This is the last update in my Summer Lovin blog series! So sad!
I’ve been building up to this topic for some time. I’ve talked about how important language is for website success, and when I waxed philosophically about the ‘Pinterest factor’, I was really talking about the future of visual content.
You’ve probably noticed that lots of marketers are hopping on board the infographic bandwagon, perhaps the most visible (and sometimes ingratiating) visual marketing tactic.
It is important for several reasons:
You’ve heard the saying that a picture says a 1,000 words, and it couldn’t be more true now. IF YOU ARE SCANNING, STOP HERE: If you take nothing else from this article, at least take a look at your site and figure out how to cut down on the text and use images to get the same point across.
I could talk for miles about how to use visual content more successfully, but wouldn’t it be more effective (in a pun-intended kind of way) to just use some examples? I think so.
First up: Matador Network’s just how big is Australia graphic. It would be hard to explain this without a photo, but this custom image says it all in one screen. (Summary caption should be: it’s BIG.)
You can see lots of ‘how to’ pieces on Pinterest – look at this example from Home Depot that shows you how to wrap a package with tarp. To be honest, if you explained this to me over the phone or with just text I’d be clueless, but these images (even without details) are pretty explanatory!
Along the same DIY theme, Homemade Modern uses a combination of images, video, and animated GIFs to make it easy to recreate the projects that they write about.
For something simpler, how about these smores instructions? (It reminds me of the safety cards on an airplane in a way.)
Hopefully you are seeing (pun intended) how these visual images can communicate complex topics easily, without the need for miles of text. Imagery like this also encourages sharing and referrals, which is a beautiful thing.
How do you make all this amazing stuff? You can spend $$$ or take the time and hone your skills in-house. Some tools that can help:
What visual content creation tools do you use? Got an example of a visual campaign that you’re proud of Share your faves in the comments.
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