In 2015 marketers that embraced visual culture were able to successfully harness its power and secure growth for their brands online. The case for including visuals into your content marketing strategy is supported by insights which suggest that coloured visuals increase a reader’s willingness to read content by 80%. Furthermore when information is consumed with a relevant image, people are able to remember 65% of the information days later, as opposed to retaining only 10% of the information when the information had no relevant image.

If you were late to the visual party in 2015 here are 5 visual tools to integrate your marketing strategy in 2016.

1. Video

Video is predicted to be the king of content in 2016. With YouTube becoming one of the biggest search engines on the internet, more consumers are watching videos that answer their questions, or as a means to research products. Other video tools rising to meet demand for this content form are Periscope and Snapchat which have grown in popularity. The accessibility of video creating, editing and sharing mobile applications also allows any business to participate in this video revolution. Creating short educational tutorials, video brand experiences and corporate videos is strongly recommended, especially for marketers looking to create content which continues to receive traffic long after it is published.

2. Gifs & Memes

What started off as mediums for University students to create shareable jokes has become a social media phenomenon. The Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) is perfect for creating easy to share visuals online and the popular meme (pronounced meem) medium allows brands to attach themselves to ideas that develop out of popular culture. If your company is attempting to align itself with popular culture trends and stay abreast with its consumer’s behaviour this form of content is the perfect addition to your marketing strategy.

3. Infographics

Collating statistics, processes and complex data into an infographic makes this information easier to read and more attractive to audiences. This combination of text and imagery can be easily scanned, drive traffic to your website, bring awareness to your brand and display your knowledge and expertise in the understanding of a subject or industry. Good design and accurate information are integral to the success of this form of visual content.

4. Image

It has become an unfortunate common practice for companies to overuse stock imagery as a quick solution. Your audience is very aware of what stock images look like and are not impressed by staged photos that do not represent real people. If you are using stock images, it is advised that you focus on finding more organic looking images and when possible have your design team edit the image to optimize them. Taking your own original photos inspired by stock imagery is also a better alternative to using images which look cheap just because they are convenient.

5. Custom illustration

Creating bespoke images in the form of custom illustrations gives you an advantage over your competitors as it creates a unique signature for your brand. Your customers will subconsciously begin to associate a certain graphic style with your company based on these custom illustrations.

Curzon PR is a London-based PR firm working with clients globally. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our Business Development Team [email protected]