CMOs: 3 Tips to Spice Up Your Content Marketing with Great Visuals

I won’t go there but we all have heard the cliché a million times. Yet what’s interesting is how much attention visual content has been getting lately. As a graduate student in the Northwestern Medill Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) program and content marketer, I have looked at two articles on visuals – why they are important in social media and what mistakes to avoid.  

Although visual content marketing is on the rise, posts with images can also increase your visibility and response. The first article, titled “EverythingYou Need to Know about Visual Content Marketing” by Brett Relander published in April 2015 compares response rates to tweets and posts with and without images to make a compelling case for why one needs to use visuals. But not just any image; our image choices should enhance the UX. 

Image source: http://www.dailyinfographic.com/right-vs-left-infographic

Another article from January 2015 by Chuck Frey of the Content Marketing Institute talks about common mistakes marketers make. These include anything and everything from using poor-quality image to confusing pictures that don’t align with the brand’s perception, and look and feel. This piece, titled “Experts Share Visual Content Mistakes to Avoid,” discusses why graphics and images can be just as powerful as words in content marketing and branding. It then outlines recommendations on how to avoid some of the mistakes and provides a list of helpful questions to help marketers guide their visual strategy and design work.

Three tips for you to consider if you want to hit a home run with your visual content:

• Think Visual – You have invested in your content marketing strategy. It’s time to also carefully evaluate your visual strategy and what you are trying to accomplish with your visual content.
• Quality is King – Don’t take the easy way out: find the time and money to create the quality of image your target audience expects.
• Know Your Audience – Carefully select the type of visual that best fits your audience’s needs – video vs. photos. 

More and more companies are investing in content marketing. Although visual content is becoming more prevalent brands continue to face pressure to deliver outstanding user experience online. The challenge is in picking the right type and quality of visual that enhances your content as opposed to detract from it.

Dora Bank is a M.S. Candidate in Integrated Marketing Communications at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She has worked in print and digital media in travel and financial services focusing on marketing strategy, content marketing and direct response. You can follow her on Twitter @dbnyc2004 or connect on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/dorabank