Visual Mapping--The Core of Your Social Media Strategy

Visual learning is a common trait. A majority of people are visual learners: they often find it easier to grasp an idea or concept when they can see it. As the social media and digital landscape continue to grow and evolve, visualization is becoming increasingly more important. That’s because marketers are constantly faced with new challenges and are tasked with finding ways to visually make their brand stand out from the competition. 

According to Cambridge Intelligence: 

“To truly understand a social network, you need to visualize it. Visualizing social networks interactively offers faster and more accurate insight.”

This is where visual mapping--defined as the graphical organization and presentation of knowledge--comes into play. 

Visual mapping is a proven and highly effective technique used when building a social media strategy because it allows you to take an idea or concept and transform it into a visual aid. The key is to start with a series of main ideas that will branch into more specific ones. This allows you to see all of the information laid out in front of you at once yielding a more comprehensive understanding. 

How to create a visual map

There are a number of tools available that can help you create a visual map. The Digital Project Manager provides more insight in their article, Compare The 10 Best Mind Mapping Software Of 2021. Of course, you can also grab a pen and paper, and start the brainstorming process on your own by following these steps:

• Start by coming up with a central idea and write it down. 

• Use arrows and lines to represent branches that lead to more specific ideas. 

• Label your branches using keywords that create connections between similar ideas. 

• Use a variety of colors for your branches so that you can distinguish between different trains of thought. 

• Add images throughout the map to make it easier and quicker to process the information. 

As a marketer, when you create something visual and tangible (think infographic), you may be able to more easily communicate your ideas because your thoughts are better organized. 

So how do you incorporate visual mapping into your social strategy?

Applying visual mapping to your social strategy

There are a number of ways that you can use visual maps to your advantage as a part of your content planning strategy. For example, you may want to create what’s called a mind map template to track your social media sites, and/or use a concept map to brainstorm ideas for your blog’s content. Mind maps are also helpful when you want to explain your business model to others in a visually appealing way. 

UNUM offers a myriad of tools for creators and businesses that can help you tell your brand’s story including customized templates, graphics, and more. Visit the marketplace to discover storyboards and learn just how easy it is to create a template for your brand or business. UNUM’s tools can also be used alongside your visual map to help you organize and plan out your social posts for all of your platforms. You can even drag or map your posts as a part of your social strategy for IG, IGTV, IG Stories, TikTok, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and others. 

Click here to create an account and get started today. 

Your brand’s success

Having a solid strategy is crucial to your brand’s success, and when you apply visual mapping, your ideas and thoughts will be more organized, and your creativity will increase. Through this visualization, your audience will be able to better understand your brand’s concepts, ideas, and goals. Take the first step to building your social media empire today! 

“Social media maps help us visualize the patterns of connection that form when people follow, reply, and mention one another in internet communication services like Twitter. The web-like look of these maps shows the nature of the conversation whether they are divided, unified, fragmented, or clustered.” ~ Michael Lieberman, Founder, Multivariate Solutions

Learn how the social media landscape will affect branding in 2021.