Text-based content is always going to be a key component of marketing, but to stand out in the digital era, you need to make visual content an integral part of your online marketing efforts. Visual content has gained dramatic popularity and acceptance over the past few years. Videos, photos, infographics, and illustrations have become essential components of a result-driven online marketing strategy. Visual assets are core to how progressive brands communicate their story and market their products and services.
Today’s tech-savvy consumers have an incredibly short attention span and can barely absorb lengthy and lifeless content. Buyers now prefer interactive visuals over conventional text-based content. A highly relevant and appealing picture can tell your story more effectively than mundane, lengthy text. A piece of content generates 94% more views when it has relevant images.
Marketers and brands put heavy emphasis on visual marketing. In fact, the right use of visuals is a proven way to stand out in an increasingly competitive environment. Why are visuals so effective? The human brain synthesizes and absorbs visual information faster than any other stimuli, making visuals an incredibly powerful marketing tool.
Your business needs content that gets the most links and shares. What follows are some of the most effective types of visual content you can use to achieve digital marketing success:
- Infographics
- Images
- Videos
- Slides & presentations
- Screenshots
- Memes
- Illustrations
Increase user engagement
Visual communication has totally reshaped marketing and the way brands interact with their audience and communicate their message. With the constantly evolving means of communication, consumers expect simple and visually appealing web experiences.
Have you ever analyzed the quality of your site in terms of visual elements and user experience?
A strategic use of visuals on a business website is essential to attracting and retaining visitors. There is no denying that visual content receives more engagement than plain text. Besides, visual content can improve your landing page conversion rate.
Add life to your blog posts
Adding a blog section to your business site is a great technique to educate your audience, establish authority, and drive more leads. However, your blog posts should present complicated information in an understandable manner. Webdam suggests that blog posts which include images generate 650% higher engagement than text-only posts. Visual content helps your reader understand your message quickly and retain it for a long period of time. So keep your blog readers engaged through informative, relevant, and interesting content.
Related: 12 Types of Awesome Visual Content You Can Use in Your Blog Posts
Create an emotional connection with customers
When you connect with your audience on an emotional level, it leaves a long-lasting impression. Visual stories are a great medium to deliver your brand message and create emotional connections with customers. Give your audience a reason why they should engage with your brand.
Compelling visuals provide a great way to connect with buyers’ emotional sense. Use them in all content formats: blogs, emails, case studies, product guides, and more. Telling your story through visuals will drive your readers to share your content. Moreover, aligning your visual elements with your brand and the expectations of your audience can bring about dramatic results.
Related: Visuals Are The Key To Creating Great Customer-Brand Connections
Optimize your visuals for SEO
Search engines do consider images, videos, presentations, etc. while responding to a search. Therefore, optimize your visual assets carefully and make sure search engines understand what your visuals are all about. By doing so, you not only make things easier for your audience but also improve your rankings.
Related: How to optimize images for SEO
Empower your social media marketing
The message about the vitality of visual marketing is crystal clear and brands can’t afford to treat it as an optional kind of content anymore. People are used to having their social network feeds filled with the content from various brands they follow. They are inclined to ignore paid, sponsored content which makes things really difficult for marketers. In order to maintain a meaningful and sustainable presence across social channels, focus more on creating viral visual content.
Related: 9 Ways to Use Visual Content in Your Social Media Strategy
Conclusion
Since studies advocate that today’s customers make decisions based on emotion rather than logic, use visual content to create long-lasting relationships with your customers and establish a competitive edge. The secret lies in creating relevant, memorable, and understandable content based on your core values and culture. Relevancy is of paramount significance when it comes to digital marketing.