When people think content, they often think of blog posts, ebooks and white papers. Problem is, that’s not what Generation Y and Millenials want. For them, it’s all about the visuals. Don’t believe me? Check out these stats.
- The brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than text
- 90% of information transmitted to your brain is visual
- 40% of people respond better to visuals than text
- Posts with photos attract three times more inbound links than plain text posts
The numbers are overwhelming. People want pictures. And infographics, memes and GIFs. As a bikini marketer, it’s your job to provide these forms of content. How, you ask?
We’ve already told you about 10 free tools to create attention-grabbing images, so now it’s time to go over what you need to know about actually creating captivating infographics, memes and GIFs.
Take a Cue from Pinterest
Pinterest is one of the world’s leading visual social media sites. Research shows that the most repinned images have several qualities in common:
- Multiple dominant colors – When creating custom visual content, try to include bold, energetic colors. Analysis of more than 500,000 pinned images revealed that images with strong reds, oranges and browns were repinned nearly twice as many times as blue images.
- Detailed backgrounds – Images with less than 10 percent of a white background are repinned two to four times more than images with 40 percent or more of a white background. Giving an image detail is a visual way to draw the consumer in, while a stark white background is a sign to keep looking.
Keep this in mind when creating infographics. Don’t be scared of strong colors or textured backgrounds. If you pin infographics, look through your boards and collect four or five that most attract you. Study them and identify the elements that make them so successful, and apply those ideas to yours.
Elements of Successful Memes
Every minute on the Internet there is:
- 48 hours of video uploaded to YouTube
- 684,478 pieces of content posted on Facebook
- 3,600 photos posted on Instagram
- 27,778 posts published on Tumblr
- 100,000+ tweets on Twitter
- 2,000,000+ Google searches
Rather than drowning in a sea of endless content, you need to figure out how to make your visual content stand out. Memes are a great way to tie your business in to a viral social topic, like Overly Attached Girlfriend or The Most Interesting Man in the World.
The key to a good meme is to make it memorable or something people can relate with. It’s also important that you understand the meme you’re using and how your audience will respond to it. Fortunately, Know Your Meme has a list of the most popular memes, so you can research before you customize it for your content marketing strategy.
Animated GIFs Offer More Options
Another great option content marketers should take advantage of is GIFs, animated images that have become increasingly popular on social media. Again, the relevancy of the GIF you choose to customize is crucial. AMC’s Breaking Bad’s Emmy victories make it a great time to create a GIF tying into the show.
The great thing about GIFs is their versatility. You can use them in email marketing campaigns, landing pages, Call to Actions, blog posts and, of course, social media.
Integrating visual elements into your content marketing plan is key for all bikini marketers. Sharing content is crucial to keep consumers interested, and creating compelling, custom content will put you ahead of the curve.
Check back on Thursday for a collection of our favorite content marketing memes