5-ways-visual-images-can-emphasize-your-contentA picture is worth a thousand words they say and true to this mantra, online marketing has a lot to benefit from visual content. Using quality images in your online marketing campaigns will significantly enhance content appeal. Not only does a picture elicit emotions, the brain tends to process images faster than any other information.

Visual content can take any of the following forms;

  • Info graphics.
  • Memes.
  • Pictures.
  • Visual note taking.
  • Videos.

Seeing that powerful and relevant images can enhance appeal and make people remember information much longer, the question is just how to incorporate images as foundation for objective and spirited content for marketing.

1. Arouse The Viewer’s Imagination

When developing content for the marketing campaign, always remember to use content that will stimulate the viewer’s imagination in the most exciting way possible. Whenever there is stimulation of the imagination, a bond is created between the content and the viewer. This bond greatly influences consumer behavior. It is worth mentioning that the used images should always portray the interests of the intended audience or target group.

2. Support Through Visual Guides

Use visual guides and info graphics to package the content in a way that is simple for the users to comprehend. Visual guides and info graphics have a way of packaging complex concepts in simple and interesting ways. By offering support to the user, you are sending a message that you have what it takes to be the solution they seek. Info graphics and Visual Guides tend to be trendy and have a capacity to go viral and drive traffic through social media. This can be a major boost to your content marketing strategy.

3. Incorporate For Value Addition

It would be ridiculous for a content marketing strategy to use visual images only. It is important to understand that images only offer a first impression of what should be expected in the text. It is not a representation of every aspect of the entire web content. The main role played by visual content is to create impulse in the user. Add value to the content by using informative and engaging written content.

4. Branded Images

Branded images are a great marketing tool especially when you seek to reinforce brand name. Their sharable nature make branded images very effective for use on social media. A branded image for the most part isn’t in any way promotional and will mostly contain a great image with either an inspirational, funny or motivational quote incorporated in it. A logo or brand name is then strategically placed on one of the corners.

Here are some tips to ensure that you get the best out of branded images;

  • Use emphatic images that will reinforce what you want to express. Ensure that the images are of high quality too.
  • Make use of consistent fonts and colors. It is important to ensure that the colors and fonts on the branded image are similar to those used in your brand name, company watermarks and logos.
  • Use consistent layouts and themes. This makes them familiar and easy to recognize.
  • Integrate your products into the branded image. This should be done artily as opposed to an outright promotional manner.
  • Make use of business name or logo in the image. Make sure that what you choose to use doesn’t take all the attention away from the message you want to communicate. It is advisable to use a website URL on the bottom right end of the image.

5. Originality and Creativity

To appeal to the users, it is important that you give the visual content a creative edge. Originality is also important to ensure freshness. It is therefore advisable to avoid using stock photos which tend to be general.  Needless to say that you need to get images that portray your brand. To get such images, you need to engage user generated content which give an individual bearing to photos. One way to get original photos and inspiration is to use Instagram search tool to find out the current trends in the locality and similar brands.

It is important to realize that image content marketing is much more than eye-candy. Keep the content fresh and engaging. Listening to what users have to say is a great way of getting a grip on trends as they emerge. Remember to use high quality visual contents at all time. The world is out there, don’t be afraid to try new strategies, they might soon set the pace and set a benchmark on how things should be done.