4 Big Benefits of Producing Visual Content
Welcome to the visual era of content marketing. Attention spans are decreasing, and so has our ability (and desire) to digest written content. Who has time to read drawn out paragraphs of written information? Its presented businesses with a problem: how can we keep our audience’s attention?
Enter visual content.
Take a look at your social media feed — from GIFs and infographics to Instagram and branding initiatives on Snapchat, it seems like everything is coming up visual. Recent research tells us that 83% of learning happens visually, and marketers have listened.
But you’re smart, knowledgeable and up to speed on all things social — you don’t need to be lectured on the prevalence of visual content. Yet, you might still be asking: how can visuals really impact my business, my ROI, the connections I make online, and the reach my marketing assets have?
Sit tight — we’re getting to the good stuff. Here are the 4 big benefits of producing visual content:
Visual content gives your brand an identity
Images and other visual content gives your brand a face. Especially in the world of B2B, we sometimes forget that there are people behind corporate giants. Personifying a mostly “serious” brand can give it a fun, relatable edge that people are more likely to engage with.
Not sure how to incorporate visual content?
Visual content shows, not tells
It turns out the our ability to understand visual content more so than text is actually scientific: 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual. Rather than work hard with words to show a potential customer the value of your product, you can let visuals do the hard work. Embedded videos on your website or blog can be used to show your product or process in action — if a picture’s worth a thousand words, think of the impact videos can have.
If that doesn’t have your attention, get this: after viewing a product video, consumers are 85% more likely to purchase.
Glen Martin Limited, is a B2B supplier known for their janitorial expertise and vast catalog of cleaning supplies. They have tons of great products and equipment to tackle cleaning jobs in any industry. To keep things interesting, they’ve developed quick videos to demonstrate the power of their products in action and provide “how-to” advice to their audience.
Simple, quick, effective, and much more captivating than a written guide!
Visuals increase your content’s shareability and drive engagement
Want to see your content shared? Make it visual.
Research shows that Facebook posts including images receive 120% more engagement than the average post — we’re talking shares, likes, website clicks, comments and ultimately, conversions.
Infographics can be a great way to get your information across without losing the attention of your audience. Tell a story, present statistics, or use infographics to visually demonstrate a timeline, just like Aurena Labs did.
Visual content supports search engine optimization
Skeptics might suggest visual content is a lost opportunity for keyword optimization, but they couldn’t be more wrong. Search engines will crawl visuals along with the rest of your page when determining where to place you on the results page.
When it comes to visual SEO, it’s all about the alt-text and image tags. To get more granular, optimize your images by including keywords in the file name. Rather than stick to the generic name you’re provided when downloading stock photography, add the keywords you’re trying to rank for for an extra SEO boost.
Videos need a little SEO help, too. If you’re posting on YouTube where over 1 billion unique users are visiting every month, consult this handy video optimization guide to get found.
The most important thing to remember when keyword optimizing your text, images and videos? Don’t write for the search engines — write for your audience. Yes, it’s helpful and handy to work in keywords where possible, but first and foremost, think about your readers and what they’re interested in knowing or solving when they consult your content.
Want help incorporating visuals into your next content marketing campaign? Contact the Giants for digital marketing advice and services or visit our resources page for a digital download, on us!