By Torri Myler
A robust marketing campaign will always include at the very least, text-based as well as visual content. As the trend toward visual content continues to grow, incorporating a significant amount of it into your marketing campaigns could prove critical to your success.
Since the human brain is wired to process visual content easily, it’s should not be a surprise that the majority of people tend to be visual learners. For these people, visual content will always be more persuasive than text. Add one or more of these 6 types of visual content and you will likely see a dramatic improvement in your next marketing campaign.
1. Images
Even if your content is primarily text-based, as in an article or blog post, adding in one or more images can help your content get read. Images help soften the look of big blocks of text, which many people in this hurry-up world are loath to tackle.
If you aren’t a photographer with access to your own original images, you can easily find compelling images that are free or inexpensive that you can add your own personal touch to using one of the free image editors online like Canva or Pixlr.
2. Videos
Videos are the ideal way to demonstrate how your products can solve your customer’s problems. Visitors can immediately grasp how your product will perform and videos can provide plenty of inspirational ideas for them. Take, for instance, a video demonstration for a smoothie blender. In the short space of the video, you can show visitors several recipes for a variety of smoothies that will inspire them to get healthy by showing them how easy it is.
Landing page conversions can be increased by a massive 86% when you add a video. Videos can be animated, they can be screencasts, or they can feature actors. All forms have been shown to be effective.
3. Infographics
If you have a set of complex data to present, the best way to do it is through infographics. This is the most compelling way to assemble what can often be confusing or bland data and statistics and show it in a way that places it in context in the simplest way possible.
Likewise, infographics also lend themselves quite well to step-by-step instructions and simple how-to’s. Infographics have proven to be one of the most highly shareable forms of content. So if you design one that works well, you may get a boost when it starts getting shared around social media.
4. Memes
Meme’s are images with often humorous captions that are frequently get shared on social media. Even with the same image, the caption can be changed to fit whatever situation is relevant. They are incredibly popular.
You can create your own meme that is relevant to your industry or product and use it as a way of boosting engagement with your audience. Any free online image editor can be used to create a simple meme. Canva (mentioned above) and PicMonkey are two solid choices that are easy to use.
5. Presentations
SlideShare presentations are a great way to get extra mileage out of all of those old PowerPoint presentations that you’ve used for years. SlideShare is a universally accessible technology, so you can be confident that visitors can consume your presentations regardless of the device they are using.
SlideShares are also appropriate for those times when you have content that is too lengthy to fit comfortably in an infographic, but could benefit from the added visuals.
6. Screenshots
Screenshots are a good way to give your visitors an idea of what your product or service looks like from the inside. It’s particularly useful when showing off software or behind-the-scenes of a membership website.
People often use screenshots as a way of providing ‘proof’ for some type of claim. For example, on a sales page, you might add a screenshot of your merchant or back account in order to show how profitable your product is and how much money your customers can expect to make.
What are your favorite forms of visual content?
