Why You Need Images In Your Content Marketing

Think about the last time you traveled. Crucial information—from warning of a sharp curve in the road ahead to directing you to the correct restroom—was probably conveyed at some point with images. These visuals enabled you to quickly gather the information you needed, take the correct action, and get on your way without delay. You want the same for your customers and they will get it when you choose to use high-quality graphics in your content marketing.

Quickly gather and retain information
According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics and their 2018 American Time Use Survey, the average amount of leisure time spent reading per day ranges from 6 minutes for those 25 to 34 years old to just over 41 minutes for those 65 years and older. A quick online search reveals that the average daily YouTube viewing time is over 40 minutes, and many of these viewers are the 6-minute readers.

Scientific data supports the fact that we are six times more likely to remember information if a relevant image accompanies the text. People who have both words and pictures to guide them do 323% better with directions than those who only have text.

Take action
An image WILL affect a customer’s interaction with your business. According to Jeff Bullas, one of Entrepreneur’s top 50 online marketing influencers, “60% of consumers are more likely to consider or contact a business when an image shows up in local search results” and “In an online store, customers think that the quality of a products image is more important than product-specific information (63%), a long description (54%) and ratings and reviews (53%).”

But you aren’t just selling products. You want to increase engagement and get prospects and clients to check out all you have to offer on an ongoing basis. High-quality photos on Facebook, Instagram, and your website will aid your efforts. One word of caution: eye-tracking studies show that website viewers pay close attention to product images and photos of your company employees but they ignore page fillers (those feel-good images and stock photos that are supposed to make your business/organization look like a great place to be).

Multiple companies have tested adding images to their social media content and reported impressive results. Outcomes included 150% more retweets, twice the number of social media shares, 2.3 times more engagement on Facebook, and an increase of 12% in web traffic.

Go on their way without delay
YouTube viewing, especially on smartphones and other mobile devices, is on the rise. With 70% of YouTube viewers looking for help with a problem, you and your brand’s how-to video marketing can provide a much-needed service and speed these helpless people on their way.

Tate Design can create the visuals your business needs for all its marketing communications. Call us at 610.725.0702 or e-mail [email protected] to get started with more images customized for your target audience.

 

 

References
• Bureau of Labor and Statistics’ 2018 American Time Use Survey https://www.bls.gov/charts/american-time-use/activity-leisure.htm
• John Medina’s Brain rule rundown rule #10: vision trumps all other senses http://www.brainrules.net/vision
• W. Howard Levie and Richard Lentz’s Effects of text illustrations: a review of research https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF02765184
• Jeff Bullas’ 6 Powerful Reasons Why you Should include Images in your Marketing – Infographic https://www.jeffbullas.com/6-powerful-reasons-why-you-should-include-images-in-your-marketing-infographic/
• Jakob Nielsen’s Photos as web content https://www.nngroup.com/articles/photos-as-web-content/
• Belle Beth Cooper’s How Twitter’s expanded images increase clicks, retweets and favorites https://buffer.com/resources/the-power-of-twitters-new-expanded-images-and-how-to-make-the-most-of-it
• Andrianes Pinantoan’s How to massively boost your blog traffic with these 5 awesome image stats https://buzzsumo.com/blog/how-to-massively-boost-your-blog-traffic-with-these-5-awesome-image-stats/
• Rich Media’s The power of visual content https://www.demandgenreport.com/industry-topics/rich-media/2906-the-power-of-visual-content-infographic.html#.VKtkmIc9-7m
• Celie O’Neil-Hart’s Why you should lean into how-to content in 2018 https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/intl/en-ca/advertising-channels/video/self-directed-learning-youtube/