Lifestyle in Advertising

Furniture marketers often pour a lot of money into online advertising expecting sales to improve. But that‘s not always the result they get. While they may know everything about targeting and audience segmentation, they might pay little attention to the images they use in their campaigns. In this case, a lack of attractive lifestyle pictures may be the problem. Because seeing products in context is what captures a buyer’s attention in the first place.

Then there are those who already use 3D rendered lifestyle in advertising but still face the same difficulties. Here, the reason can be the poor quality of the pictures, as well as their lacking diversity, uniqueness, and appeal to target audiences. Some marketing campaigns can be completely ruined by those things. For instance, social media platforms provide all the tools to boost a brand’s visibility. But at the same time, users there are extremely picky because their feeds are oversaturated with content.

Therefore, online furniture ads require top-notch visuals to be successful. A good 3D rendering company can create a full range of marketing materials using 3D modeling and rendering technology. That usually happens within a rather short time and for a lower price compared to product photography. However, it is up to marketers to provide all the necessary information so that 3D artists can make the most relevant images. Now, let’s see what exactly marketing specialists can do with lifestyle in advertising to improve their online furniture ads.

#1. Use Relevant Images for Each Target Audience

CGI offers the possibility to create a multitude of different lifestyle settings for furniture. It should be used wisely by marketers because it’s not just about posting pretty pictures. Before contacting a CGI studio, the marketing team needs to do some thorough research and analysis to segment their target audience and define the needs and preferences of each segment. For instance, some can be millennial minimalists who are into natural materials and sustainability. And then there are wealthy middle-aged couples whose kids have finally moved out, leaving time and space for some sophisticated interior upgrades. Naturally, their tastes won’t be the same.

Then, marketers should use that information to develop short guidelines for lifestyle CGI for all those different segments. There is no need to worry about studying interior design or decoration trends – professional 3D artists know all that already. All they need is just enough information about the audience segments to present the products exactly the way different kinds of buyers want to see them. This way, with lifestyle in advertising, even one and the same item can be successfully marketed to multiple segments.

#2. Unleash the Power of Storytelling on Social Media

Using lifestyle in advertising allows to create engaging stories for products, which is the most efficient way of getting attention on social media. Combined with targeting skills, storytelling can make a furniture brand more interesting and memorable for potential buyers. For instance, the Zara Home brand excels at it, featuring its products in lifestyle-themed posts that may have nothing to do with furniture or decor at all. They also regularly post things like recipes and compile mood playlists on Spotify to create style inspirations that reflect their audience’s values.

Furthermore, various platforms provide tools designed specifically to help businesses boost their online sales. For example, the Instagram Shopping feature makes cross-selling easier than ever when products are arranged beautifully in curated lifestyle images.

#3. Improve Your Display Advertising with Enticing Visuals

Beautiful visuals are what make people click on ads, even when they are not looking to buy anything. In order to get that initial interest, it is important to place the ads only on relevant platforms. Then, it’s about the images themselves. Lifestyle in advertising helps a lot when reaching out to cold audiences. But only if the images are stylish, trendy, and not generic.

Moreover, offering AR experience and 3D product views right away allows to boost conversion rates and generate leads more efficiently. Most of the major furniture shopping apps are already doing it, so why wait? A little gamification goes a long way here because buying furniture is quite a stressful process for many.

#4. Up Your Retargeting Game with Unforgettable Styles

Since furniture items usually make for expensive purchases, people like to take their time deciding on the best option. When they shop online, it is easy for them to browse dozens of e-commerce websites a day. Which means they are likely to forget what they saw even minutes ago or to quickly change their mind when they see a semi-decent special offer.

This is where lifestyle in advertising saves the day. Getting whole interiors created to showcase the furniture in context is totally worth it when hesitant prospects finally buy what they looked at on that website three weeks ago. Furthermore, using lifestyle in advertising gives a great chance to upsell by showing more expensive options in correspondingly more high-end surroundings. Well, just a little, to not scare anyone off.

#5. Nail the Omnichannel Strategy with a Tailored Experience

Finally, the pinnacle of marketing these days, the goal of many and the achievement of few – an omnichannel strategy. Yes, lifestyle in advertising helps here as well. Today, marketers don’t just want to show people only what they are interested in. They go further willing to create a unified experience for their customers throughout all the communication and sales channels.

With an omnichannel approach, it becomes possible to update the buyers on their favorites and to make appealing offers with personalized emails and messages. Overall, it is about adjusting the whole experience to their shopping behavior and preferences. And carefully selected lifestyle images are what keeps people’s interest in the first place. They make the buyers feel that they are valued and that the brand is actually trying to help them make the best choices.

So, this was all about the smart ways of using lifestyle in advertising. Generally speaking, there is nothing groundbreaking. Lifestyle images are just the best tool for appealing to a customer’s emotions that modern technology has offered us yet. They help to establish a chain of positive associations in the minds of potential buyers, making them actually want to purchase the items without feeling forced to. And when those lifestyle images, perfectly tailored to a certain audience’s tastes, find their viewers in the right places, it just seems like a happy coincidence.

Now, are you ready to try CGI services to make your online furniture ads sublime like never before? Then contact us at CGIFurniture to get the top-notch results for the best price and in the shortest time imaginable. Help your products find their homes!

Paul J. Parker

Sr. Digital Marketing Specialist at CGIFurniture

More than anything, Paul loves when the ad campaign shows higher ROI than anticipated. His other passions include playing basketball with friends, street-art, and cooking delicious vegan desserts and sweets.