By Oster & Associates president Bev Oster

To build your brand and share a strong brand message, you need attractive and smart content. We usually think of content as a catchy slogan or a well-written article. But it is more than just words.

Visual communication is as much a part of our language as words. It includes any image that is used to convey an idea, such as photography, signs and graphic design.

Everyday, we are overwhelmed with new information and what our brains like most is visual language. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? A picture is clear, concise and easy to remember compared with long tedious paragraphs.

Visual communication helps make your brand stand out from the competition. First, define what you want to say and then find or create the perfect visual that will translate your message. Using good photography helps make a strong first impression with your customers.

We have helped our client, Organics Unlimited, overcome the obstacle of taking an everyday product (organic bananas) and turning it into a recognizable, worldwide brand. Organics Unlimited has differentiated itself by offering something more than just bananas.

Together, we have created a strong brand identity that shares a larger story. Organics Unlimited’s brand represents a deep involvement to communities in Mexico and Ecuador, a commitment to make the lives of children healthier and better.

It is important to keep evolving a brand to stay relevant and top-of-mind with customers, and visual communication is a great asset to help connect with consumers. We regularly update Organics Unlimited’s image bank to have compelling photography to use when submitting articles to editors or writing blog posts.

Pictures help customers realize the work that Organics Unlimited is doing and also the environment of those communities that customers are helping when buying Organics Unlimited’s products. It adds personality to the brand and deepens the brand’s story.

Visual components are especially important when selling highly photographic products, such as food, flowers and plants. Consumers buy those products based on what they look like. We are attracted to the mouthwatering food pictures and the dream-house photography. This means that it can also be double-edged: even if the description looks good, if the picture doesn’t look appetizing or appealing because of faded colors or wrong exposure and angle, chances are high we will go for something else.

Inserting professional and well-thought visual elements in your communications is highly recommended in order to connect with your customers. It helps show what the product looks like but also shares a specific feeling and atmosphere. When shopping for your home, visuals help consumers to picture how they will use the flowers or plants for decorating using the products, which will increase the purchase action.

As an example, for our client Kent’s Bromeliads, we have worked meticulously with photographers to ensure that the colors that buyers see in marketing materials, whether print or online, match the actual plants once they are in the store or in the consumer’s home or office. Flower colors often have strong, emotional connections for the person who is buying them, so the visuals are actually more important in the purchasing process than written elements such as care instructions or price.

Having images of your products, headshots of the CEO and pictures of the facilities are all good. But for marketing purposes, photography needs to tell a story and be high quality. A professional photographer can help you build a strong image bank using the right content, lighting and angles to substitute for that 1000 words and add credibility to your brand. Those same photos may help promote the brand through advertising, POS materials and publicity. Starting with this as a strong ingredient to marketing is as important as buying fresh produce for tasty, healthy cooking.

www.freshfruitportal.com