The Internet is saturated with all types of content and on various topics. Whether you are looking for information on how to run your business or how to make homemade fireworks, you are likely going to do a quick Google search or even ask your pal, Siri.

The Internet has led to information overload. Businesses of all shapes, sizes, and scopes have caught on to users’ search behaviors, and have created various types of content to help increase brand awareness, boost engagement levels on social media, and even increase sales. However, although businesses and brands are getting pretty good at creating content, less than 10 percent of marketers know how to implement content marketing, especially since content marketing has shifted over the years. The blog was once a prime resource for content a decade ago, but is now considered somewhat primitive. Today, video is winning the content marketing race. In fact, did you know that video accounts for more than 70 percent of all Internet searches today? According to an article published by Forbes, more video content is uploaded to the Internet in a single month than network television has produced in three decades.

All in all, visual content is in. So, for businesses, brands, and marketers who might be stuck trying to figure out what and how to create content, read on to learn more about some of the types of high performing visual content, and why they work.

How to Use Visual Content for Social Media

Why Visual Content Works

Although long-form text content will always have a place in the world of online marketing, visual content is gaining a lot of attention and has proven to perform better than written content. But why?

In our digitally driven era, we have become spoiled with the ease and accessibility of having a visual, interactive device at our fingertips. As a result, our brains have actually become more dependent on visual content. In fact, with approximately 65 percent of people being visual learners, it makes sense to use content types that people are naturally drawn towards.

Which Social Media Channels Are Best for Visual Content?

When people want to look up an image or search for a video, they will likely go to social media to find what they are looking for. Here are the best social media channels for visual content.

  • YouTube – This one shouldn’t come as a surprise. Whether you want to listen to your favorite song or watch a music video, or you need to learn how to change a tire while you are stuck on the side of the road or how to make fondant for your best friend’s birthday cake, YouTube is by far the number one channel for video.
  • Facebook – With Facebook’s new video features, our favorite social media giant is actually the second go-to for video searches. Users also enjoy videos that appear and play automatically in their news feeds. The best thing about Facebook is that businesses and brands can also use it to post and share other types of visual content, such as images, photos, and infographics.
  • Instagram – Instagram is one of the best social media channels for images and photos. Think of Instagram as your opportunity to express the creative side you may not even know you had. Instagram is like a mini PhotoShop experience, giving users the option to take photos, upload photos and images, edit and apply various effects and post them using a wealth of hashtags to optimize searches.
  • Pinterest – Although Instagram is users’ number one choice for visual content and graphics, Pinterest is still a favorite. Pinterest is another creative social media channel that is also visually dominant. Think of Pinterest as a virtual bulletin board. Businesses and brands can create various “boards” to post their visual content and even share and “pin” other relevant content.

What Kinds of Visual Content Can I Create?

In terms of the type of visual content that you can create, the sky is the limit… Here are some prime examples of some high-performing visual content.

  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Screenshots
  • Infographics
  • Images and GIFs
  • Blog and email headers

Fun Fact: Infographics are a great example interactive visual content assets, which have proven to have an impact on sales funnels, according to a report by the Content Marketing Institute (CMI). Check out this infographic published by the Content Marketing Institute, which includes a number of helpful tips on how to create awesome infographics.

How Can I Organize My Visual Content?

So, once you have organized your visual content and digital assets, how do you organize everything? Three words: Content Marketing Platform (CMP). A content marketing platform (CMP) is a marketer’s secret weapon, which helps organize all your photos, images, videos, audio files, screenshots and so on all in a single platform. Learn more about using and where to find a CMP.

What is the Most Effective Type of Visual Content for My Business?

All in all, you can be storing images, recording videos, and designing blog headers, infographics, and other compelling designs until your heart is content. Sure, this will help you create some pretty amazing visual content, however, it will also likely drain your marketing and design budget.

Producing and marketing different types of content will certainly grow your online audience and increase brand awareness, but different types of visual content have different returns. In order to avoid blowing your budgets, start by evaluating the cost of designing and producing each type of visual content that you want to use in your marketing strategy.

The next step is to keep a close eye on how your visuals are performing on social media. Which types of content are generating the most likes, shares, and clicks? You can easily do this by performing a content marketing audit, studying your data and analytics, and your social media interactions and engagement levels, and determine which types of content are working and which aren’t, and how you can improve the quality of your visuals.