THE POWER OF VISUAL STORYTELLINGHow to Create Compelling Visual Content

@stefaniemarrone @molly_porter

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41000 BC41000 BC

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50%of your brain is involved in visual processing

70%of all sensory receptors are in your eyes

80%of your memories are determined by what you see

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While you are travelling down this road, there is a chance that one or more rocks of varying size may fall from the slopes on one or both sides of you. You should be aware of this before you travel this way so that you are cautious of this particular type of hazard.

VSVS

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“Look and Feel”

“Look” “Feel”

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There is no moreB2B or B2C.

It’s H2H: HUMAN TO HUMAN.

Every circumstance in which we try to move others by definition involves another human being.

Yet in the name of professionalism, we often neglect the human element and adopt a stance that’s abstract and distant.

Daniel H. Pink, To Sell Is Human:

Visual Storytelling: How to Create Compelling Visual

Content

Can you taste the yolk of this egg?

This is a vicious dog.

This is a vicious dog.

Photos really do speak a 1000 words.They capture emotion, uniqueness and create a strong connection with your audiences

Powerful visuals + evoke emotions =

Deeper engagement

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More than 500 million photos are shared on social media each day.

Businesses can’t afford to ignore visual content marketing.

How can your firm stand out from the pack?

Be authentic, clever, creative, find your

niche and demonstrate your market-leading

position.

Define Audience

Align Business Strategy

Determine Content

Producers

Measureand Adapt

Content

Create a Content Calendar

• Tracks date and manages future content with ideas on what can be adapted in a visual format. 

• Track events, holidays, award publication dates, key legal developments and other things that may impact the content you want to share and when. Enables you to target content by practice, industry, region, etc.

• Helps to repurpose content internally and externally across channels (ex: plan a series of blog posts with visuals or videos around a white paper or case study with an accompanying webinar).

What Can Be Turned Into Visual Content?

• Thought leadership – client alerts, white papers, surveys, books• Internal communications• Events• Blog posts• Events (in person and webinar)• Social media posts• PR/media• Advertising• Sponsorship and conferences (materials, tradeshow booth, etc.• Alumni relations• Recruiting materials• Emails and signature blocks• RFPs• Collateral featured in lobby/client‐facing floors, on home page, high‐

volume traffic areas

Define Your AudienceWhat issues do they care about?What content are they seeking?

Top Social Channels*

*Often low cost!

Twitter: I’m eating a #donut

Facebook: I like donuts

Pinterest: Here’s a donut recipe

Foursquare: This is where I eat donuts

Instagram: Here’s a vintage photo of my donut

YouTube: Here I am eating my donut

LinkedIn: My skills include donut eating

Google+: I’m an authority on donut eating

Flickr: Here are my photos from the donut eating contest

“For a social media post to be truly effective, you must post it multiple times to your target

networks”

--Guy Alvarez

Social Media Posts with Images – use free online 

tools to resize

Photo posts account for 93% of the most engaging posts on Facebook. They get 53%

more likes, 104% more comments and 84% more click-throughs than text-based posts

Share Your History

Develop Community Around Good Works

Repurpose Lawyer Activities, Speaking Engagement and Content –Think Outside the Box

Bolster marketing and communications efforts • Media pitches • Speaking opportunities • Client memos • Thought leadership • Extend shelf life of firm events and sponsorships through video clips• Website and social media 

Enhance internal communications• Newsletters • Town Halls /Meetings 

Tools to consider• VideoLink in‐house studio solution• The power of YouTube• JD Supra syndication of video• Using Vine through Twitter to promote video

Video Marketing

Infographics

Proskauer Frozen Campaign

Trade Show Booths

Show vs. Tell

Using Instagram at Events with Eventsagram

Less than 1% of all Pinterest accounts belong to businesses...

