When you see a post on Facebook or Twitter, what captures your attention first? The text, or the coinciding visual?
If you said the visual, then you are in the majority! In fact, 30 percent of our brains go to processing visual information, according to Discover Magazine. And we’re more likely to remember visuals over other types of content — 65 % more likely, in fact. Visuals are so powerful that Social Media Examiner found that 37 % social media marketers said it was their most important form of content. Now think of visual content, this is not just a photo. Visual content graces our lives in so many formats you forget that it’s an image. Traffic signs, TV commercials, demonstrations…they are all visual.
So how important is visual content? Let this infographic/visual content tell you below:
Visual Content 101
So what is visual content marketing? Basically: Anything visual. That includes:
Images Comics/Cartoons
Videos Infographics
Memes Presentations
Let’s break down each type of visual content:
Images
Photos or illustrations. Specifically, photos or illustrations that explain or add to the copy in an article or blog — don’t just put any image on the page. The more images you have, the better, too: BuzzSumo found that content with images every 75 to 100 words were shared twice as much compared to less image-heavy articles. Be sure the quality of your images are high. Responses and shares are highly correlated with vivid imagery.
Avoid any poorly lit, blurry or otherwise bad-looking photos. MDG Advertising found that 67% of people place importance on clear, detailed images. As in most of life, quality and skill matter. Be sure to use professional and unique photography. You can’t grab images from google as this is copy-written material and protected legally.
Videos
We’ve talked a lot about videos in previous blogs, and it cannot be stressed enough how vital video is to your marketing campaigns. According to KPCB Menlo Park, video content will represent 74% of all internet traffic in 2017. That’s a bandwagon you need to get on. Consumers continue to consume video on mobile, desktop and tablet. And they even clamor that they want to consume more. The new content revolution has consumers eating up branded content at a rapid rate as well as asking for more. Be sure to give your audience what they want, quality value-add content.
While creating a great-looking video is ideal, real-time video is also taking off. Through Facebook Live or Periscope, you can provide a unique experience to your consumers. Not only will live video be a fun new way of engaging but it also helps your Facebook organic reach. Social media platforms reward publishers for providing valuable content that keeps people on Facebook. That’s how Facebook makes money – keep readers there. They leverage all of us publishers to keep their business model of selling advertising healthy and in check.
Memes
Ah, memes. You may not know exactly what they are, but we’re part of them. There are two definitions of memes, but it’s basically, as Google describes them, “a humorous image, video, piece of text, etc., that is copied — often with slight variations — and spread rapidly by Internet users.”
Some memes are ones you’ve heard of: Most recently, the #MannequinChallenge. They are also images combined with humorous text that often sarcastically allude to certain aspects of any industry or pop culture.
Word of caution with memes: A younger audience is highly suspect of companies that use memes and come across as pandering. The more authentic the meme, the better. Also consider the audience of your meme – high end brands may want to steer clear as you are instilling confidence and elegance. Memes may not elicit this brand feel. However you have a kitchy brand or audience and a product that resonates, this may be one of the tools in your arsenal that helps you go viral. We have all seen this baby meme with approximately 500 different saying. Must be working.
Presentations
Have a good-looking, informative presentation that you can share with your audience? If a topic is too long for an infographic, presentations are another great way to provide information to your audience. Just add some equally informative visuals along with your audio and text — NeoMan Studios found that 67% of the audience were more persuaded by a verbal presentation that had accompanying visuals. You may get ideas from a popular presentation website, SlideShare.com where folks from all over the world share their decks on free hosting for the world to see. This is also a good deep link for SEO.
Infographics
Information plus graphics gets your infographics, one of the best types of visual content for your marketing strategy. Not only do you get both words and images but you are also appealing to both genders as men prefer imagery and women prefer written word to consume communication; imagine that twice the audience built-in to one content format. Don’t think that makes this simple, as infographics are anything but simple and take quite a bit to put together. You have research to collect the data, analysis of the research for important and interesting findings and now you need to communicate this to your designer for a wow output. All this work is well worth the while of the audience reach and engagement you will reap with a well thought out infographic. Infographics are three times for more likely to be liked and shared via social media, according to Mass Planner.
Infographics are a great way to make dense information more appealing and easier to follow for an audience. The best infographics are highly visual, colorful and of course, informative!
Comics/Cartoons
We love reading/watching them as kids (and even as adults), and they are another great way to inform and entertain your audience. You can break down a complex idea using a comic, or use it to better explain your text. A great example of using comics to break down ideas is this article from Vox on password protection.
What’s your favorite type of visual content? Which has worked best for you? Let us know in the comments.