Are images becoming more powerful than the written word?

We have always been visual in nature but thanks to the massive growth of social media, and its ability to enable us to share and interact with others in an instant, the image (a photograph or video) is becoming a more powerful and fun way to communicate with each other. 

"A picture is worth a thousand words" has been a popular quote for a very long time and strongly depicts the power of images in conveying messages, ideas, or opinions that we want to express to other people. But this quote seems so much more relevant in today's society than ever before.

In today's environment we are so overexposed to messaging we are increasingly getting bored more easily. We want to touch and feel experiences more, and a picture allows us to do this. Good images can be so compelling that we cannot help but stop and watch them, and although the role of imagery has always been used in advertisement, film and promotional materials for a long time, the power of visual communication has skyrocketed with the rise of digital and social media.

Mainstream brands are looking for more and more ways to promote their products through visual communication, whether it is through infographics, video or picture galleries, so why not you as a business get your message across through the power of an image?

The increasing popularity of sharing images on Facebook, and picture-related social media avenues such as Instagram, Pinterest and Storify, as well as the launch of Twitter's Vine, prove that pictures are thriving in an area where short, to-the-point messages are key to effective communication in the market place today. Between these mediums, consumers share nearly 5,000 images every second of every day.

Recently a survey conducted by ROI Research found that 44% of people questioned were more likely to engage with brands on social media if they posted pictures, more so than any other means of connection, such as memes, links or status updates.

The shift is clear, people now desire to share what matters most with images rather than words.

However, it isn't enough to splash a few pictures on Facebook and call it a day, to get great traction for your brand through the use of images, you must think visually across many mediums and you want to get people to react because through this reaction you can humanise your brand, tell your story and turn a transactional relationship into a relationship that is an emotional one. Let's face it – in business, our ultimate goal is to turn our customers into advocates.

Smart businesses are jumping on board now and are investing in visual communication. They are testing engagement with their target markets, creating visual content and leveraging the content fans are creating to help promote their brands.

So use a picture to share your business ideas, make a point, promote your product and grab your customer's attention. You are certain to be more memorable.

If you need help creating buzz about your business with the power of images, then talk to us today about how we can get your business on the visual road to success.