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Four Ways Imagery Impacts Your Bank’s Brand

Four Ways Imagery Impacts Your Bank’s Brand

Elle Humphries by Elle Humphries

Director of Marketing

Contact author Full biography

Full biography

Elle has been involved with the WSI Team and has been helping them simplify the internet since 2016 when she came on board as a marketing intern. Elle became a full-time digital strategist in May of 2017, in which she focuses her talents on Project Management and Digital Marketing for the WSI team.

Elle is now the Director of Marketing for WSI as she brings many attributes to the table, such as social media marketing, email marketing, display/search marketing, search engine optimization, content creation, customer relationship management, project management, and more!

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Summary:

Your bank’s brand is essentially the public’s perception of you, right? Therefore, branding needs to be an intentional effort in shaping that perception, elevating your credibility, and establishing trustworthy authority. There has been a significant shift in consumer preference in recent years - the type of information they seek and how they want to learn about your services. Today’s consumer is much more likely to engage with visual content and images over plain text. It’s important to know that these consumer trends are not going away. And banks have been far too slow in adapting to and keeping up with these new consumer demands. 

The Efficiency of Imagery

Reading text takes a lot of time. With that being said, consumers want information that is easy to review and quick to digest. And the quickest and most convenient way to do so is with an image. In a split second, an image communicates more than what hundreds of words can communicate in the same amount of time. In addition to that,  65% of people are visual learners and 90% of information that comes to the brain is visual, and presentations with visual aides are 43% more persuasive.

The bottom line is, images are attractive and can even trigger emotions and memories (further helping to ensure your message “sticks” with the reader). This is what makes images more engaging and relatable to a viewer. Therefore, you are positioned based on the images you put forward. 

As an agency that works specifically in the banking industry, here are our top tips your bank can use images to improve your bank's brand and meet these consumer expectations...

 

4 Ways Images Improve Your Bank’s Brand:

1. Background Images Create An Atmosphere

Whether it’s a website, social media design, or an advertisement promoting your latest loan special, background images are a great way to create a unique atmosphere and give personality to your message. 
Be clear and intentional with the feelings you want to evoke. Is it lightheartedness? Serious business? Family-oriented? Youthful? Start with the feeling and atmosphere, then choose your images accordingly.  
Be careful. Too many background images or cluttered/busy background images can make your site look messy. And also make sure there is no clear distinction between the background and your content. Feel free to get creative, too. Backgrounds can be stock photos, icons, or line art, too. 

2. Image Meaning & Placement 

For every image you use, you should be able to answer two questions. 

  1. Where should they be looking? When using images of people on any webpage, ask yourself: are the people LOOKING where you want the visitor to look. Our eyes follow cues from images of other people. So make sure your image subjects are looking at your call to action button, the form you want the visitor to fill out, or any other desired action where you’re hoping for engagement.
  2. Why did you place the image where you placed it? The typical visitor scans a page on the web in a “Z”, starting at in the top left (where you normally find the business logo) and then across, diagonally back down on the page and again across from left to right. Put your key images in this path so they get “seen” by your audience for maximum impact. 

3. Real People Humanize Your Brand

One of the most effective ways to get customers to engage with your brand is to use images of real people - and if you can, YOUR real people. Sure, not many of us like our pictures taken, but using photos of your staff makes viewers feel more connected to the bank. Relatability is key You might also consider using photos of your customers (with their permission, of course) - especially next to testimonials. 

4. Establish consistency across your various channels

You may have multiple platforms where you’re sharing content. (And if not, you definitely should - and be sure to check out one of our other posts about “Cool and Useful Tools” to build these from scratch.) Certainly, it all starts at your website, maybe even a blog where you’re sharing thought-leading and informative content. Make sure the images you select carry over to your social channels. Be sure to format them correctly so they are the right dimensions for each platform and don’t get cropped awkwardly. That can be an engagement killer. 

Canva is a great (free) online tool you can use to build out images in a variety of sizes,  keeping your brand images consistent across each platform and in the right size (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, etc.). Imagery consistency makes it easier for your audience to recognize and feel familiar with your brand - driving engagement through the roof! 


 

👉 Personal Branding Tip 

As a banking professional using social networking to build your own personal brand and grow your network, there are plenty of ways to put imagery to work for you. At the end of the day people do business with people, so think about ways you can bring your personality to the forefront. Love to golf, mountain bike, cook, or spoil your pets? Don’t be afraid to share some of those great pictures (yes, even on LinkedIn). These images build interest in you, and therefore your message. Best of all, it lets people get to know the real you! 

 


What are the snap impressions from your images?

If you’re curious about how the market is perceiving your bank’s brand via your images, our digital design experts are happy to provide a complimentary (and totally kind and respectful) imagery assessment. We’ll highlight what you’re rocking out and give tips on how you can take it to the next level. Click here to book a call!  
 

 

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