Visual Content Marketing: Leading You to Success

Content reigns supreme in the world of digital marketing, with 69% of B2B marketers having a content strategy. But there’s one trend that has become so popular nowadays that we need to shine a light on it: visual content.

It’s no wonder that it’s mainstream. After all, humans are visual creatures. Our brains primarily rely on our eyesight to process information. So, images are the very first thing we interpret. It’s not surprising then that 55% of people aged 13-35 send memes every week. Nor that 1 billion people use Instagram every month. Visual elements, including GIFs and video content, are an integral part of social media platforms today and some even go viral!

Therefore, all text and no visuals is a strategy that should be avoided at all costs. For your brand to stay relevant and keep up with the times, you need to incorporate the right amount of text and visuals.

And if you’re still on the fence, we’ll delve into the world of visual content marketing. Here’s what we’ll cover:

• What Is Visual Content?
• Why Are Visuals Popular?
• Their Popularity
• Why a Visual Content Strategy Is Important
• Increase Brand Awareness
• Boost Website Traffic
• Improve Conversion Rates

Let’s start!

What Is Visual Content?

In short, it refers to the images and graphics that you see as you consume media. The most common forms of visual content are:

• GIFs
• Slideshows
• Photos
• Infographics
• Online Videos
• Memes
• Screenshots

One of the reasons why people are head over heels in love with these types of visuals is that they all have three major benefits. And we’ll take a look at them below:

1. Appeal: Visual content marketing makes use of images to present information in a way that is engaging and attractive to viewers. In short, it’s a useful tool to rely on if you want to grab your customers’ attention.
2. Comprehension: While looking at a relevant image, our brains count on the visual system to interpret it. This system is much faster and more efficient than any other communication system which makes it easy for us to understand what we’re seeing with minimal effort. In fact, neuroscientists from MIT discovered that the brain could process an image in 13 seconds!
3. Retention: It goes without saying that visual content is far more memorable than text-based content. That above-mentioned visual system, together with our long-term memory, works to connect the images we see to the existing information in our brains. 

Now that the basics are out of the way, let’s go over some of the reasons why visual marketing has taken the Internet by storm.

Why Are Visuals Popular?

Content creators put their heart and soul into their blog posts, trying to vie for the attention of readers who have over 500 million different blogs at their disposal! This number alone proves that, to dominate this world, you need to be persistent and come up with content that is more engaging and captivating than that of your competitors.

But, there’s something else you can do: use visuals!

We know, it’s totally obvious that we’re #teamvisuals and we hope you are too! Obviously, visual content creation and content writing go well together and will take your posts to the next level.

Their Popularity

However, if you still haven’t decided, let’s mention some of the reasons that explain the popularity of visual content:

• Easy to remember: What are people more likely to remember in the long run — huge blocks of text or captivating images? Well, this is a no-brainer: images. In fact, when you hear some new information, you’ll recall only 10% of it three days later. But, present that information with a relevant image, and you’ll retain 65% of it three days later.
• Create connections: Well, only the right visuals achieve this. Many customers lead fast-paced lives and it has become difficult to capture and retain their attention. Therefore, marketers need all the help they can get to encourage people to buy their products or services. And visuals are there to help you make a connection with your consumers. Not only do visuals provide companies with the chance to clarify their messages, but they also help those businesses solidify their identities.
• Visuals are diverse: Visual content never stops surprising us. There are many types of visual content that you can add to your content marketing strategy. Your loyal readers want more images? No problem — there’s a vast number of stock photos to choose from! Or you can spice things up and create your own videos that will offer a rare glimpse into your brand.

These are only some of the reasons that explain why we love visual content, but they are enough to prove that you should include them in your strategy!

Why a Visual Content Strategy Is Important

Now more than ever before it’s crucial to use well-designed visuals in content marketing. In fact, visual content is viewed 94% times more than any other content type without them. So, it is high time to enrich your blog posts or accounts on social networks with visuals. To see why, we’ll provide three specific ways visuals can assist you in achieving your business goals.

Increase Brand Awareness

Every marketer’s dream is to increase brand awareness among people. And visuals can help them fulfill this dream. As we’ve mentioned, people are visual learners and what better way to learn about your brand than by offering them images or other visuals to digest.

After watching a branded video, as many as 83% of consumers stated they would consider sending it to their friends to see. The more someone shares your video content, the more your brand visibility increases. 

Want your customers to remember your brand and talk about it with others? Then, use visual content! For instance, you can include a watermark of your logo in all visual assets you post on your social media platforms or website. If something goes viral, then people will see the logo and associate it with your brand.

Boost Website Traffic

According to the latest estimates, videos will account for 82% of Internet traffic by 2022.

In all fairness, video production does cost a lot of money, but this is an investment you shouldn’t be scared to make; especially if you want to attract more Internet users to your website. However, if you’re hesitant to include video content in your content marketing strategy, then you should consider how much website traffic you’ll lose because of this move.

Videos are a huge hit these days and you shouldn’t neglect them. Text-based content is a thing of the past!

Improve Conversion Rates

In the end, a successful visual content marketing strategy will improve brand awareness and boost website traffic. And when this happens, another award awaits you and your company — increased lead generation and sales.

Out of all visual elements, video content is by far the most popular one. In fact, 72% of customers would rather watch a video to get acquainted with a product or service. Also, 84% of people say that a brand’s video has convinced them to make a purchase.

So, as we can see, video is an important part of the buyer’s journey. This means that visual content marketing strategy is definitely worth investing in.

Make the Most of Visual Content

Captivating visuals or compelling articles are great on their own. But when you combine them together, you can certainly expect great results!

Visual content marketing especially encourages your target audience to learn more about your brand. In fact, if you design high-quality visual content that strikes a chord with your customers, then expect your reputation to skyrocket.

On the other hand, if those visuals end up being bland or badly designed, then you might drive your audience away. So, always examine the needs of your customers and don’t publish new visual content just for the sake of it. Put some time and consideration into it!