Incorporating Visual Content Into Your Marketing Strategy

Written by Laurie Zinn@LineByLineLLC8 years ago

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Your content marketing strategy is your plan to reach your target audience through the content you write. This includes your website pages, your blog articles, your email marketing efforts, and your social media posts.

But there is one important addition that should be included in all of the content you produce. It makes your content stand out, it encourages engagement, and it helps your readers remember your message. This powerful type of content is called visual content.

Visual content are those images, photos and videos that tell your brand’s story. It accompanies your written content, and when used appropriately, can make more of an impact than just your words alone.

Why Visual?

Visual content supports the classic writing rule of “Show don’t tell.” According to HubSpot people remember only 10% of the information they hear three days later. But if that content contains relevant images, people retain 65% of the information three days later.

HubSpot offers other interesting stats:

• Content that contains relevant images get 94% more views than those without
• People who view video are 1.81 times more likely to purchase than non-viewers
• Infographics are liked and shared on social media three times more than any other type of content
• People following directions with text and illustrations do 323% better than people following directions without illustrations

So it’s pretty convincing that visual content is effective and should be included in your overall marketing strategy.

Here are some examples of visual content you can start using today:

Photos

You’ve heard the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Photos add depth and color to your content. There should be one image for approximately every 350 words you write, so ideally, a 500-word blog post should include two images. Image-based outlets like Instagram, Snapchat and Pinterest will showcase your visual content, but Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn allow for images, too. Sixty six percent of all social media posts are or include images.

Video

Video can be formal or informal, and have varying levels of professionalism. Some companies spend lots of money putting together a slick promo video, and some businesses take a quick live video of an event they are attending. Either way, video is a powerful way to communicate your message. Visual learners may “get it” after a watching a how-to video, when written instructions just weren’t as easy for them to understand.

Video can also be used to highlight an upcoming event, promote a product or service, or used to showcase a live event. Social media channels like YouTube, Periscope and Vine are made for video, but embedding them in a blog or on your website works too.

Infographics

Infographics are charts or diagrams that are used to communicate information. They provide a fun and interesting way to show data or provide information about a topic. Infographics can accompany a blog article, or used on social media.

Below is an infographic example about the social media landscape.

Screen Shots

If you are providing instruction on a topic, screen shots can help your visual learner understand each step along the way. You can add arrows or circles to attract attention to the instruction you are providing. You can also use screenshots to capture satisfied customer testimonials and reviews.

Slide Shows

Slide shows are another great type of visual content that allow you to take your information, point by point, and create slides that incorporates both text and images. It’s great for storytelling, and for further illustrating your information in a way your readers/viewers can understand.

As you add visual content to your written content, always be sure it’s relevant and strengthens your text. Visual content for the sake of getting your readers’ attention will backfire, hurting your credibility. Make sure your visual content delivers on its promise.

These visual assets help your readers process and understand your message, make your content more effective and memorable, and bring your brand to life.

Laurie Zinn is a Columbus-based freelance writer and owner of Line-By-Line. She helps businesses communicate with their customers through website content, blog articles, email marketing campaigns and social media. For more information about Line-By-Line, visit http://line-by-line.us or contact Laurie at laurie@line-by-line.us.