diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 66b2da6..3af3672 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ version 2.0:
 	  behave more like Vim *UltiSnips-adding-snippets*
 	- Backwards incompatible change: Zero Tabstop is no longer removed in
 	  nested snippets
-	- Support for ${VISUAL} placeholder. *UltiSnips-visual-placeholder*
+	- Support for ${VISUAL:default text} placeholder. *UltiSnips-visual-placeholder*
 	- Improved handling of utf-8 characters in files and snippet definitions.
 	- Full support for :py3. UltiSnips now works with python >= 2.6 or >= 3.2.
 	- New or improved snippets: python, all
diff --git a/doc/UltiSnips.txt b/doc/UltiSnips.txt
index 5420c18..55041fd 100644
--- a/doc/UltiSnips.txt
+++ b/doc/UltiSnips.txt
@@ -367,11 +367,13 @@ Snippets can contain a special placeholder called ${VISUAL}. When you select
 some text in visual mode and press the key to expand a trigger
 (see g:UltiSnipsExpandTrigger) the selected text will get deleted and you will
 drop to insert mode. The next snippet you expand will have the selected text
-in the place of the ${VISUAL}. As a small example, let's take this snippet:
+in the place of the ${VISUAL}. The place holder can also contain default text
+when there is no visual text to be selected: ${VISUAL:default text}.
+As a small example, let's take this snippet:
 
 ------------------- SNIP -------------------
 snippet t
-<tag>${VISUAL}</tag>
+<tag>${VISUAL:inside text}</tag>
 endsnippet
 ------------------- SNAP -------------------
 And starting with this line: >
@@ -379,6 +381,9 @@ And starting with this line: >
 position the cursor on the should, then press viw (visual mode -> select inner
 word). Then press tab, type "t" and press tab again >
    -> this <tag>should</tag> be cool
+If you expand this snippet without having been in visual mode before, e.g. by
+writing in insert mode t<tab>, you will get >
+   <tag>inside text</tag>
 
 4.4 Interpolation                                   *UltiSnips-interpolation*
 -----------------
diff --git a/plugin/UltiSnips/text_objects/_lexer.py b/plugin/UltiSnips/text_objects/_lexer.py
index 14627b5..b0e7a26 100644
--- a/plugin/UltiSnips/text_objects/_lexer.py
+++ b/plugin/UltiSnips/text_objects/_lexer.py
@@ -135,16 +135,20 @@ class TabStopToken(Token):
         )
 
 class VisualToken(Token):
-    TOKEN = "${VISUAL}"
+    CHECK = re.compile(r"^\${VISUAL[:}]")
 
     @classmethod
     def starts_here(klass, stream):
-        return stream.peek(len(klass.TOKEN)) == klass.TOKEN
+        return klass.CHECK.match(stream.peek(10)) is not None
 
     def _parse(self, stream, indent):
-        for i in range(len(self.TOKEN)):
+        for i in range(8): # ${VISUAL
             stream.next()
 
+        if stream.peek() == ":":
+            stream.next()
+        self.alternative_text = _parse_till_closing_brace(stream)
+
     def __repr__(self):
         return "VisualToken(%r,%r)" % (
             self.start, self.end
diff --git a/plugin/UltiSnips/text_objects/_visual.py b/plugin/UltiSnips/text_objects/_visual.py
index 2b63102..ff545a5 100755
--- a/plugin/UltiSnips/text_objects/_visual.py
+++ b/plugin/UltiSnips/text_objects/_visual.py
@@ -25,6 +25,9 @@ class Visual(NoneditableTextObject):
                 break
             except AttributeError:
                 snippet = snippet._parent
+        if not self._text:
+            self._text = token.alternative_text
+            self._mode = "v"
 
         NoneditableTextObject.__init__(self, parent, token)
 
diff --git a/test.py b/test.py
index b4fde7a..afbbfec 100755
--- a/test.py
+++ b/test.py
@@ -1521,6 +1521,14 @@ class Visual_SelectOneWord(_VimTest):
     snippets = ("test", "h${VISUAL}b")
     keys = "blablub" + ESC + "0v6l" + EX + "test" + EX
     wanted = "hblablubb"
+class VisualWithDefault_ExpandWithoutVisual(_VimTest):
+    snippets = ("test", "h${VISUAL:world}b")
+    keys = "test" + EX + "hi"
+    wanted = "hworldbhi"
+class VisualWithDefault_ExpandWithVisual(_VimTest):
+    snippets = ("test", "h${VISUAL:world}b")
+    keys = "blablub" + ESC + "0v6l" + EX + "test" + EX
+    wanted = "hblablubb"
 
 class Visual_ExpandTwice(_VimTest):
     snippets = ("test", "h${VISUAL}b")