The answer is yes! Facebook business pages which post status updates with visuals in the form of videos and photo albums see more results. The same can be said for other social media (SM) platforms.
Why? “Visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than text, graphics quickly affect our emotions, and our emotions greatly affect our decision-making” (Parkinson, 2007). Only about seven items are kept in working short-term memories at once (Palfrey & Grasser, 2013) It’s simple; consumers’ short attention spans make lengthy text explanations less effective than visuals.
Consumers are bombarded with so much information that they have become desensitized and do not react to information with the same energy as they once used to (Palfrey & Grasser, 2013). The human body has actually developed filters to shield the mind from excessive stimuli in the form of media, idea, communication, and so forth since information overload (when the amount of information available exceeds a person’s ability to process it) can lead to serious health problems (Palfrey & Grasser, 2013). Therefore a business that is trying to reach a consumer with their SM status update will get the best response with an attention-grabbing graphic image or video.
Donna Moritz, who is a SM and visual marketing expert, also the founder of Socially Sorted, has shared a great deal of best practices regarding this subject in a SM podcast, i.e. how to get the most results from posting a visual in your status update. The notes for the podcast can be found on Social Media Examiner which is a great resource to learn about social media, no matter what your background is.
Moritz explains that businesses should want their audience to engage with SM status updates by sharing them so more SM users see them, and recognize the source is your business. Moritz has seen pages with 1,000 fans attain more than a 50% increase of fans as the result of an original, simple, visual in a status update that people wanted to share. There are free tools that are easy to use to create visuals (some are noted in the URL to the podcast mentioned above) like PicMonkey or Canva.
Another important visual is your logo. It’s important for your logo to be perceived positively by SM users because many of them are visual learners and will remember your brand better when they see it visually. It is best to hire a graphic designer who understands how to create a memorable high quality design. Another expert of the subject Jacob Cass, an entrepreneur and internationally recognized award winning graphic designer, knows that having an attractive graphic design strengthens your brand by the trust the logo can build as well as how big your business is perceived to be. It can also be the nudge toward the user sharing content from your SM page(s), directing potential customers to go back to your organization’s website, or start a viral campaign – the ultimate result!
NEXT! Ad Agency provides affordable social media services that specialize in maintaining a positive standing on Facebook (and other social media platforms) for small businesses. We also have a team of graphic designers who continue to develop effective designs and videos. If you are a business owner that wants to have a successful social media plan, with visuals and/or video, Next! can help you 🙂 Don’t hesitate to call us at (585) 427-0020 or email [email protected].
Bibliography:
Parkinson, M. (2007). Do-It-Youself Billion Dollar Business Graphics. Annadale, VA: Pepperlip Inc
Palfrey, J., & Gasser, U. (2013). Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives. New York, New York: Basic Books
