The Rise of Lo-Fi content Marketing
Lo-fi or low-fidelity content is the next trend in social media marketing. Though lo-fi content has been making the rounds since the beginning of social media, most marketers are now capitalizing on this cost-effective trend. This type of lower-quality content is often produced with phones, tablets, or other inexpensive tech and shot on the go.
This rise in lo-fi content comes as an aesthetic response to the previously popular cinematic quality of ads that many big brands favor on social media. With low fidelity content, marketers, brands, and their audience favor an aesthetic with a DIY approach that prioritizes authenticity over highly-produced, visual content that’s hard to relate to.
Lower Quality Isn’t Lower Value
While low fidelity content gets its name from the lower production quality of the content, it doesn’t automatically mean content that is of low value. The real wonder of lo-fi content is its ability to produce authentic material in a way that isn’t overly edited, extensively planned, or too expensive. This type of content challenges marketers to push past the aesthetic of flashy big-budget advertisements and develop material that will quickly connect to their audience.
The rise of lo-fi marketing shows us what audiences truly want: something real. Brands that can connect beyond the flash of expensive campaigns can forge real relationships with their customers. Today’s audience likes to see businesses that aren’t afraid to show what’s going on behind the scenes or the beauty in a bare-bones product launch.
The Cost of Simplicity
As the lo-fi trend continues to gain popularity, brands, influencers, and social media users alike love it for its simplicity. Whether that means keeping your videos just a few seconds long, shooting a promo clip with just an iPhone, or focusing on just one product for a social media campaign, lo-fi content is an entirely new take on minimalism.
With an effectiveness rate of 165%, lo-fi content is a powerful take on today’s aesthetics. With the shakiness and graininess of lower fidelity images comes an unadulterated visual that focuses on what matters: your message. From beauty products to tech tools, an image or video that gets to the real meat of your message relates to customers faster than ever.
Authenticity is Hard to Match
Brands, whether big or small, all benefit from sharing authentic content. On social media, being able to connect with your audience authentically is rarely easy. This is especially true with overly edited videos that bear resemblance to feature-length films. With easily relatable content, consumers can feel as though your brand is just right for them.
Imperfect Branding Can Grow Your Audience
In addition to cutting the costs of production, brands that favor lo-fi content get to engage with their audience in a more human way. This does wonders with enhancing your brand’s image to the average consumer, which can lead to increased engagement and awareness for your brand. With less of a focus on creating the perfect Instagram post, brands can spend their time working to perfect connections with their customers.
The truth is that the average shopper is looking for brands that are the most similar to them. This is especially true when using platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. Companies that can seamlessly tie their low-fidelity content in with these popular platforms can gain traction quickly and grow their audience even more.
Lo-Fi Content Indirectly Drives Sales
As you integrate lo-fi content into your marketing plan, you’ll also begin to attract future buyers to your socials and eventually your website. While you may not immediately see direct sales from your lo-fi content, the connection you build with your marketing strategy can help drive leads that will eventually turn into sold products or subscriptions to services.
Generating sales with the help of lo-fi content requires a strategic call to action. Whether you ask people to visit your website, leave a comment, join your mailing list, or click the link in your story, pairing your posts with the right question is the best way to ensure they take the next step in your sales funnel.
Invite Audience Participation
Lo-fi marketing is the perfect invitation and inspiration for user-generated content or UGC. UGC encourages your followers to dig into their creativity and design exciting content of their own using your products and services. Once they create their favorite videos or photos, you’ll be able to include them in your future social media marketing campaigns.
Is Low Fidelity Content Right for You?
For social media marketers, low fidelity content is in right now. Social media campaigns on platforms like Instagram are ideal for lo-fi content and have the biggest impact on their audiences. This is especially true for up-and-coming brands or smaller-medium-sized businesses. As these brands work to connect with their audience on various platforms, spending more time on building engagement and connecting to your audience is preferable to spending large amounts of money on advertising and marketing.
If your brand is on the larger side, it may be worth it to look beyond lo-fi content. This is especially true for developing content for your website, promotional graphics, and similar branding materials. Today’s most successful companies can find the perfect balance of low-fidelity visuals and high-quality promo materials. This way they create content that relates to every facet of their audience.
Lo-Fi Visuals Are Changing the Face of Marketing
Social media marketing is constantly changing. Latching onto a trend like lo-fi marketing is something that brands can use to take their branding to the next level without tanking their marketing budget. While your marketing efforts should expand beyond lo-fi visuals, it pays to invest in visually diverse and affordably produced content for social media. Take your social media marketing to the next level by zeroing in on this aesthetic with content that’s true to you and authentically connects to your brand.
Need help managing your content creation strategy? Reach out to develop the best social media marketing campaigns to meet your needs and connect best to your audience.
