In today’s age of digital media, everything that is providing a visual effect is getting more recognition than if it’s only text-based.

People enjoy engaging with visual content more than ever. That is why when marketing – you need to give special treatment to the visual component of your product.

Over 2 million articles are coming out every day, and you need to stand out among them. Besides providing great content, you also need to stand out visually.

Studies have shown that more than 65% of people can recall visual media even three days after seeing one. So, we can say that the path towards success is written with visual content for sure!

Now let’s discuss all the importance of visual media so that you can be the marketing rock star that you deserve.

Why Use Visual Media Marketing

A picture is worth a thousand words is a saying you heard a million times by now, and it is true!

People love visualizing things with text, and it is easier to remember stuff.

But pictures are not the only visual media, video is as well. It is by far easier to watch a tutorial then to read it – because you see all the things that are being done, you know what move you need to do next.

Now, on social media, users are most likely to interact with content that is providing visual content than only text.

On Facebook, posts with photos will get almost 40% more interaction, than those without any photos. And you want your audience to interact with your posts.

On Twitter, tweets with a visual will probably get 1.5x more shares than those without. Just like on any other social media, it is harder to miss a post with amazing visuals than the ones with just plain text.

Instagram is a platform made for visual content. An important plus point on Instagram is that the best size for your pictures is a 1:1 scale. That’s because, if you put any other size, your photos will be blurry when they are not open fully. A nice photo, video, or infographic – if it is worth sharing, will end up being reposted, which is a good thing for your business, of course if it’s shared with credits.

And you will be surprised to know that articles with photos get almost 94% more views than those without any. Even when searching for pictures and the person who is searching finds a picture that is in your article, they are giving you a view. That will only happen if you optimized your pictures of course!

 Photos

As mentioned in the beginning, your audience will remember your visuals even three days after seeing one. That is why you need to include photos.

By including them, you are providing the audience with visual information that is connected to the text that you are also giving them.

You need to take care that the pictures that you are using are taken by a freelancer or use photos that are taken by you.

In addition, what will give your photo game a big plus on your platforms is branding them. It is an important step that you should take seriously.

You can achieve that by using a recognizable color palette and using your brand in a creative, but interesting context.

When you use a color palette for all your pictures, people will start to associate it with your brand. Just like when you think of the color red and yellow, McDonalds pops up in your brain.

Now, you can use the exact same picture on all your social medias when publishing it, but in different dimensions, or, use a similar photo that has the same elements in it.

To explain this better, when your reader sees an image on your Instagram, then clicks on the link, sees a similar image in your article, and then sees it again when searching on Google – that’s when they will think of you and brand it as your company. It is called cross-channel recognizability. And do not forget to apply image SEO to your visuals (alt text, hashtags, description), as well.

That goes the same for a cover photo and photos that are inside of an article.

For example,

This is a cover photo of an article that is published by WP Pluginsify, but when you open the article that photo is not in the content of the article, but it has a similar one in it.

People are following visual instructions over 300% better than the text instructions. That’s why using more pictures is so effective, because they can understand it better.

That’s the same when you are trying to build something that you bought in a store. It is much easier with pictures on how to do it.

VIDEOS

Videos, just like pictures, go a long way when it comes to visual marketing. They have everything that a customer might need. It has a visual representation, text, and an audio component to it.

The thing that is important to know about your videos on social media is that the best format for them is 1:1(this only applies to videos that are being uploaded to social media directly).

People, while scrolling on social media, will most likely stop and watch a video that they don’t need to click on to play it or to see it full.

There are several forms of videos that will help you to engage more with your audience, like:

• Animated videos
• How-to videos
• Live Videos on platforms that support that
• Interviews

Just make sure that when creating animated videos or how-to videos, that you apply the same rules as for pictures. They still need to go with your brand and your color scheme, especially if you are going to use them as an Ad!

The golden rule is to keep the video under two minutes’ length. But that depends on the use of the video, industry, and channel. A video that is an interview is for sure going to be longer because it has more detailed information. Don’t forget that videos just as pictures need to be of high quality! Make sure that at the end of the video, you always have the link to your other social media accounts as well.

We know that videos are a bit heavy, and you are scared of your site crashing down. But you can put that fear to bed if you have a plugin like WP Reset. If you get a white screen, and you can’t even enter the admin area, you can easily enter it with WP Reset’s emergency recovery tool. And if you need help with installing your favorite plugins with one simple click, this is the right tool.

MEMES/GIFS

In the new digital age, memes and GIFs are a new form of communication – and that’s the tea.

People are going mad over companies replying to their customers in the comment section with them, and those kinds of threads on twitter get the most publicity.

They are like a funny way to reply to someone, and it gives a personal human touch to it. And creating a bond with your customers is always a great choice. Just make sure that the platforms are suitable for that kind of interaction. Twitter is great for that, but Instagram isn’t, because you can not reply in the comments with GIFs and MEMEs. Posting these types of visuals on your Instagram profile will mess up your feed, which needs to look professional and clean.

Just don’t overuse it, you still need to maintain a professional face, and you must know when it is appropriate to use it.

INFOGRAPHICS

These types of visual components are a great way of sharing information visually, and over 40% of marketers have said that infographics are the most valuable. They even outranked GIFs, and we know they are the internet’s favorite file format.

You can easily create beautiful and amazing infographics with online platforms like Canva. Don’t run away from making your own visuals with this platform. It is a skill set that will most likely come in handy anytime.

These little fellas are 3x more shared than any visual media out there. And this is no surprise since they provide interesting visuals with great pieces of information in one place.

CONCLUSION

Now you know all the important details that are related to visual marketing. From photos to infographics, everything has its own take in the digital world.

Be sure to think about what is your brand and what colors do you want to associate with it.

It is important to mention once again that visual components get more views, shares, likes, and interaction than just text-based content. I assume that you, as a business owner, want that, so start visualizing things to your customers.

Just take care that your visual media is high quality, worth sharing, and sparks an interest in your audience. Make them want more, and make them remember you!

Above Images Source:  1, 2, 3, 4