The famous adage “A picture is worth a thousand words”- meaning that a complex idea can be more easily conveyed in an image – can be easily extended to all types of visual content.
Science shows that a visual representation of an idea makes it possible to absorb (and remember) a large amount of data quickly. And if this visual representation is colorful, entertaining and with some extra oomph (like video, audio, music, unexpected stories, etc.) – in other words, CREATIVE – it becomes memorable, worth remembering.
This is the psychological reason why you should invest in visual content creation for your website, blog and your pages on social media networks.
Let’s now examine some of the marketing reasons why visual content is key for the success of your business.
1. It builds your personal brand identity
Let’s learn from big, famous brands like Tiffany for example. If you visit their Facebook page you will see the great job they’ve done to build their brand identity. All posts include an image. Furthermore, see how wisely they have linked the concept of “true love” to their brand and how this integration is highlighted by the use of pictures.
2. It builds engagement
Statistics shows that fans’ engagement goes up consistently when visual content is posted regularly.
Look at what H&M are doing on their Facebook page to increase their fans’ engangement:
They proactively asked their fans to engage with the pictures they post and look at the results!
3. It says more than a thousand words
With the information overload we are exposed to on the Internet every day, marketers need to package their information so that it catches readers’ attention in just a few seconds. Infographics, charts, cartoons are a way to condense in an image large amounts of data that would otherwise require pages and pages to be presented and explained.
Look at how creatively and clearly http://webdesignledger.com explain the “Search Benefits of the Blogosphere”
4. It increases referrals and purchases
A new study by the online tool Shareaholic shows “(…) that Pinterest outpaced Google Plus, LinkedIn and YouTube combined for share of referral traffic” and a survey of people with Pinterest accounts showed that 21% have purchased an item after seeing it on Pinterest.
Furthermore, creating visual content for your website and social networks is fun, stimulates your creativity and pushes you to get out of your comfort zone and experiment.
Are you already investing in visual content creation?
If yes, leave a comment below and let me know what your favorite type of visual content is.
If not, subscribe to our monthly newsletter and weekly updates to learn more about content creation and communicating through your personal brand and your social presence.
To your prosperous journey
Marc Blasi from palm beach gardens real estate April 15, 2012 at 1:30 pm
Another key factor for using visual content for your website to increase traffic is the rising use of smart phones and tablets to use internet. People on smart phones and tablets are more comfortable with viewing visuals, images and videos on the website instead of text. Thanks for sharing this article with us!!
Mia from Miami Real Estate April 26, 2012 at 4:11 am
That’s a wonderful ideas. Video content can be used in an enormous number of applications to deliver communications in exciting and memorable ways.
Homer from Search Homes April 30, 2012 at 4:51 am
Visual content draws people in, letting viewers better understand your brand’s identity.
Homer@Search Homes recently posted..4 Beds, 2 Baths, Miami FL
Saba from Leadership Skills May 1, 2012 at 4:35 pm
Thank you for this short yet insightful post. I truly appreciate your take on the personal brand identity. I think a lot of companies and business owners are waking up to this aspect of marketing.
You article actually triggered me to grab a copy of the book titled “Visual Marketing: 99 Proven Ways for Small Businesses to Market with Images and Design” by David Langton and Anita Campbell, from my local bookstore. I am about halfway through, and the authors concur with your findings.
Thanks again.
Saba @ Leadership Skills recently posted..Testing for Leadership Skills
Rob from Funtober May 5, 2012 at 4:14 pm
Pictures also help to increase the amount of people who read your content online rather than just skim it. I believe there have been several studies on this but can’t put my hands on one at the moment.
Rob@Funtober recently posted..Corn Maze Directory is Up!
Ruby June 5, 2012 at 3:55 pm
Visual content is indeed the key for a successful blog. I am dealing with some problems too until I posted nice HD pics on my site, People seemed to love it so much, more traffic came to my site after doing so. And infographics are most loved by people in other social networking sites.. Thanks for posting these reasons!
Ruby recently posted..Online Forex
Jacs Henderson August 17, 2012 at 5:11 pm
Thank you Paola, I loved this post – I’m an ex visual merchandiser (businesswise) and I love images and visual representations in teachings and blogs – I’m getting into Pinterest in a big way – images are grabbing and I believe, good for marketing
Jacs
Jacs Henderson recently posted..What is Attraction Marketing? An ABC
Nathalie Villeneuve August 17, 2012 at 5:28 pm
Hello Paola, As a painter and graphic artist, I couldn’t agree with you more! People responds SO much more to pictures, videos and other visual elements! Yesterday I posted 2 pictures on my Facebook wall and because of the creativity involved in these 2 posts, I received more comments and likes in one day then last week. Great share and wonderful examples!
Nathalie Villeneuve recently posted..How do you go about promoting and marketing your passion?
marquita herald August 17, 2012 at 6:13 pm
Great tips – as an artist I’m by nature a very visual person and my blog reflects that. I also get a lot of personal satisfaction from creating as many of my images and the designs on my site as possible and it’s become a part of my brand. Thanks for the inspirational ideas!
marquita herald recently posted..It’s Never Too Late to Re-Design Your Life Story
Dana Tisdel August 17, 2012 at 11:30 pm
I agree, Paola. Visual content draws your readers in and makes them so much more likely to engage and share! Great post!
Dana Tisdel recently posted..Your Simple, Effective DMO – Step 2 – Work on Your Mindset Daily
Norma Doiron from Where Aspiring/Budding Business Owners Start, Grow & Strenghten Their Online Business August 18, 2012 at 8:41 pm
You are absolutely right on the visuals; I’ve been using graphics ever since I got on Social Sites 2 years ago and they are very well liked. Motivations, quotes, encouragement…. stuff like that. When I began there were not many posts like this but with the coming of Google+ & Pinterest it has really sky-rocketed. Engagement is a lot easier done with graphics! Great post. Loved it…
Norma Doiron@Where Aspiring/Budding Business Owners Start, Grow & Strenghten Their Online Business recently posted..How Many Posts Do Prospering Small Businesses Publish Every Week?
Paola August 19, 2012 at 10:40 am
Thank you Norma for stopping by and commenting on my post.You’re absolutely right: visual content does help engage our readers!
Paola August 19, 2012 at 10:41 am
Thank you Dana for your comment.
Paola August 19, 2012 at 10:46 am
Hi Marquita. I’m sure that being an artist visual contents are a perfect way for you to express your creativity. And I’m really looking forward to learning more about how you create your visual content.
Paola August 19, 2012 at 10:50 am
Hi Nathalie. Thank you for your comment and for sharing your experience with the use of visual content!
Paola August 19, 2012 at 10:54 am
Hi Jacs, thank you for your comment. I’m getting into Pinterest too. I’m starting only now, so I don’t have enough statistics to share, but I’m sure it’s a very powerful resource for marketing and personal branding.