Why you should focus more on Visual Content Marketing!

With over 3 million blog posts are published each day, you need to have something that helps your content stand out.

Great content just isn’t going to cut it anymore, there’s just too much content out there already.

If you want to attract readers you’ll need to start creating exceptional and unique content.

Latest stats show if you have visuals (image or video) on blogs and social media’s posts you’re 56% more likely to firstly click on your post to find out more. Content like videos, infographics, and posters that are visually appealing and easy to digest.

Its guaranteed that creating more visual content now will pave the way forward to success in 2019. Even eCommerce businesses can benefit from visual content, this type of content can touch many aspects of your brand and bottom line.

Check out these latest stats to show how visual content can boost your business and engagement rates.

Better recall: Up to 65% for visual content after three days

Studies have shown that people can recall 65% of the visual content that they see almost three days later compared to only about 10% of written content three days after it’s read.

This means you should start putting your most important information or takeaways in a visual. You should summarise your content in an infographic, like below, or just a simple graph or chart that shows the data.

41.5% of marketers say that original graphics, like infographics, perform best

Boring old stock images will not help your marketing efforts in 2019. You want to create something that is wholly unique.

Infographics are a great way to share information visually, that is why 41.5% of marketers said that graphics like infographics are the most valuable. Infographics even outranked the internet’s favourite file format, GIFs.

30% of marketers create their own visuals

Only 30% of marketers create their own visuals, so it’ll be easy for you to get ahead of the pack.

With design tools out there like Canva, Venngage and PiktoChart, almost anyone can create a beautiful visual. Whether you need a social media cover photo, a new video, or an infographic, there are tools for any skill level.

People share infographics 5x more than any other type of content

According to recent research, infographics are shared 5x more than any other visual content on social media. This is not surprising because they masterfully combine an interesting visual with useful content.

30% more bloggers were using multiple images in 2018 than in 2017

In 2018, more bloggers were using multiple images in their posts than in any year prior and it’s not a small increase either. It’s over 30% more bloggers than in 2017.

Using multiple images or visuals in your blog posts is a great way to break up the content and make it easier to consume. I mean, look at all the visuals I have used so far in this article!

People follow visual instructions 300% better than written instructions

One of the reasons that multiple images or infographics are so effective is that people follow them and can read them better. In fact, they can follow them 3x easier than strictly written directions.

If you don’t believe me, think about the last time you tried to put any IKEA furniture together with only written directions. Theres a high probability that it didn’t work out so well.

Visual content can make you real cash

If you’re a freelancer or a side hustle pro, you can also turn visual content into real cash. You can do it with a visually-driven course, a series of emails lessons, or a book. It’s really up to you!

For example, Jason Wong created the Holy Meme Bible, which did over £150,000 in sales in its first three weeks.

74% of marketers use visuals in their social media content

If social media is more of your specialty, visual content marketing can help you as well.  With almost 75% of marketers using visuals on social media, it may seem that your content will not stand out.

37% higher engagement on Facebook if you use a visual

Facebook posts with images also drive more engagement than those without any images. In fact, they get 37% more interaction.

This makes a lot of sense because its easier to see a post with an image than just a little block of text. In modern times, more people consume content via mobile devices and visuals takes up more of the screen making you stand out even more.

Tweets with visuals are retweeted 2.5x more

The pattern of more shares for visual posts continues with Twitter. In fact, the gap between engagement on visual shares and text-only shares is even more pronounced.

According to Buffer, Tweets that include a photo or visual should expect 1.5x more shares. Like with any other social network or news feed, the posts with images take up more screen real estate than those without. It’s much harder to miss a share with an eye-catching or unique visual accompanying it.

51% of B2B writers are creating more visual content

It’s not only bloggers that are seeing the potential of using more visual content in their marketing. More than half of all B2B bloggers are wanting to create more visual content in the next year. They want to create more engaging content as well, and better visual content can help them succeed.

Articles with images get 94% more views

Posts with images get 94% more views than visual-lacking pieces of work. Images in an article are a simple way to judge the quality of the content before you even read it.

They allow you to make assumptions about how much effort a writer put into an article if there is an absence of visuals or if the author found the most generic stock image to add.

Video will be part of 80% of all internet content by 2020

Video has taken over the content marketing world. Are you already moving your content and messages to video? If you think that some of the types of visual content that I’ve listed above aren’t for you, then this section should be.

In two short years, over 80% of all content that is shared on the internet is now video form. I’m sure you’ve noticed your social feeds filling up with videos, tutorials, funny moments and now a lot of adverts are moving to video format. And that percentage is likely to increase each year after that.

And the following stat should help you recognise why video is now king…

Facebook and Snapchat receive 15+ billion daily video views

In a single day, the two new titans in online video receive more than 15 billion views across their networks. That’s double the total human population on Earth, which makes this stat almost unbelievable.

But when you think about the number of videos you watch throughout your day, it makes a little more sense.

People 4x more likely to watch a video review than read one

This isn’t a surprising stat because there is something about seeing the product in a video or service that a photo or write-up can’t match.

Besides, when you’re watching a real human review something, it feels a lot more genuine and real. You can use video to add a little something extra to your content marketing immediately on a pretty low budget.

In summary

These stats demonstrate the enormous power of visual content.

Do you want better marketing results that will stand you out from the noisy world?

If yes then visual content is the answer for you.

Neglecting images and video in your content or using basic stock photos aren’t viable options. You won’t be able to compete with the competition even if your writing is marketing leading.

Visual content is dominating the internet world so start including original images, infographics, and videos in your content. You’ll find greater engagement with your audience, gain more recognition online, and yield better results with your content marketing strategy.

Are you ready to thrive in our rapidly-changing online world? Visual content might just be the key ingredient you need to enable you to succeed.

If you would like help with your strategy and/or content let us know, we offer services to help you get started and deliver regular content to the masses.