Content Marketing Today

On the Web–Sometimes a Picture or Video IS Worth 1000 Words

But Only When Visuals Strengthen Rather than Stifle Content

Powerful, relevant visuals can double or triple the strength of your online brand. Bad visuals will create significant damage.

Why so many bad visuals then? They tend to represent the belief that flashy graphics will stop your visitor dead in his tracks– just as they sometimes do on television, in a magazine or on a billboard. Instead, wrong-headed graphics are likely to stop visitors from exploring and send them off to a competitor.

Because agencies spend most of their time pushing messages out to targeted suspects who may have no interest in what you are trying to sell them, they have typically relied on minimal text and flashy and colorful visuals. Think about great billboards and you get the idea.

But the world has changed. Visitors come to your web site for a reason. They’re looking for information about products and services – and about your company. They are on a mission to determine whether they would like to do business with your organization. They have qualified themselves by taking the time to search out your website.

Content Marketing: The Ideal Scenario is Visually Enhanced Information

We all know that compelling content is absolutely essential. What may be less obvious is that compelling visuals greatly enhance the impact of compelling content.

Two great examples come from the Newfangled Web Factory and their client, Secured Engineered Machinery. In each case, these content rich sites will capture a lot more potential customers because the visual elements on the pages are right on the money.

On the Newfangled home page you can select from three videos that relate directly to services offered by the organization. Even if you don’t watch them, still versions of the videos grab your attention—and are enhanced by text that explains exactly what you would learn if you had the time to watch. Check them out here.

Secured Engineered Machinery delivers less than flashy services. They shred sensitive documents for a wide range of clients. The moment you land on their home page, large changing visuals provide vivid illustrations of that kind of services they provide and the kind of clients they serve. Within seconds, they are able to convey that they’re the kind of company you would like to do business with. Take a look at the SEM home page to get some ideas on how to persuade your visitors to do business with you.