There’s a revolution in the making. Have you noticed? Images transform marketing.
We’re getting more information from images than ever before. We’re relying on infographics, video, and all sorts of marketing images for information, entertainment, and connection.
Does your business “speak” images yet? And before you tell me you’re “not artistic” and “can’t draw a straight line,” you should know that the kinds of images I’m talking about don’t require an art degree to create.
Images will transform your marketing if you let them.
1. Images came before words
When our species began to communicate in writing, our first “language” was images. People drew their history, their hunts, and their harvests.
Images are still our most primal mode of communication. A great image touches us at our core, and speaks volumes without using a single word.
One of the things small businesses struggle with is making themselves look approachable.
We see big companies produce images that are clearly produced by a professional photographer. It might seem like this level of quality is out of reach.
But if you put a picture of one of your team members on your website or blog post, suddenly we feel like customers can approach you. They see that you’re human.
Images also helps to break up large chunks of text, making your content easier to read.
When your content is easier to read, your reader is more likely to remain engaged. In fact, according to a study by Kissmetrics, articles with images get 94% more views than those without!
Not only do images keep readers engaged, but they also help you to communicate your brand’s story.
2. Images transform marketing by engaging our brains
When people see an image, the brain is actually engaged in two simultaneous tasks: decoding the visual information and attaching an emotion to it.
We have a powerful image center in our brains which processes visual information faster than verbal.
When you use images to communicate your marketing messages, your message travels along the express route in your prospect’s brain, and comprehension soars.
The part of your brain that’s involved in nonverbal processing — such as visual recognition — is also closely tied with emotion. Not only do images work faster, they can engage the emotions better than just words.
Visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than text. That’s because images engage more parts of our brain than words do.
When we see an image, our eyes and brains work together to create a mental picture. We not only see the image, but we also smell it, feel it, and hear it.
That’s why effective use of images transform marketing. They can evoke emotions and memories that words never could.
Related: How to Fully Engage Your Readers’ Brains with Images
3. Images are easy to spread
Do you use social media?
If you do, you know that some of the most-shared content on social media platforms consists of images and videos. It’s visual content.
Why is that?
I believe it’s because images feel like a gift, not a burden. Sharing an image that is instantly recognized and evokes a response is easy. Images transform marketing on social platforms.
Sharing paragraphs of text — even when it’s moving and meaningful — feels like you’re asking your connections to work.
We use images to communicate every day: when we post a picture on Facebook, when we use emoticons in texts, when we add an image to a tweet or an email or any other form of communication.
What this means for you as a small business marketer is that creating sharable images is a highly effective technique for getting the word out about your business.
Images will transform your marketing if you let them.
The images you choose can tell your brand story, motivate your audience, and establish the tone of your brand.
When someone looks at an image, they are automatically drawn in. They are more likely to stop scrolling through their newsfeeds on social media if there’s a beautiful picture distracting them.
You want that distraction to be YOUR content!
Images transform marketing by telling your brand story
Your brand’s visual identity should be consistent across all of your marketing materials. This includes your website, social media profiles, email campaigns, and print materials.
The goal is to create a unified brand experience that engages your audience and leaves a lasting impression.
Stock photos are a great option for marketing materials. They allow you to create custom images without having to hire a photographer.
A strong brand image will help to differentiate you from your competitors and will make you stand out in a crowded market.
When done correctly, branded images can evoke feelings of trust, admiration, and respect in your customers.
Related: Free Stock Photos: My Favorite Resources Today
You can create marketing images yourself
You don’t need to be a designer to see how images transform marketing.
There are all sorts of marketing images that you can use in your campaigns. You can have images of your product, team, office space, or conceptual images that illustrate what you’re talking about in a blog or social post.
There’s lots of information here on my website — I’ve curated a number of them into an Image Resource Library, just for people like you!
