Why Good Visuals are Vital

February 9, 2016 By Heather Serdoz,

Images and content go together like ice cream and cake. They should be the visual makeup of our copy and it should compliment the written word not overpower it. We all come with something called a visual cortex, it’s this little guy in the back of our brain and he sure packs a punch, processing visual information faster that the rest of the brain can process words. So why exactly are good visuals vital? That’s a great question, we’re unmasking a few things you may or may not have thought about. Read on to find out.

Images Boost Retention

Sometimes when we read copy in bulk with no visual break up the messaging can become misconstrued and let’s be honest here, it’s boring. This isn’t your afternoon Mass Marketing class, this is real life and Mark the marketer isn’t going to finish reading that stellar post you took hours researching and crafting if it reads like a term paper. Images can not only help prevent this, but will also boost the retention level. The memory isn’t only logged with words, but also with images, so use em’!

Pictures Need to Have a Point

Nothing is worse than clicking through to a post you assumed addressed one topic because of the image, only to find out there is no correlation at all. Make sure your visuals make sense, don’t just throw something up there because it looks cool or is funny. The point of images are to make your story more relatable. Yes, we all love absurdity, but in small doses, please. A good image paired with copy will give your readers small breaks between text, but a great image will go a step further and help tell your story. This again aids in vetting our claim that pictures should have a point.

Infographics

We all remember show and tell growing up, infographics are like grown up version of show and tell. They keep the reader engaged and you as a marketer have the ability to lead their eye around the graphic, allowing your readers to absorb the information in the exact order you intended. This is also just a brilliant way to incorporate copy with a good visual.

Mobile

Today we consume so much content through our smartphones, images play a big role in keeping readers engaged. Think about it, we’re use to scrolling for long periods of time… cough... FB, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest... cough... but the best images, are ones that can get us to stop scrolling, pause and take a moment to digest what this image is actually linked to. So make sure you’re choosing wisely. It’s really no news to us that we’re living in a digital world, we’ve known this for quite some time. Moving forward, marketers are going to have to constantly think outside of the illuminated screen. Follow along as Digital Operative continues to think beyond the digital box and build better relationships with companies and their consumers. Contact us for more information on our services today!