5 Vital Visual Features for New Small Businesses

By ABOUT INSIDER On Nov 1, 2021

Every small business owner faces numerous challenges when launching a startup. There are different challenges they need to handle, from budgeting and project management to marketing.

One thing is for sure: no matter how skillful and efficient you are as a manager, it’s vital to use relevant marketing strategies to promote your business.

Since we live in the age of visuals, applying visual features in everyday business operations is vital for higher online visibility.

In this article, we’ll present the five vital visual features for new SMB owners and explain their usability.

1. In-house images and videos

Even though there are dozens of great stock photo websites for small businesses, new SMB owners need to be careful with generic stock photos.

The thing is that reader have become more demanding than before. Only a few years ago, you could get away with placeholder images on your business website. People paid more attention to services and pricing back then.

Today, however, with more and more Internet users and a rapidly increasing number of uploaded photos, people scrutinize everything they see.

That’s why far-sighted SMB owners will invest some time and energy to take interesting in-house photos and shoot some authentic videos.

You’ve probably noticed that most companies share photos from their annual parties or team building sessions. While this is valid, think about some unique motifs that would make your business stand out from the crowd. For instance, you can photograph the work process in your business and post an album with such images to your website and social media pages.

Likewise, consider making short videos in which you solve some common problems that might bug your audience. Those short clips can later be extended and turned into tutorials or other useful content elements.

The more original recipes from your business kitchen you share, the more likely your venture is to attract leads and new customers.

2. Website conversion forms

Producing interesting visuals is still not enough to grasp all the leads you could out there.

So, in addition to original pictures and videos, SMB owners need to add relevant conversion forms to their websites and social media pages.

For starters, find the right place for the email registration form. Most websites still go for the popup solution, which many users consider pushy and UX-unfriendly. Just as you’ve started to read an article or analyzing the pricing option on the homepage, a popup window breaks your focus.

If you’re a popup fan, feel free to go with it, though.

What might be less intrusive and more flexible is making the email registration form an integral part of your website. You can have it installed so that it loads immediately when the page is loaded. It can stay on the right side of the page throughout the visitor’s session.

The two main benefits from using such an email form are:

User’ sense of freedom. When visitors have the feeling that they had the freedom of choice, such conversions are more valuable to business users.
Uninterrupted user experience. Let your visitors roam around your website and see what you’re offering without attacking them with popup windows. If they like what they see, they’ll find a way to sign up.

3. Wisely distributed content

Content is not a visual feature per se, but it’s often combined with other visuals. That’s why SMB owners need to be aware of different options for content distribution and arrangement.

First and foremost, start a blog, in addition to your website. Today, Internet users like the whole package. When they come to see what services you’re offering, they might wish to check what content you publish. Running a blog is a great way to build deeper connections with your audience and boost your networking.

As for the latter, having a blog means that you can work with other businesses to in your own or in other industries to exchange links, write guest posts, and mutually support one another.

However, if you want to build an authoritative blog in your niche, introduce strict quality control. It would be wise to work with a content manager from day one. This person would be in charge of producing and proofreading all the content you publish on your website and blog. What’s more, they’d handle communication with other businesses, blogs, and writers.

You can work together on joining the content and the abovementioned visuals into a converting and appealing marketing unit.

4. Optimization for different gadgets

Now that you’ve produced authentic visual materials, adequately placed the conversion forms, and learned the basics of marketing distributions, it’s time to optimize all these elements for different gadgets.

Since website traffic from mobiles has surpassed 50% in 2021, SMB owners need to jump on the bandwagon from day one and adapt to the current situation.

For starters, take mobiles into account even before launching your website. At that point, there are two possible options. The first one is to work with a web designer to create a mobile-friendly website that will adapt to desktop computers, tablets, or mobiles.

The second one is to go for two different versions, one for traditional, desktop computers, and the other one for gadgets.

There’s a third option, as well: adding a mobile app to your responsive website and letting the users take what suits their needs.

5. Logo and brand identity

Last, but definitely not the least, every new SMB owner needs to come up with a proper logo, a business tagline, and brand colors. All these features together make the brand identity.

When making a logo, don’t waste time doing it yourself because you’ll be preoccupied with other business tasks. So, find an experienced logo designer who knows how to make yours competitive in the given niche, but still original.

As for the brand colors, make sure not to go far away from the typical colors for your industry. For instance, if you’re in the ecology industry, stay with green, blue, and white color, but find suitable shades.

Finally, if you’re planning to sell tangible products, make sure to be able to use manipulate and adapt product photos on the go. Consider using 3D rendering when preparing product packaging to leave room for various adaptations to different business purposes.

New SMB owners must provide their audiences with authentic and well-organized business visuals. The tips shared above will help you understand how to make and use them to boost your venture on the Web.

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Author Byline: Liam Collins is a tech pundit and Web enthusiast working at TuiSpace.com. He spends most of his time reading and writing about the current affairs in the world of information technology. When he isn’t working, he likes going for long bike rides and walks in nature.