Visual Marketing; An Essential Strategy

Today’s culture is visual. We remember images far more vividly than we do any other kind of media – and this is not just a marketing statistic, it’s science! That’s why visual marketing is an essential component of all your marketing efforts.

Our brains process images 60,000 times faster than the written word. What this means is that you will get your point across a lot faster and more effectively if you use images to make your case.

From a marketing standpoint, this stat bears even more fruit. Social media posts that include images are 94 percent more likely to result in some kind of engagement than posts that do not.

Here are yet more interesting metrics that support visual marketing:

Photos in search increase site visits by 60 percent
Seven out of ten consumers cite image quality as critical to their buying decisions
63 percent of online shoppers think the quality of the product image is just as important, if not more so than the product description itself

Plus, people remember images better and longer than text alone. By some estimations, people recall 65 percent of visual content they’ve seen, even after three days. In comparison, the same people will only remember 10 percent of what they’ve read.

Of course, there are always exceptions. But when you are designing a marketing campaign, you don’t generally target the minority, right?

Visual Learners Are the Majority

Visual learners make up 65 percent of the population. This indicates that this significant chunk of people have a hard time retaining text, spoken word, and even personal experiences to learn new things. Visual learners need to see what they are learning and might have difficulty processing the information otherwise. It stands to reason that, if we want to reach this group, we need to meet them on their own turf. It means, essentially, that if we want our message to be absorbed and remembered, we need to lean heavily on visuals to deliver that message.

All in all, it’s a compelling argument in favor of visual marketing, and one you should leverage at every opportunity.

How Visuals Support Your Marketing Strategy

Pictures make your blogs, social posts, and newsletters pop. Visuals can convey how well your fund is performing, or to communicate a process flow in your fund pitchbook. Your topic will be more compelling, more engaging, and more enjoyable to your audience, resulting in better CTR and, ideally, conversions.

When you add images to your marketing campaigns, here are a few of the benefits:

More Views, More Clicks

If your image is eye-catching, arguably, it doesn’t matter much what the subtext says. A great image will compel users to engage, resulting in more views for your post, more opens and clicks, and, ultimately, greater social proof. Social proof is a component of SEO and will help you rank for organic traffic – and that’s always a goal.

On your website, images work in much the same way. People tend to spend more time on sites that feature high-quality photos. If your pages are optimized for conversions, that extra time might just lead to new prospects, inquiries, or sales.

Images Improve Your Search Engine Rank

Beyond social proof and engagement, images can be leveraged to boost your ranking in the SERPs. Your image captions and alt-text are indexed by Google, resulting in better search engine results. Include keywords in your alt-text and captions to strengthen this initiative. Your content will then appear in both text and image search, increasing the potential of being found.

High-Quality Images Make A Lasting Impression

Whether your marketing message is about a product, a service, or an event, the right image will bring it to life. To be sure you are making the most of your moment in front of the audience, make sure your image either contains the information you want to convey or compels them in some way to engage further.

In many cases, the image is the first thing that people see. A high-quality product image sets you apart from your competitors. If it’s a message you need to deliver, your image can do that as well. It could be as simple as introducing an offer or making an announcement – but whatever you are trying to accomplish, don’t make people dig for it. Put your message clearly, concisely, and irrefutably front-and-center to be sure it’s coming through loud and clear.

Supercharge Your Social Media

Images evoke an emotional response. In many cases, this compels viewers to take action, either by clicking on the post, commenting, sharing, or interacting with it in some way. These kinds of engagements benefit you in several ways:

Post engagement is good for SEO
The more shares and interactions, the more people will see you posts
Boost brand recognition
Fortify your brand image
Invite curiosity to explore what else you have to offer
Strengthen brand loyalty

Additionally, if your page is filled with beautifully-shot and edited images and videos, your online traffic, and ostensibly your business, will only grow from there. Your page visitors, drawn in initially by your marketing campaign, will be compelled to explore further. If you pick up even a small boost from that extra business, your effort is well worth it.

Types of Visuals to Use for Maximum Impact

Though they are a primary tool in your marketing kit, photographs are not the only type of visual content you can use in your marketing campaigns. Infographics and videos provide another way to engage your audience visually.

Here are a few types of marketing images you should consider:

Stock Photos. Stock photos give you access to thousands of high-quality, royalty-free images to use in your marketing.
User-Generated Content (UGC). Leveraging UGC is a great way to engage your loyal customers and to demonstrate authenticity. Potential customers react positively when they see real people using your product in their everyday lives.
Your Own Photos. Sometimes, a stock image doesn’t adequately convey what you are trying to get across. In these cases, taking a photo with your own phone might be best. Since you’ve got a powerful camera at your disposal, why not?
Graphics/InfoGraphics. Non-photographic graphics can add a lot of value to a text-heavy post. Whether the graphic is illustrating a process or a point, or simply highlighting a phrase or statement, it makes for an eye-catching result that is proven to increase engagement and drive web traffic.
GIFs. GIFs are eye-catching, looping short videos. Some are animated, and some are short video clips cut from an existing video. It’s easy to create your own video GIFs, or you can choose something pre-made from Giphy to make a humorous point.

In conclusion, we should always consider the importance of imagery in our marketing strategies. People scroll through endless videos, images, and GIFs from wherever they are, whether it’s at the doctor’s office, in a restaurant, waiting for an Uber, bored in a meeting … that’s an image unto itself!

With that in mind, you will want to make sure that what you’re putting out there is more interesting, more compelling, and more clickable than what they just scrolled through. Images have incredible power. They stir the emotions and often provoke a response. What do you want your images to say about you?

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