When you combine written content with high-quality visual content instantly becomes more powerful.
It’s no secret people mostly communicate through non-verbal gestures. 93% to be exact.
If that’s true then why did it take marketers so long to think images, video, and live-streaming were important. For the longest time, it seemed like online advertising was completely written. It lacked graphic design and the personalization of an image or video.
This is why every relevant social platform has altered their algorithms to account for visual content. Platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat changed the game forever.
What visual content will you add to your marketing campaign this year?
Visual Content Statistics
The statistics are widely known that when you engage multiple senses of the body simultaneously, you remember more. If you combine images with written words, the reader is 650% more likely to remember your post.
This is why some marketing gurus are always using memes to broadcast their messages. If you look at Gary Vaynerchuk’s Instagram profile, it’s full of memes from his keynote speeches and videos.
Look at the number of likes and comments on there? It’s a great picture plus an inspiring quote perfectly branded for his audience.
According to Sprout Social, over 71% of US businesses use Instagram.
If you have any doubt about where you should be marketing your business in the future look at this graph…
Instagram is on the rise in a huge way, because of how people are forced to use it. Instagram makes you start with an image. Within the image is a description and then a comment section. Twitter starts with text then allows you to add a picture if you want to.
Youtube is another juggernaut of the visual content. Did you know 60% of people prefer youtube content to live television? It’s also the second largest search engine on the planet, and the 3rd most visited site next to Google and Facebook.
There are so many great statistics on the science of visual content vs. written content. If you’re still debating, check out this infographic by the Marketing Profs. it’s so good, I had to link to it!
Visual Content Strategy
Every day you post on social networks, you should plan the images and videos you’re going to use. Using a social media management tool will help you plan well in advance.
Great copywriters say the headline is what gets your work read, but images get your social posts read. Think about the last time you visited a blog. Most likely, it has a variety of images and maybe some videos. Is it really that hard to believe that social platforms are getting more viewers daily than some continents have people?
Social platforms allow the users to decide what is important. They use the data collected to favor what is popular. Facebook changed their algorithm to favor posts, pages, and groups that use all types of multimedia. That means that if you don’t have pictures in your posts at a minimum you might not get the viewers you once did.
Even Google favors blogs and websites with a plethora of multimedia content. If you have a smartphone you can have all the bases covered. there’s no excuse to have a text-only Twitter.
Basic Strategy
If you’re considering adding visual content to your marketing campaign, give this basic strategy a try.
- Start by making a YouTube Channel and some content (a video series, an ebook, a free report, a webinar).
- Create your profile and link it to your website. You can link every video to a page on your site if you want. On your website include a good size blog describing the content of each video. You can summarize the video or use the video as the summary to the rest of the article. Either way, you are sending traffic to your website.
- Use Twitter to broadcast your videos to the hashtags in your niche. Engage with all the people that watch the videos and leave a comment. Offer the people that retweet your videos a free report, ebook, or checklist if you have one.
- Use Instagram and connect your profile to your Twitter and your Facebook Page. Every time you post on Instagram you can send it your Twitter and Facebook Page. Every social platform should have a link to your website and your free giveaway.
Summary
In 2018, make it your priority to include visual content in every post you make. Having a Facebook is not enough anymore. Embracing video as a necessary part of your marketing strategy is the first step to being relevant to your customers.
For more information on using visual content in your marketing strategy, check our recent blog What You Need to Know About Video Marketing in 2018.
