5 Ways a Picture Says a Thousand Words – or 140 Characters

Visuals can be a powerful thing. If you’ve noticed in the past year or two that more social media accounts are using images to make their updates stand out, you’re not wrong. Here are just a few of the ways that graphics are awesome in an online marketing strategy.

1. Visual content platforms are big business:

Instagram is a force to be reckoned with in the social media world. But it’s more than just selfies and photos of what users had for breakfast (though there’s a lot of that. Waffles, anyone?). It’s also an effective tool for brands to connect with their demographics and add another layer of personality to their online presence. Honourable mentions go to Snapchat and Pinterest, as their image-based platforms are also heavy hitters in the visual social media game.

2. They’re more eye catching than text:

Most people tend to scan text rather than reading every word they come across. So how do you make your message stand out? Graphics, of course. Studies have shown that posts with images receive a much higher number of views and engagement than those without. Which means there is no downside to adding visuals.

3. They allow us to add more to a message, especially when confined to a character limit:

Oh, the joy of whittling down content into 140 characters. It almost becomes an art to get the desired effect from a condensed message (and your social media manager should have it down to an art). Luckily, custom graphics and photos can help. Add a phrase to your pictures, or just use an image that complements your text and drives a message home.

4. They add to your brand’s personality and style:

Chances are, your brand has a specific aesthetic. It could be certain colour schemes, fonts, or just an all-around style that you created for your business. If you’ve gone to that effort to create this style, you’ve likely used it for your logo, website, and marketing materials. Social media graphics are another way to show that off and incorporate your brand style across all platforms. Consistency is key to boosting that brand recognition!

5. They’re useful across all online channels:

If you write a blog post and then create a graphic to go along with it, you can use that graphic throughout the different online channels you’ll be using to promote the post. That way, even if your corresponding message is different on each account, the graphic ties them all together and creates uniformity.

The takeaway? To make your content stand out and reach more people, images are a must in your social media strategy. And with proper implementation, visual content will help you achieve the brand recognition your business needs to succeed. And don’t forget – we’re here to help.