HOW TO SPEAK VISUALLY TO YOUR AUDIENCE AS A BRAND

With over 6000 languages spoken worldwide, the English language still remains the most dominant. Undoubtedly, you must learn how to speak visually to your audience as a brand. Hence, the dominance of the English language should be your goal when speaking to your audience. Of course, when we say speaking, we don’t mean actual words or creating a Dothraki language- oops, we hope you didn’t just find out now it’s not a real language.

Regardless, its realness is not even put to question because of how convincing it was in the GOT (Game of thrones) phenomenon. Notwithstanding, it’s still a made-up language for TV but what made it so convincing. Text-based content is good but visual content is powerful. Meaning if Dothraki was a language you read off a book, it might not sound so convincing as it did on TV. The key elements in making it believable were visuals, emotions, compelling storytelling and a language.

In essence, what that means is as a brand a couple of cool pictures and visuals doesn’t create a language. Languages were born out of the necessity to break boundaries, limit barriers and communicate effectively. Also, bear in mind, languages came from a story, an origin, an experience. Tell your experience and gain an audience.

Humans fear what they do not understand and flock to that which they understand. An understanding comes from either sharing an experience or reenacting an experience. Essentially, customers will resonate more with your services or products when you speak the language they understand and to understand their language, you must know their experience.

Above are questions to ask as a brand, the answers lie in the stories that have shaped them as humans. For instance, the world’s most populous black nation, Nigeria, has most of its population below the poverty line and unsteady power supply. So, a product that consumes light or requires light usage may not fly. Most people don’t have the money to get an alternative source of power. Also, a commercial that can speak to the demanding number of a country like Nigeria, has spoken a visual language Nigerians can understand.

Corruption, of course, this is clearly not what you should sell to Nigerians. Even though it has characterized Nigerians worldwide. On the flip side, here’s what you can do- sell them a dream. When you give them a product that effectively combats corruption or reduces it. Then you are speaking their language.

In addition, the key to speaking to Nigerians visually isn’t in a book or an article, it’s with its citizens. A fool is one who goes into battle with little or no knowledge of the adversary. In other words, a proper survey and assessment of the target audience before executing big-budget commercials would ensure a landslide victory. So, it’s important to know the market, experience the market, and understand the market in order to speak visually to the market.

The media is a tool for business, businesses want to become brands, brands bring a standard, and standard brings a loyal customer base. However, the first part of all that success is an understanding of the language spoken by your audience. Contrary to the actual meaning of a language, a visual language is a bit different. How so? Well, visuals rest more on actions rather than the words spoken. Of course, that’s not to say you can’t have actual spoken words in visual content, but the language lies in the action.

Body language is key for visual interpretation, from mannerisms to something as little as an eye twitch. An eye twitch could convey more words than a thousand words said. Hence the reason for the saying – pictures say a thousand words. This all comes from the body language in the frame.

ESSENTIALS FOR VISUAL LANGUAGE

• NON-STATIC.
• EMOTIONALLY DRIVEN.

NON-STATIC- Our fast-paced, ever-evolving world waits for no one. Undoubtedly the English language understands these changes. Simply because English as a language is ever-evolving and changing with the times. So, it leaves a large space to accommodate newly formed words. It doesn’t base this on the traditional English Language but on widespread usage of the word. For example, Gen-Z worldwide have come up with so many new words like- bestie and also changed the meaning of certain words, yet they are still included in the English language.

Likewise, as a brand creating a visual language is key but creating one with no room for growth is detrimental and static. Understandably the language of the people cannot be closed-ended because the people are constantly changing.

The language of visual hip hop in the 90s, was a conscious message, an escape from racism and oppression. It had more social conscious messages and an outcry for change. In fact, this was what birthed the music genre hip hop. Fast forward to these days and rappers today is more focused on self-gratification, body counts of ladies and glorification of hard substances, yet it still is called rap. For they call it mumble rap, trap and more. Nonetheless it all came from rap.

Relatively, some would say it’s a drawback, but no one can deny the visual language of rap has changed from then till now.

EMOTIONALLY DRIVEN-Emotions remain the bedrock of visual communication without it, visuals are just images on a screen. Undoubtedly, the rap of the 90s had one major thing going for it had a profound emotion. An emotion shared by many as their reality.

Essentially emotions are good for visual language, but emotions shared by many are gold and the truth. An emotional truth doesn’t have to be right in the wider scope of things, it just has to be true to its people.

Rap of today holds its emotionally truth in the fact that the evolved genre of rap now encourages suicide, braggadocios attitude, encouraging promiscuity in men and women. But it’s true because this is our reality. Female rappers now identify with the B- word used by their male counterparts. Of course, something sounds wrong there. Nonetheless, this is their emotional truth, whether morally/humanly/impactfully right or wrong. Hence the reason why it sells, because it cuts across a verse majority as true.

WHAT DOES A VISUAL LANGUAGE GIVE YOUR BRAND

Languages gives us a room for expression or an avenue to say what we want to say. Likewise, a visual language created for the purpose of driving sales and retaining brand loyalty gives us visual expression.

Arts is an expression limited only by a lack of imagination not words. We at ERONLANX have mastered the art of this expression. Our works in film, TV, documentary and many more can be found on all streaming platforms and airing mediums. But our hunger to do more allows us to not just make a great video but a visual language for your brand. So you can have a community.

COMMUNITY-HOW TO SPEAK VISUALLY TO YOUR AUDIENCE AS A BRAND

A community is bounded together by shared experiences, stories of old and new and a medium of communication. Undeniably the medium is the language spoken by many far and wide.

The world’s largest social media platform has created a medium of communication, methods of procedure. For example, Tik Tok has grown with a language of its own. As a result, their language has created a system and a system has produced a community of the younger generation.

In shorter words, a language gives you community, a community drives sales and upholds brand loyalty… that’s impactful.

IMPACT-HOW TO SPEAK VISUALLY TO YOUR AUDIENCE AS A BRAND

We are on this earth to make an impact, as a brand what’s your purpose if not to impact the lives of those you came to serve. Understand that your brand is created to fill up an empty space. In other words, your brand is alive to solve a human problem. In addition, your primary objective as a brand is to serve.

Service to humanity is the ultimate goal and it translates into an impact. When your community is built, and people benefit from it that’s a service. The long-term effect is an impact. Tik Tok created a community for content creators and Non content creators, that is a service. But the long-term effect was putting power back into the hands of the people.

Meaning you don’t have to wait for top company executives to give you a nod before the world can see your content. All that is needed is a camera phone. They broke the barrier of gatekeepers and puppet masters, who pick what they want on TV. So common men could become sought after by these company’s executives once they have the number… Now that’s an impact.

A visual language can provide you with everything you desire. Most importantly, sales but remember sales shouldn’t be the primary goal. The goal is not to make customers buy products but to keep them coming back for more. A visual language gives a community that yields an impact, an impact makes your brand immortal.

Here’s are some of our VISUAL LANGUAGES

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