It’s no secret that compelling and interesting visuals are becoming more and more important across every single social media channel. Videos in particular are on the rise. Facebook believes that around 80% of content will be video content by 2020. Lagging in your use of visual content can damage your brand, likely more than you realize.
How Much Do You Need
In 2017, a survey of 500 social media marketers revealed that 45% of marketers used visuals in most, if not all, of their content. In 2018, that number jumped to 56%. That jump shows just how important visuals are becoming. Using a photo, video, or graphic on each post is becoming the norm in social media, and it’s important to follow that trend.
What Do You Need To Use
Visual content is more than just a picture of a video you slap on a Facebook post. There are different types of visuals, all of which change how your post performs. The best imagery is genuine images of your product or service. We often see people rely on stock photos. The problem with stock photos is that they look like stock photos. The other big problem is many businesses use them. After all, that sharp looking guy in athletic wear looks like the perfect off-the-clock doctor. He also looks like a dentist, a CEO, and an attorney, etc. Try to be original in your photos, and be the same with your graphics content too. These take time to create, but they are a perfect way to tell your story quickly.
You can also use third-party charts, videos, presentations, and even gifs and memes to help engage your audience, as long as using them doesn’t veer away from your brand voice and personality.
How Much Time Does It Take
Knowing you need to use visuals and actually creating them are two very different things. Not everyone is a Photoshop master, but that’s ok. There are numerous online tools to help you easily create images using pre-made templates, or allow you to make something specific to your brand that you can save and re-use when needed. There are sites like Canva that offer a suite of tools for you to use, or you can download programs like Photoscape that you can use offline.
Try to spend 2-5 hours of your time each week creating and planning your graphics. That will help you be ready and avoid scrambling at the last minute.
Infographics are shared 3x more than content without visuals.
Content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing and generates about 3 times as many leads.
Our team works as an extension of your team to carefully craft fully developed and expertly researched blog posts, landing pages, white papers, e-newsletters, and email drip campaigns that will keep your fans engaged.
CONTACT US to learn more about creating the results you’re looking for with an effective content marketing strategy.
