Social media and the power of images

The photo of the best friend's coffee and breakfast, the vacation picture of the colleague or the video of the influencer who is always at the gym at five o'clock in the morning. On social media, we are confronted with a flood of images and videos that sneak into our everyday lives completely unnoticed via smartphones. The one pictured is usually beautifully draped, filtered and intended to entertain us. Platforms such as Instagram and YouTube are becoming the number one distraction and entertainment in the small everyday moments when we are looking for a pastime. While waiting for the train, in front of the microwave during your lunch break or even in bed in the morning when you don't want to get up right away. It is precisely this escape, into the world of images, that marketing can take advantage of and win over new customers and prospects with entertaining content.

Why is information no longer enough?

Especially with the change from print to online marketing, some maxims have changed. It is no longer enough just to provide as much information as possible and publish long texts. The target group is often completely overwhelmed by this flood of text and only retains a small amount of the presented content. Since 90% of the processed information in the brain is visual information, this is also becoming increasingly useful in marketing. The motto “Content is king” still applies here, but the focus is on visual content online and on social media in particular. In visual content marketing, photos, infographics, videos or short clips are used to briefly and concisely illustrate the information and bring it to the target group as simply and entertaining as possible. It is important that the digital assets match the general corporate language, values and corporate identity and round off the marketing mix. In addition, the target group and the place of publication must also be considered when choosing. Graphics published on the company website ideally differ in preparation and tone of voice from those on social media such as Instagram.

The social media and the pictures

The visuality of content is particularly important on social media. The Instagram and YouTube platforms have already focused entirely on visual content, where communication can only be carried out using images and videos. But even on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, it is clear that posts with visual support are significantly more successful and have an engagement rate almost twice as high as pure text contributions. This greater interest and better reach also creates a better chance of reaching potential prospects and increasing the conversion rate of the contribution. Social media also offer the advantage of publishing both paid and unpaid contributions. For example, the distribution of graphics on your own site is classified less as advertising by followers and is therefore viewed less negatively than ads on third-party accounts or paid contributions. With the correct use and creation of relevant content, it is also possible for interested parties and followers to voluntarily share the images and videos or to collaborate with influencers and thus achieve even greater reach.