During the pandemic, more than 150,000 businesses permanently closed their doors. After a full year of lockdowns, we’re finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, and small businesses are on the cusp of making a strong comeback.
This past year has forced brands big and small to think differently about how to market themselves, from the big-box retailers to the smallest mom-and-pop shops. And coming out of the past year, consumers are increasingly seeking out brands that they can both relate to and identify with. To achieve this, SMB marketers need to continue to prioritize their visual identity and ensure they’re picking content that is compelling, representative, and reflective of our new world, as fostering deeper connections with customers through imagery is more important than ever.
Many industries had to adjust their marketing strategies during the pandemic, but three key industries have had the spotlight on them: Retail, Education, and Healthcare. If you’re a SMB leader in one of these three categories, below are a few tips to help guide you through your next marketing decision:
1. Retail
Build trust with consumers by including authentic and diverse visuals. Whether you’re a local brick-and-mortar shop on Main Street or you thrive on ecommerce, the events of the past year have forced the entire world to rethink visual representation. It’s time to holistically represent everyone’s life, and use visuals that connect with customers in a way that makes them feel real and relatable.
According to iStock’s Visual GPS report, which surveyed more than 10,000 consumers and professionals around the world, nearly 80% of people globally stated it isn’t enough to have people of various ethnicities, backgrounds, and appearances in advertising. When selecting visual content take into consideration these seven forms of identity: age, body size, ethnicity, gender identity and sexuality, disability, socioeconomic background, and religion.
2. Education
Showcase the different forms of learning and connection. Over the past year, the education sector has undoubtedly seen the biggest transformation by shifting to remote learning and teaching. Navigating the challenges of lockdowns, social distancing, and virtual learning meant that schools, universities, and edtech companies had to be nimble in their marketing approach.
While the pandemic is subsiding and schools are starting to open back up, we’re going to continue to see hybrid forms of education for many years to come — and it’s important to represent these new learning environments as inclusive of all students and teachers. For example, over the past year, we saw search terms such as “virtual classroom” and “virtual graduation” appear for the first time. While students (and their parents) are excited to get back to the classroom, be sure to continue to showcase technology’s role and effectiveness in education. Consider choosing visuals that demonstrate how technology has brought classmates, teachers and parents together, and include visuals of students on Zoom during a lecture, a FaceTime meeting between a parent and teacher, or a virtual classroom setup in addition to physical classrooms and meetings.
3. Healthcare
Incorporate relatable health and wellness visuals that extend beyond physical well-being. Health and wellness is a topic that has risen to the top of consumers’ minds over the past two years. According to iStock’s Visual GPS report, an average of 62% of consumers rank health and wellness as a top priority, regardless of age or background.
When you think of visuals of health and wellness, what typically comes to mind? In general, most people think of images of individuals or groups exercising, eating healthy foods, or doing yoga on a beach. But it’s time to look beyond the physical aspect of health and wellness, and focus on emotional well-being. Incorporate images of a telehealth therapy session, a group meditation, or connecting spiritually with nature. Consumers are drawn to visuals that they can relate to; they don’t want to escape the realities of the new world, but instead, feel seen in it.
Ultimately, consumers want to be able to relate to the visuals they see in marketing ads and campaigns. For small businesses in these particular sectors to do this authentically and effectively, be sure to pick visuals that reflect your customers just as they are.
Rebecca Swift is the Global Head of Creative Insights at iStock by Getty Images.
Small businesses stock photo by Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock
