The importance of Visual Content in 2021

Content reigns supreme in digital marketing, yet recent years have seen a massive shift towards visual content, as opposed to text. Video content saw a huge surge in popularity between 2017 and 2019 and this year has only seen a sharper increase in that trend. Images and video are the central pillars of all good content marketing strategies, with social media networks like Facebook, YouTube and Instagram all consistently showing that the most successful strategy is a visual strategy.

The modern marketer must now embrace a visual content marketing strategy in order to reap the rewards of higher returns when it comes to everything from website traffic to engagement, lead generation and client retention, and revenue.

To put this in perspective, consider that 90% of the information received by the human brain is in visual form. We are 60,000 times faster at processing visual information than we are the written word. In the increasingly fast-paced, technology-driven climate of modern business, that is the power of visual content; the ability to convey your message as quickly and clearly as possible is everything.

THE IMPORTANCE OF VISUAL CONTENT

Simply put, we buy with our eyes. With the Social Science Research Network finding that 65% of people learn visually, and are far more capable of retaining information presented in a visual format, ensuring powerful visual elements in your content is vital for a positive user experience. With UX tied directly to everything from your conversion rates to your website’s ability to rank on search engine results, this alone is a strong argument for ensuring great visuals.

But there are so many more reasons to consider…

BRAND AWARENESS AND VISIBILITY

As of 2018, 83% of consumers who see a branded video consider sharing that video with friends and family. The more shares you get, the greater your reach, the higher your visibility, and the stronger your brand awareness. Words can only do so much, whereas great imagery sells a dream, a vision, a fantasy.

When it comes to growing your audience, or selling your product, strong visuals are the key to success.

INCREASED WEBSITE TRAFFIC

The latest forecasts from Cisco Visual Networking Index are predicting that, by 2021, 82% of all consumer traffic online will consist of video content. The inclusion of video in your website content (be it static or dynamic) is also an instant SEO boost that makes your page more likely to rank for your core search terms. The combination of these two factors means investing in visual content is an absolute no-brainer if you want to drive traffic to your website. Video and visuals are already hugely important where traffic is concerned but as we head into 2021 they’re simply essential. Your competitors are already aware of these statistics and leveraging visuals, so these things are now a necessity simply to keep up, let alone compete!

BOOSTING ENGAGEMENT, CONVERSIONS AND ROI THROUGH VISUAL STORYTELLING

Visual elements in your content marketing campaigns are the fastest and most cost-effective way to boost your engagement rates, and consequently your conversion rates and ROI. The more interesting your campaigns are to look at, the more engaged your audience will be.

There’s a reason Tweets accompanied by images get 150% more retweets than their plain text counterparts! Higher engagement ensures a greater chance of conversion, and the more your content converts, the more money you will see returned on your investment.

MAKING YOUR BRAND MEMORABLE

Visuals not only help your audience retain information - they ensure they’re more likely to recall your brand. This is vital when it comes to ‘warming up’ an audience, an essential part of the conversion process as people are very unlikely to buy from a brand they’ve never heard of before. The more they remember you, the greater familiarity that they will feel each time they see a piece of your content.

Need help creating memorable, engaging visual content for your brand? WK360 is here to provide everything you need from concept to visual content design, so give us a call today to speak to one of our consultants.