In Social Media, visual is key. The reason behind this is that the human brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than text.
But our attention span is shortening, so much so that we can’t hold a thought for as long as a goldfish!* So, you need to be capturing your customers attention instantly. You have a matter of seconds for people to decide whether to click on your post or just scroll past. So, this is where visual comes in.
Why don’t we take a look at a few stats? Here’s the science bit…!
People only remember 10% of what they hear, 20% of what they read but 80% of what they see and do.
83% of human learning is visual.
And with regards to visual within social media...
Articles that contain images get 94% more views than articles without
40% of people will respond better to visual information than plain text
44% of users are more likely to engage with brands if they post pictures
People who click on real-people photos are twice as likely to convert to a sale
93% of people say that visual imagery is the #1 factor impacting purchasing decisions
The visual platforms are growing at a massive rate – Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram each gained more than 10 million visitors last year.
So how can we take advantage of this, without using professional photographers and complicated software? Well, we are fortunate to have access to a vast range of free visual tools that we can take full advantage of. These platforms are not only free, but they are incredibly simple to use, and really professional looking images can be created in a matter of minutes.
If you are a dab hand at scheduling your posts, you may be familiar with Buffer. We spoke about it in a previous post, but what's also great about buffer is that it has a visual side with Pablo. You can create engaging social images in 30 seconds, so if you are stuck for what to tweet about, Pablo will help you choose an image and a quote which you can easily tweet out toyour followers.
Our favourite photo editing site is Canva - you can create amazing visuals for free, by either uploading your own photos or choosing from a wide range of images they have available. It is really simple to use - add text, effects & logos to create some wonderful images that can be used throughout your social media channels. These images are so shareable because they are visual, emotive and engaging. Our newsfeeds are full of visual quotes, funny facts or inspirational messages - and they work!
Picmonkey is another free tool that gives you a lot of flexibility when designing a visual. You can upload your own images and adjust them, overlay text or create collages.
Infographics are another way of sharing content in a visual manner. You may have some great facts and figures, or statistics from within your industry. Instead of typing them out for everyone in a report style, you can create really shareable visual content using platforms such as Easel.ly or Piktochart. By registering for free you can easily create your own infographic using one of their templates or create your own.
By taking a short amount of time creating a really powerful visual you can then save time by sharing it on all of your social media platforms; Facebook & Twitter but also Instagram, Pinterest and Tumblr. Also use these images within your blog posts too.
There are so many ways of bringing in visual elements into your social media feeds, from works in progress, to behind the scenes, to creating a visual using a great quote relevant to your industry. Put a face to your brand, show off your product in action or give visual tips, tricks or tutorials. Ask thought provoking questions through visuals and create a call to action.
All these ideas are great content to be using within your social media strategy. Think shareable and visual and you won't go far wrong!
If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us.
*According to scientists, the age of smartphones has left humans with such a short attention span even a goldfish can hold a thought for longer. Researchers surveyed 2,000 participants in Canada and studied the brain activity of 112 others using electroencephalograms.The results showed the average human attention span has fallen from 12 seconds in 2000, or around the time the mobile revolution began, to eight seconds.
Goldfish, meanwhile, are believed to have an attention span of nine seconds.