What would advertising be without pictures or videos? Probably very, very boring and monotonous - definitely unthinkable! In this article, I would like to show you how important images really are for marketing. There is no other way to convey information and, above all, emotions as effectively as through images. Images appeal to areas of the brain in which many more emotions are triggered than in the text processing areas. The human brain can process images up to 60,000 times faster than text. Social media posts with images are shared up to five times as often and articles with images receive up to 94 per cent more views.
For your marketing, this means that content with visual content (images, videos, graphics) is much more interesting and easier for readers to consume. And this in turn promotes buying behaviour.
1. images have a strong expressive power
I would like to start with an example of a restaurant. Which picture makes you more hungry?
I think the result is relatively clear. Pictures have a tremendous power of expression that is difficult or sometimes impossible to achieve with words. Try describing in a text how delicious the burger on the right looks. Without the picture, your customers will find it difficult to understand what you have written. Pictures help us to visualise things.
I hope I haven't made you hungry with this picture? 🙂 And if I have, just take another look at the picture on the left. With beautiful, professional and high-quality images, we automatically associate the advertising company with the adjectives mentioned. In psychology, this effect is known as the "halo effect". You can find more information on this in our article Neuromarketing - How website visitors become customers.
2. visual elements complement your content
The right images complement your page, article or advert. They can convey feelings, such as joy or sadness, and information to match the text passages, much better than text alone can. Images should not simply be used for the sake of being used, but should always fit the topic and offer added value. Think about what you want to convey and then go in search of a suitable image or graphic - or even better: create it yourself. The following questions can help you with this:
What is the picture/graphic supposed to say?
What kind of image/graphic can help to emphasise the content?
Does the picture/graphic match my Corporate Design / my brand?
3. your readers can better understand your information
As already mentioned, the brain can process images 60,000 times faster than text. This information, coupled with the fact that 55% of all website visitors spend less than 15 seconds per page actively reading/viewing content, leads us to the conclusion that your user must be presented with information quickly and easily. Using expressive images, graphics or videos, the user can absorb the information better and remember it more easily.
4. you avoid text deserts
Visual elements can break up so-called text deserts (areas that only contain text). Text passages can be equalised by introducing images. Your users will engage with your content for longer as they are not "overwhelmed" by text-only areas.
5. varied variants
For visual elements, mainly images, videos or infographics are used. Of course there are other types, such as funny memes or animated gifs. These are also great if they fit the topic. However, memes or gifs often make fun of the topic. Nevertheless, these are often funny and have a corresponding reach and are often and gladly shared.
6. Search engine optimisation
Not only your users, but also the search engines love images. Google and co. want to show the user the page with the best user experience and pay close attention to whether the content has been enhanced with suitable images or graphics. As this visual content plays a large part in how we interact with a website, the search engines pay attention to which content is easy and quick to understand and will position it better. As images are now very relevant, all search engines have their own image search function. Make sure you name the file names of the images and graphics correctly, as this is the only way Google and Co. can assign your image to the correct search terms.
And don't worry, search engines don't use dogs with a magnifying glass to find your result 🙂
7. use your own real images
In our article 7 reasons why you should avoid stock photos, we explain in detail why you should always use your own images instead of purchased stock photos. You can also find out why you should definitely not use this terrible stock photo here.