The Power of Visual Content

Here is a lovely still of Snoopy

Ok, so what about a nice gif.

Wait, lets look at this video.

Now just the word Snoopy.

Which is still going round your head?

The power of visuals is a hot topic amongst marketing and commercial brands.

Its been proven time and time again that visuals are a powerful tool in communicating with an audience, but despite our love of film and TV and the multi billion pound industry it creates, companies still aren’t using moving image to its full potential. Five years ago you could put that down to the cost of video production, but with the birth of…..

Access to Cheaper Broadband and Social Media

Use of Mobiles and eCommerce

Companies can make high quality work with ease and not worry as to whether their investment will be wasted.

So why is a moving image so effective?

In its simplest form, our brains are wired that way.

Roughly half of our brain is devoted to processing visual information, and visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than text.

How does this come into business?

Business is about communication, storytelling and interaction.

With the average attention span of a customer being only 8 seconds, companies need to grab its audiences quickly. And what is the quickest way to present and communicate? Moving image.

People are 75% more likely to watch a five minute video than they are to read a brochure or paper for five minutes. They are 95% more likely to watch a sales video than they are to meet with a sales rep. Video can match the world we actually live in, and in doing so connect to an audience on common ground.

The phrase ‘show don’t tell’ is a staple in regards to TV and Film writing, but it applies just as much to commercial video content. Ever since man was able to communicate, story has been the most basic form of interaction. And what is video content without story?

Now I’m not saying that text or imagery should be forgotten. Both have the potential to uplift, engage and evoke powerful emotions. But the real key for businesses in terms of staying ahead of their competitors, is to accept and embrace how truly wonderful moving image can be.

According to Cisco’s Visual Networking Index, by 2017 video will account for 69% of all consumer internet traffic, and video-on-demand traffic alone will have almost trebled.

So I’ll ask you again, which of these visuals is still going round in your head?

Written by Sophie Avril @sophialavril