In 2015, visual content creation became one of the hottest trends in online marketing, especially with the rise in popularity of visually-inclined social networks such as Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat and Vine. Popular social networks (like Facebook and Twitter) have also started putting visuals in the center stage and all for a good reason: visual content, if done correctly, helps increase brand awareness, engagement and website traffic.
Why Visual Content?
You might have heard it a hundred times: 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual. And not just that, studies and data have shown how effective visual content in grabbing your audience’s attention.
You can read about how effective visual content is increasing engagement, shares and reach in this post from Hubspot.
Using visual content in your website
Before deciding to create visual content for various distribution channels, you should first look through your website. Remember that for most visual networks, it is the users that are initiating conversation and sharing content from brands. You have to make sure that when they go to your website, they will be able to find something that they would want to share to their network of friends.
Types of visual content that you can add to your website
Unique and creative high-resolution images – you can add hero images to your website with appropriate calls-to-action.
Infographics – creating industry related infographics is a good way of sharing useful information to your customers.
Videos – explainer videos are a good way to demonstrate your products or highlight your services.
Presentation – the best way to reuse old content. By turning lengthy content into pages of visually appealing information, audience gets a better sense of the information you are providing.
Meme – a humorous way to send a powerful message to your audience.
Comics – using comics strip and cartoons can be a good way to tell your brands story.
Tips for adding visual content in your website
- Use eye-catching, high resolution header images that showcase your brand.
- Have one shareable image for every page on your website.
- Don’t forget to add a call-to-action when appropriate.
- Make context clear by adding a text overlay.
Visual content has become an essential part of online marketing. If you have yet to leverage it, our Beginner’s Guide to Creating Visual Content can help you get started.
