While custom cartoons have always been a great way to promote your brand, encourage social sharing, and connect in a fun way with your clients and customers, with everyone currently jumping on the visual marketing bandwagon, they’re an even better tool to help yourself stand out in 2013.
Visualization
Everyone’s heard that “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Well this year that notion has gone from familiar idiom to marketing phenom:
“The future of content marketing is found in visual content; infographics, photos, videos, memes, and other engaging content that captivates a viewer.”
– Jason Miller, Marketo
“We will see this trend grow in 2013, and brand managers will wisely produce visually pleasing content to drive community growth and interaction.”
– Autumn Truong, Senior Manager of Social Media, Cisco
“2013 will be the year of visual marketing. Visuals and video done right are highly effective in cutting through the noise. It’s a snackable type of content that resonates with people globally and increases engagement within communities no matter where they are located.
“Brands will need to understand what it takes to do visual marketing well, whether within their current communities or new networks like Pinterest, Instagram and others.”
– Ekaterina Walter, social innovator at Intel
And when you really think about it, it’s not even really all that new:
“In 2008, Steve Jobs took the stage at the Macworld Expo and shared what seemed like a startling statistic: ‘Forty percent of the people in the U.S. read one book or less last year…People don’t read anymore.’ Many are saying this statement could be seen as a foreshadowing of the explosive growth in visual content. But that wouldn’t really be accurate. Direct marketers have long known this; creating compelling visual content has been at the center of their world for years.”
–Teresa Caro, iMedia Connection
So if you’re doing any marketing online this year, you’re going to be thinking visually. But what kinds of images work best?
Funny Looking
A recent survey by SocialToaster showed that not only do 90% of social media experts and professionals overwhelmingly agree that images are the most likely content to be shared, 86% also said that humorous content was tops for sharing.
“Humor is one of the most effective-and under-appreciated tactics in communications. This applies to every day business discussions, professional presentations, and yes, social media. Look at Pinterest. Some of the most popular pins are funny or offbeat. Twitter and Facebook is even better. Who can’t resist a clever or funny tweet, or conversation starter?”
– Mark Ivey, Social Media Explorer
Why is humor so effective online? One reason is:
“Humor establishes rapport – Almost all people love to laugh. Non-offensive jokes can easily establish likeability and trust. A joke related to a difficult situation can disarm a prospect or client when delivering ‘tough medicine.’ Relationships are often built on experiences of shared humor. People do business with people they like, and if they smile and laugh every time you are near they associate you with happiness. Combined with knowledge, humor enhances expertise, demonstrating confidence and strength.”
– Kevin Daum, Inc.
Funny images are a powerful tool for visual marketing and smart marketers know to use them:
“Do you like to laugh? Guess what: so do your customers. And because these people face a constant barrage of Facebook posts, tweets, YouTube videos and emails every day, making your marketing fun can go a long way towards capturing their attention.”
– Leyl Master Black, Mashable
See Yourself In The Funny Pages
So with seemingly everyone online talking about the benefits of images and using humor effectively, it doesn’t take a genius to see that custom cartoons are a perfect fit for your own visual marketing. They’re great for more traditional uses like presentations and company newsletters, they’re potentially viral content for your website or blog, and they’re amazing tools for Facebook, Twitter, and newer visual social media like Pinterest.
Give custom cartoons a try this year and enjoy the attention of everyone enjoying your cartoons.
Looking for more info about cartoons and visual marketing? Here you go: