The Psychology Behind Visual Marketing.

You probably have heard the saying “a picture is a worth a thousand words”.

What does this mean? A picture initiates triggers inside a person’s brain and helps to communicate the message to the most vital parts allowing you to connect with the message in a way that words are never able to. And this is the very reason why it is crucial to understand the psychology behind visual strategy on social media.

If you think that the concept of visual marketing is as simple as finding an image and using it on your social media channels, you are wrong, any image wouldn’t do and I will explain why in a moment. Why it is important to create and follow the concept of visual marketing? 37% of marketers said visual marketing was the most important form of content for their business.

According to a study carried out by Stanford University, our brain consists of something called visual perception by which the brain analyses the surroundings and makes a guess determined by the past experiences of the same surrounding. Therefore, it is important to understand what image has to be used and if not we might give out the wrong message to our target market. However, what is good for one individual might not trigger the same response in another person.

So, the question remains — “How do I create an image that every individual can connect with?”

How to choose the right image?

Individuals tend to respond to a particular image as it influences them on a certain personal and/or emotional level, and therefore, it is important to reach and entertain your target market of social media channels with the right visual content.

First, make sure the image you’re sharing is relevant to the message you wish to deliver which include having the right colour palette as it speaks to the reader as well. You should be able to instigate positive emotional response into your customer’s mind every time. Also keep in mind not to include religion, race and politics in your images, since ideas can vary.

Say for instance you are an SEO blogger and you promote your articles with food blogger images — you are not delivering the right message to your target market. Always make sure the visuals you use are simple, attractive and relevant.

According to Hubspot, Facebook posts with images see 2.3X more engagement than those without images.

Visual Communication and its Power

90% of the brain is visual communication, therefore, do not underestimate the power images have on your target market. Ask these questions from yourself; “What do you want your image to say?” “ How can you make it communicate the message effectively to the target market?”.

Here are some tips:

Faces: When in doubt, include a face. Studies have shown that we are drawn to human faces in imagery. It’s familiar, it connects and draws the reader in.

Screenshots: This shows the reader right off that you’re about to help them accomplish something. These are very effective forms of communication through visuals.

Foreground: Images with a large foreground peripheral and a blurry background also work well. Just make sure the foreground image is something that people can relate to.

Cartoons: Everyone loves a good cartoon image! I know I do, and the effects of laughter bring about a positive psychological experience in the user.

Final Thoughts!

Visual marketing has become the forefront of social media. If you want your brand or business to move forward then you have to use the right visual marketing techniques.

Visual marketing has gone global, stepped up their game, therefore, when people are passing you by on social media, no matter how awesome the content is, if you fail choosing the right image you are sure to lose your status.

(Hubspot Research, 2017)

Therefore, there are some amazing tools out there which would help you create the best image for the amazing content that you create and make sure you take the best use out of them.