I’m a writer. As you can imagine, to me, words are everything. That’s not true for the rest of the world, though. Words will always have a sacred place, thankfully. Visuals get the point across much faster. Whether it is a graph, chart, a stunning photo, or an abstract painting, visuals communicate words without actually saying or writing them. Studies have shown that we retain about 80% of what we see compared to 10-20% of what we read or hear. That is a pretty drastic difference. You can’t really ignore that figure when deciding on how you want to promote your brand.
Think of your brand story as your reputation. It’s what all the secrets, dirty looks, and what people say about your company behind your back. It can be good, or it can be bad. If you don’t have a memorable brand story, then you’ll blend in with the rest of the world. You’ll be just another tiny cog in the gigantic machine. Visual communication is a big part of setting yourself apart.
Imagine your browsing a website. You’re reading along, you scroll down, you keep scrolling, and you keep scrolling. It’s text, text, and more text. Unless, you’re really engrossed in it, are you going to read all of that? I doubt it. People want visuals! It’s the same thing during presentations. You need visuals to communicate what is going on. There are easy to use CRMs on the market that can generate charts for you. No matter what, though, it can’t just be a wall of text. Movies and television are all about showing and not telling. It’s the same thing for your business. Show, don’t tell.
That car zoomed past me faster than Superman when he has a craving for pizza.
That car drove really fast right by me.
Which gives you a better understanding of what happened? Clearly, the first sentence really shows you what happens with its use of descriptors. This is important to understand because when telling your brand story on social media or email campaigns you have limited use of space. A good CRM for small businesses should give you a social media feature you can post images or blurbs to enhance your brand story.
You may have a CRM better than Salesforce, or a CRM better than Infusionsoft, or a CRM better than Netsuite etc. Regardless, a CRM will help you tell your brand story. No, it will help you show your brand story. Make sure you use it effectively. Make sure you’re using outstanding descriptors and eye catching visuals to grab your audience’s attention. Make it force them to look at your company, and have no reason to go somewhere else. Remember, your brand story is the same as your reputation. Build it up how you want.