makes design-led content marketing so powerful?

We’re a visual species 

According to Forrester, design-led brands are far more capable of creating unique customer experiences that lead to returning customers than those who don’t. Humans are incredibly visual, having proved that we have a greater ability to absorb and retain information that is shared with us through visual design.

With adequate consideration of the visual content we create, we can completely craft our customer’s experiences and stimulate interest in our products and services with lasting effects. The goal is to establish ourselves as a household name with a unique brand image. This is what guides your market in selecting your brand over others.

Emotional connections made easy 

The power of design is undeniable. With it, we can create the same emotional connections that two people are capable of having on a good first date. It was only until digital online marketing companies started incorporating visual content into their strategies that they were able to tap into their target market like never before. Now, brands are capable of conveying a simple message and receiving a much more powerful response, simply by exploring relatable, human emotions.

In another Rogerwilco blog, The Human-Centred Approach to Marketing, we learn the importance of emotional intelligence and the effect it has on a customer’s perception of the product or service we’re selling. Making real connections through emotion means we have to establish why someone would want what we have to offer and how it would add value to their lives. And, these days, the best way to convert is to tell a story that is authentic, relatable and memorable.

Brand credibility 

If you’ve contributed a substantial amount of time into your corporate image, you’ll know just how crucial it is when distinguishing yourself from your competitors, both in face-value and the quality of the product or service you’re selling. Design-led content marketing has the power to enhance your brand awareness and transform the audience’s perception of your brand, which will ultimately act as a deciding factor in whether a customer chooses you, or your competitor.

Quality designs and visuals, these days, are directly associated with the type of service you are capable of providing, as well as the value of the product you are trying to convince others to invest their hard-earned money into. If you provide little to no information about your product, or if you produce low-quality visual content; your potential customers are sure to take their business elsewhere.

A message that’s clear 

As digital marketing has evolved over the years, it’s clear that we’re serving a planet of instantly gratified customers. If a customer wants something, they don’t want to try too hard to find it, and they don’t have to. In the quest to retain our audience’s attention, it’s visual design that enables us to provide all necessary information in a simple and memorable format.

Design-led content marketing has allowed advertising agencies to say a lot more with a lot less. Now, we’re capable of sharing entire stories and taking our customers through a purchasing journey that is both creative and concise, without having to write an entire blog post.

Final thoughts

Household brand names didn’t achieve global recognition without a comprehensive content strategy. If you’ve felt nonchalant about your brand’s design efforts, now’s the time to change your posture. With the density of competition out there, one cannot afford to forgo crucial opportunities.

If you’re in search of award-winning creativity for your design and social media marketing services, invest your efforts into a team who lives and breathes great content. Take a look at Rogerwilco’s content marketing services today and let us help you break the boundaries.