Benefits of Visual Content Marketing: How Visual Content Can Drive Engagement and Sales

Intro

In today's digital age, capturing and retaining the attention of your target audience is more challenging than ever. With the excessive spread of information and shrinking attention spans, marketers need to find creative ways to stand out in the industry.

This is where visual content marketing shines.

Visual content, including images, videos, infographics, and interactive media, has become a driving force in the world of digital marketing. In this blog post, we will explore the numerous benefits of visual content marketing. We are going to deep dive into “What is visual content marketing?” and why visual content is important?

Key Benefits of Visual Content Marketing

Well, stats suggest that 40.8% of marketers publish visual content 2 to 5 times a week. They must be doing something right. But the question is “Why is visual content important?”

Visual content gets more clicks, and reviews, and helps convert visitors into loyal customers that drive customer loyalty. They are easy to comprehend, and help trigger desired actions among customers.

So, here are a few benefits of visual content marketing:

Increased Audience Engagement:

Visual content, such as images, videos, infographics, and slideshows, has the power to grab attention and evoke emotions. It is more likely to capture the interest of your target audience and encourage them to engage with your content.

For example, which one is easy to understand? A ten-point listicle-type blog post with the same information presented in the form of a quick and catchy image or infographic; Of course, the latter!

Famous brands like Taco Bell have understood the assignment. They use visual content to amplify their social media campaign results. Their viral replies and visual memes are the results of high engagement.

(Source: Instagram)

Improved Message Retention:

Visuals are processed faster by the human brain compared to text. Psychologist Albert Mehrabian, a researcher of body language, found that communication is 55% nonverbal, 38% vocal, and 7% words only.

High-quality visuals deliver a trifecta of benefits. It can appeal to a greater audience, assist them in comprehending the information and then retain the loyal audience for your business. Since people only read 20% of the words on a page, incorporating visual elements into your content marketing enhances the chances of your message being understood and remembered by your audience.

Enhanced Brand Awareness and Recognition:

Visual content allows you to showcase your brand's personality, values, and identity visually appealingly.

When you use consistent visual elements, such as colors, fonts, and imagery, your brand has its own identity. Your customers can easily differentiate you from your competitors.

Here is a visual content example. If you see the Dunkin Donuts pink and orange letters up ahead even before you start making out the words, you'd automatically recognize it as Dunkin Donuts. That's the power of visuals.

(Source: IIDE)

Increased Website Traffic and SEO:

Optimizing relevant images, and infographics on your website or blog content with appropriate keywords can shoot your search engine rankings. Google decides to show content that includes images since it is viewed by 94% of the audience.

The algorithm searches for visuals and images which results in more traffic. This is the best way to harness the power of SEO.

See how Copyblogger (one of the famous content marketing blogs) converts a boring topic like "15 Grammar Goofs that make you look silly" into an informative, eye-catching infographic.

(Source: Copyblogger)

This infographic garnered over 263,100 shares and 503 comments on his blog.

Higher Conversion Rates

A case study in VWO concluded that larger product images can lead to a 9% increase in sales. As shown below, the first image had slightly larger product images and the second had larger images with descriptions showing up on mouseover. This shows that minute details and changes can lead to a better conversion rate even with images.

(Source: VWO)

Visual content can convey the value of your products and services more effectively.It sums up all the important data first whether you're creating a video for your product demo or an infographic to show what your product does.

You can add backlinks, and call-to-action elements, such as buttons or links, making it easier for users to take the desired action, resulting in higher conversion rates.

Ways Visual Content Can Drive Engagement

As stated by Mari Smith, social media thought leader and author, "In today's fast-paced digital world, visual content is essential for successful marketing campaigns. It helps brands stand out, tells a compelling story, and engages audiences in ways that text alone cannot."

To understand your brand's message better, communicate ideas faster and captivate your audience for quality engagement, visuals are crucial.

Let's discuss the ways visual content can help you drive engagement:

Eye-Catching Visuals:

High-quality images, videos, infographics, and animations, can quickly grab the attention of your audience as they scroll through their feeds or browse your website.

For example, product flat rays are very popular these days. You need to check your background and use exciting colors to make your products visually appealing.

(Source: Instagram)

By using visually appealing and compelling visuals, you can increase the likelihood of your audience stopping to consume your content and engage with it further. You can showcase your product image, photos with faces, or content that aligns with your brand to drive significant engagement and expand your reach.

Storytelling through Visuals:

By creating narratives through visuals, you can evoke emotions, captivate your audience, and encourage them to engage with your content on a deeper level.

For example, Slack is a company that even NASA couldn’t ignore. The visual storytelling on their homepage speaks a lot about their brand. It’s a surprise that the story they tell isn’t about team meetings or group chats: it’s about ROBOTS ON MARS!

