{"id":3161,"date":"2016-01-06T16:00:26","date_gmt":"2016-01-06T10:30:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rankwatch.com\/blog\/?p=3161"},"modified":"2023-05-26T11:02:21","modified_gmt":"2023-05-26T05:32:21","slug":"the-power-of-visual-content-in-your-content-marketing-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rankwatch.com\/blog\/the-power-of-visual-content-in-your-content-marketing-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"The Power Of Visual Content In Your Content Marketing Strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"the-power-of-visual-content\"<\/a><\/p>\n

If we talk about the early-SEO days, one could easily make their way to higher rankings with \u201call text – no visuals\u201d. But if you are thinking you could succeed with this old school strategy today, then my friend you absolutely stand no chance.<\/p>\n

Words aren\u2019t sufficient today. It is mandatory to go a step further to delight, inform and engage the audience. Undoubtedly, content with visuals have a greater lifespan online.<\/p>\n

With the increase of images, videos, infographics etc on various social media and content marketing platforms, many brands and companies have started discovering the power of imagery.<\/p>\n

But why should you join them?<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s have a look at some of the why\u2019s and how\u2019s of visual marketing!<\/p>\n

I have loaded this article with some techniques that will help you with integrating visuals in your content marketing strategy.<\/a>
\nBut before this, let\u2019s take a look why is visual content really important?<\/p>\n

Why is visual content important?<\/h2>\n

The following points fairly advocate for the importance of incorporating visuals in your content marketing strategy:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    Stats prove that Brains conceive visuals faster than any type of content<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Let\u2019s begin the reasoning by looking at some statistics (as numbers never lie!). A study by Visual Teaching alliance<\/a> revealed the following facts:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Eyes can process 36,000 visual messages per hour.<\/li>\n
    2. The sense of a visual scene can be felt in less than 1\/10 of a second.<\/li>\n
    3. 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual.<\/li>\n
    4. Brain process visuals 60,000X faster than any text.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      I guess these numbers are enough to convince you about the importance of visuals. With all the overload of information across the web and on social media, you have not more than the split of a second to grab the user\u2019s attention. Using visuals in your content will certainly help you stand out of the crowd.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. \n

        Visuals triggers Reaction<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        As discussed above, visuals are processed better and thus, they produce a faster and a stronger reaction than any other type of content. Visuals trigger user engagement and these reactions strongly influence information retention.
        \nVisual stimuli and emotional response are linked together in the brain, which further combines to make memories (forgive me for getting a little scientific!)
        \nThese reactions can either be emotional in the form of surprise, shock, inspired etc or mental in the form of asking questions, asking for input etc.<\/p>\n

          \n
        1. \n

          Visuals tell a story<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          \"visuals-tell-a-story\"<\/a><\/p>\n

          As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words! Visuals are not only easy to comprehend or process but they also posses a quality to convey a story in an engaging and direct way. Visuals might be the best way to tell a story.<\/p>\n

          Also, visual storytelling serves as the crucial success factor for social media marketing.
          \nOne thing that you should remember while creating visuals is that it should be relevant to your brand, engaging and sticks to your marketing objectives.<\/p>\n

            \n
          1. \n

            Visual condense a lot of information<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            With faster-growing data and scope of knowledge, there is a lot of information that is available just with the tap of your fingers. Visual content is an effective way to help readers get a lot of information easily. People are able to respond better to any visual content than the plain text. There are several ways to condense all of your information like several media, such as videos, slideshows, graphs, charts, and infographics, into your blog in order to collect all information that you have and make it more attractive and reader-friendly. Visual content is always more appealing than the plain text.<\/p>\n

              \n
            1. \n

              Visuals increase Social Media Engagement<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              \"visuals-increase-social-media-engagement\"<\/a><\/p>\n

              A study by AdWeek <\/a>suggested that tweets with images received 18% more clicks, 89% more favorites and 150% more retweets. People do not hesitate in sharing meaningful content and the best way to enhance your content\/message is by incorporating visual content.<\/p>\n

              Thus, visual content can be utilized as a huge asset by marketers to draw a sharing response from users.<\/p>\n

              Now, that we know that why visual content is important, let\u2019s discuss what types of visual content can be incorporated in your content marketing strategies!<\/p>\n

              Types of Visual Content:<\/strong><\/p>\n

                \n
              1. Images<\/li>\n
              2. Videos<\/li>\n
              3. Infographics<\/li>\n
              4. GIFs and Vines<\/li>\n
              5. Presentations<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                How can I Incorporate Visuals in my Content?<\/h2>\n

                Not every kind of visual included in your content equates. It is only successful when it is executed properly at the right place. Marketers should not expect a great change by just adding a stock photo to their tweets.
                \nI have listed down the following techniques on how to use visuals in your content which I found really effective.<\/p>\n

                  \n
                1. \n

                  Include a Featured Image at the beginning of every article<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                  Have a look at the screenshot below (it\u2019s from one of our blogs) :<\/p>\n

                  \"featured-image\"<\/a><\/p>\n

                  Always include an image at the beginning of every article. I would also suggest you to include the same image in the snippet section of your blog\u2019s main page.
                  \nThe reason, you may ask? Well, these visuals draw attention through catchy image up top to the content and increase the engagement.
                  \nAlso, whenever you include any image on the top\/left\/right corner of your blog post, the width of the first few lines of the post tend to shorten, hence reducing the characters per line<\/strong>. As the social media expert, Derek Halpern                   puts<\/a> it, \u201c Fewer characters per line helps people make snap decisions about text faster and easier.<\/p>\n

                    \n
                  1. \n

                    Place an image after every 350 – 400 words<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                    Basically, if the word count of your article is around 2000 words, you should place 5-6 images in your blog at appropriate places. Incorporating images at such regular intervals gives readers the time to analyze, comprehend and process the text. Generally speaking, it gives them a break.<\/p>\n

                    \"text-image-text-image-pattern\"<\/a><\/p>\n

                    This practice will increase the engagement level of the readers and give them a little time to relax while reading the blog.<\/p>\n

                      \n
                    1. \n

                      Try and use various variety of visuals<\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                      Yes, images are not the only element that could be incorporated in your blog. There are plenty other elements which you could explore and exploit. I would suggest the following:<\/p>\n

                        \n
                      1. 3D Charts and Graphs<\/strong>: This one is my favorite as it provides you a little space on the creativity front. Also, it is an easy way to communicate something. You can choose from a variety of bar chart, pie chart, world chart and so on.<\/li>\n
                      2. Stock images:<\/strong> These are not expensive and are easy to get. But I would suggest not to stuff your blog with these.<\/li>\n
                      3. Custom-made images:<\/strong> You can use your own screenshots or custom design your image. You can communicate your brand\/product\/objective more effectively using these type of images.<\/li>\n
                      4. Infographics:<\/strong> These represent the evergreen type. They are graphical visual representation of data and information. What better than this?<\/li>\n
                      5. Cartoons:<\/strong> Everyone enjoys a good laugh. What could be a better way to put things than a humorous way?<\/li>\n
                      6. Memes:<\/strong> This is a new trend catching fire. But be a little careful while using these. Use them only when it feels appropriate.<\/li>\n
                      7. Embedded tweets\/ Instagram or Facebook photos\/videos:<\/strong> They simply enhance the value of the content.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n