Leading to a huge opportunity for businesses to reach audiences on Pinterest

Use Pinterest to share data & content using visuals

• Blog posts• Videos• Infographics• White papers, reports and surveys• Lawyer presentations – through Slideshare• News clips/reprints• Links to past webinars• Event photos

Everything can be a linkGreat place to house old content – thought leadership, infographics, book covers, etc. 

Use your signature block as a branding tool – it’s a missed opportunity if you don’t.

Use it for:• Promoting recent or upcoming awards/recognitions• Publicizing a blog or thought leadership piece or client tool• Link to your LinkedIn account, web bio and the firm’s other 

social media channels (LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.) – everyone should do this!

• Announce an office move/new office opening• Spread the word about a major sponsorship , event or 

conference

Annual Reports and Thought Leadership

Communications Strategy:• Press Release• Media push and 

backgrounders• Social media• Webinar series• Byliners• Blog posts• In‐person events in 

Silicon Valley and NYC• Infographic• AIRPORT LOUNGES!

Bloomberg CSR Report ‐ BCause

Implementing Visual Content Marketing Strategy

• Know your audience• Be authentic, memorable and creative• Look outside the industry for inspiration• Repurpose existing content• Tailor content to your audience – ensure content is 

shareable and mobile friendly• Use analytics to tailor and refine content• Promote content via your social channels and encourage 

lawyer and staff engagement– Train all employees on the do’s and don’ts of social media and 

how to share and create posts

elements of visual storytelling

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Visual Storytelling

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The reality

From “The Power of Visual Storytelling” by NewsCred and Getty Images http://visualstorytelling.newscred.com/the-four-principles/p/1

elements of visual storytelling

Shape

Icons

Font

Photos

Color

FONTmake your words count.

Which word looks faster?

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Fast Fast Fast

Which word looks fastest?

COLORcapture attention.

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SHAPESkeep it simple.

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CROSS-FUNCTIONAL TEAMSbuilding an adhocracy of skilled professionals

client need

attorneyslegal solutions

architects

legal projectmanagers

data solutionsarchitects

ICONSa universal language.

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3500 BC3500 BC

Power of icons

• Terrific work!• I like it! • Agreement

portfolio pricing[a mutual commitment to a long-term partnership]

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TODAYTODAY

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104Seyfarth Shaw LLP | Private and Confidential July 15, 2015 |

of text on Instagram features emoji.

845 emoji845

emoji+41 new

emojiIOS 9.1

+41 new emojiIOS 9.1

Most used emoji:

laughingwhile crying

Most used emoji:

laughingwhile crying

People emoji available in diverse

skin tone variations

People emoji available in diverse

skin tone variations

92% of online

consumers use emoji

92% of online

consumers use emoji

It is a rare privilege to observe the rise of a new language.

If the overall trend continues, we might be looking at a future where the majority of text on Instagram contains emoji.

Instagram engineering blog

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The brain perceives emoji the same way it does real faces

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PHOTOSauthentic, unique, human.

professional photos increase pet adoption by 92%

unsplash.com10 free photos every 10 days

flickr.com/commonspublic photo archives

flickr.com/search“Commercial Use Permitted”

LET’S REMIX

THE MINI INFOGRAPHIC“snackable” content that visualizes data

“At 844 pages, it analyzes 1,219 rulings and is our biggest and best Report ever.”

THE SOCIAL MEDIA “CARD”a call-to-action in social channels

allenmatkins.com/ucla

1 MINUTE CASE STUDYusing Canva to drive engagement on LinkedIn

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Font + Color + Icon + Shape = 2x engagement

Use on blog, website, social channels

THANK YOU.

Resources

• The Power of Visual Storytelling: http://visualstorytelling.newscred.com/the-four-principles/p/1

• Slideology: http://www.duarte.com/book/slideology/• Canva www.canva.com• The Noun Project: www.thenounproject.com• Mishcon de Reya http://www.mishcon.com/• Unsplash www.unsplash.com• Flickr Commons www.flickr.com/commons