(Source:Hubspot)

Visual storytelling can be done through a series of images, videos, or even interactive product demos that take your audience on a journey, making them more invested in your brand and content.

User-Generated Content:

Visual content examples created by your audience can be a powerful tool for driving engagement since it encourages your audience to share their photos, videos, or artwork related to your brand or products.

When they participate in your community challenges or contests, you feature them on your social media channels or website. It's a great way to build trust, credibility between your audience and your brand.

Apple is a great example. Since their audience always vouches for their products. Apple launched a new campaign for newbie and pro users where they can take photos in low light with their iPhones and share them online.

(Source: Wedevs)

Those beautiful low-light shots were then posted under the campaign name “Shot on iPhone”. This ultimately made their users feel special and garnered more likes, shares, and engagement.

Visuals for Social Media Engagement:

Visual content is highly shareable and can thrive on social media platforms. By creating visually appealing and shareable content, you increase the chances of your audience engaging with it.

For example, Memes are one-of-a-kind visual content, they are funny, visually captivating, and shareable.

Beard Club is a beard supplement brand. Their visual content game is on point. Here’s an example of a meme from their Instagram account. Firstly, the images are on-point and of good quality.

This meme takes a creative twist since it pairs two images to portray a common situation. Next, the meme pairs relevant text to explain the images.

Lastly, the meme is tailored to their audience. This means it's both clear and relatable to them.

(Source: Instagram)

Visuals in Email Marketing:

Including visual content in your email marketing campaigns can boost engagement. Instead of relying solely on text, incorporate eye-catching images, GIFs, or videos in your emails. This breaks the monotony of text-heavy emails, captures attention, and entices recipients to click, read, and engage with your content.

Ways Visual Content Can Drive Sales

When asked what percentage of the content you published contained some kind of visual in 2021? Here’s the answer:

(Source: Vengage)

The reason is more and more people can use visuals since it boosts brand awareness.

Here are a few ways visual content can drive sales:

Captivating Product Presentations:

Visual content allows you to showcase your products or services in an engaging and visually appealing manner. High-quality product images can highlight key features, demonstrate usage, and provide a better understanding of what customers can expect.

Visual Testimonials and Reviews

Incorporating visual testimonials and reviews from satisfied customers can significantly impact sales. Visual testimonials, when recorded in the form of videos or images with quotes, can humanize the feedback. This makes it more compelling and persuasive. They provide social proof and build trust, influencing potential customers to choose your products or services.

Interactive Content for Personalization

Interactive visual content, such as quizzes, configurators, or virtual try-on experiences, can enhance the customer's engagement and personalize their shopping journey. These interactive elements allow customers to explore various options, customize products, and visualize how they fit into their specific needs or preferences. By providing a personalized and interactive experience, visual content can lead to increased customer satisfaction and higher conversion rates.

Best Practices for Creating Engaging Visual Content

Creating engaging visual content is crucial for capturing and retaining the attention of your audience. Here are some best practices to consider when creating visual content:

Understand Your Audience

Before creating any visual content, it's crucial to understand your target audience. Research their preferences, demographics, and interests to tailor your visuals accordingly. This will help you create content that resonates with your audience and increases engagement.

Keep it Simple and Clear

Your visual content ideas should be clear and easy to understand. Avoid cluttered designs and complex visuals that may confuse or overwhelm your audience. Use clean layouts, fonts, and a minimalist approach to ensure your message is communicated effectively.

Use High-Quality Images and Videos

High-quality visuals are essential for creating engaging content. Invest in professional photography or use reputable stock photo websites. If you're using videos, ensure they are well-shot, well-edited, and have good production value. Crisp and visually attractive content will capture your audience's attention and enhance their overall experience.

Tell a Story:

Don’t forget to incorporate storytelling elements in your visuals to make them more engaging. Use compelling narratives, relatable characters, or a series of images/videos that convey a sequence of events. Storytelling creates a connection with your audience and keeps them engaged with your content.

Encourage Interaction and Sharing:

Create visual content that encourages interaction and sharing. This is the best branding strategy to grow your business.

You can add calls to action, such as asking questions, inviting comments, or providing social sharing buttons. Engage with your audience by responding to comments and encouraging discussions around your visual content.

Test and Analyze:

Continuously monitor the performance of your visual content ideas and analyze the data. Use analytics tools to track metrics like engagement, click-through rates, and conversions. This data will help you understand what type of visual content resonates best with your audience so that you can optimize your future creations accordingly.

Key takeaways

It’s time to capitalize on visual content marketing. We know that it offers a multitude of benefits for brands. By leveraging the power of visuals, you can capture attention, convey messages effectively, foster emotional connections, and drive your marketing efforts to new heights.

In a world where people are constantly bombarded with information, embrace visual content as a strategic asset in your marketing toolkit. Unlock its potential to engage, inspire, and convert your target audience.