Visual Storytelling
Written by JWC PR Assistant Asael Ruelas Vaquera.
From reporters trying to capture the perfect picture to social media advertisers trying to engage their audiences with bold infographics, visuals have become one of the most critical tools for professional storytellers.
As public relations specialists, it is vital that we engage with our audiences in the most efficient and effective manner. As we communicate a brand’s message through social media posts, press releases or other written work, it is relevant to keep the following in mind: Visuals are important.
With platforms like Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest growing rapidly, the visual marketing trend cannot be ignored. According to an INC. article, Instagram’s user base has grown by 64 percent while Tumblr’s and Pinterest’s user base has grown by more than 110 percent. The importance of visual content continues to be emphasized by the evolution of these social media sites.
Visual content can trigger emotion, grab an audience’s attention and can be processed faster by our brain, making it easier and more fun to read compared to text-only material. According to an infographic created by Digital Marketing Philippines, the brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than the time it takes to decode text.
People are 85 percent more likely to buy a product after viewing a video, and posts with videos attract three times the amount of likes than text-only posts, reported INC. Its ability to effectively reach its public has helped people process, understand and remember more information more quickly.
When looking to add imagery to your written work, we recommend the following tips:
- Use Canva, Piktochart or other similar sites to make engaging posters, infographics and other visual content. Even if you don’t have an aesthetic eye for creating design, these sites are loaded with predesigned and customized templates.
- Stock photos are your friend when you aren’t able to get your own photographs! Websites like com or gratisography.com are great for finding attribution-free images.
- For mobile, use VscoCam to take, edit and filter photos.
Professional storytellers who continue to fuel their compelling writing with engaging imagery will soon discover the benefit of this innovative trend.
