Why You Should Use Visuals in Your Online Marketing

People love looking at visuals. Some of the most popular websites have features specifically for sharing images. When it comes to the Internet, images are overwhelmingly preferred to text by itself. Marketers using social media sites should be incorporating visuals into their work regularly.

When you’re on the Internet you’re faced with a lot of information at one time. Any opportunity to make you stand out in the crowd is worthwhile. Images catch people’s attention more often than large chunks of text. However, images can be used for more than just catching attention. Visuals have been proven to be an effective way to reach out to audiences and get more people interested in the message.

Images Convey Messages Quickly

Visuals can say a lot in a small amount of space. The saying “a picture’s worth a thousand words” is a cliché for a reason. One of the best ways to grab the audience’s attention is to appeal to their emotions. An image of a mother holding a child evokes warm, tender feelings. A picture of a demolished car at the side of the road triggers fear.

Images such as these elicit responses as soon as they are viewed. Reading text takes time. Looking at a picture takes two seconds. If this isn’t enough, images are also more effective at conveying the message than text alone.

Information Is Explained More Easily With Images

Conveying a lot of information is hard with just words. Oftentimes there’s a lot of text and people have the tendency to avoid large chunks of text online.

Infographics are a great way to explain large amounts of information in a straightforward way. For example, 12 Keys Drug Rehab does a nice job of explaining drinking habits among college students using an infographic. The facts are laid out for the readers and the images accompanying them relate well with the information.

A good infographic should have a nice flow to it. The images should allow for easy reading and provide a natural flow from one piece of information to the next.

Incorporate Videos to Draw Attention

Online visuals are not just restricted to pictures. Videos are extremely popular on the Internet. 85 percent of Internet users in the United States watch videos online. Micro-videos such a Vines are often used to quickly say something. A two-minute video can often say a lot more than a five-paragraph essay.

Videos are effective when delivering messages because they incorporate auditory senses in addition to being visually stimulating. You’re not just watching a video — you’re also listening to it. Music can be a powerful tool for triggering emotions. Combing it with an image creates a strong message for your audience.

Images are Key Messengers

Visuals are a powerful tool for any marketer. Using them will make your social media marketing all the more effective. Whether you use a picture or a video, it will more often than not create a clearer and more concise message than text by itself. Instead of thinking what needs to be said, think of what needs to be seen.

 

Scott Huntington is a writer, reporter, blogger, and social media marketer.  Follow Scott at @SMHuntington or check out his blog, blogspike.com.