Captivating images move and remain in the memory for a long time. That's why they are indispensable for successful B2B marketing. We show you how to win over potential customers with vivid imagery.
Man, the ocular being, needs the image.
This quote comes from none other than Leonardo da Vinci. And indeed, visual impressions are of particular importance for our species. After all, we perceive 80% of our environment through our eyes. Perhaps you have already noticed that your memories of pictures are much more vivid than those of texts. In very few cases is boring reading material responsible for this. Rather, it is due to the functioning of the human brain, which processes visual stimuli at top speed. It is precisely this characteristic of our thinking apparatus that emotional marketing makes use of. Because let's face it
If you create content without impressive images and graphics, you are torturing your readers and yourself
Hardly anyone reads the entire text of a blog anyway. With the help of meaningful images, you ensure that your readers still grasp the most relevant content. Passive readers often flee at the sight of a text desert. Graphics or images are the best way to reach them and keep them engaged with your blog. Emotional imagery has always been considered the magic secret ingredient of successful B2B content and contributes significantly to increasing lead engagement.
One thing is certain: people need pictures. It's no coincidence that social networks like Instagram and Pinterest are so popular. Of course, we in the advertising industry know how to use this to our advantage
Your readers are probably classic recipients of B2B content. They simply don't have the time for long texts. They are often guided by their emotions and decide freely based on their gut. Marketing is essentially about triggering emotions and arousing desires. And that's exactly what happens when our readers look at pictures
Authentic images act as "transporters" of your corporate philosophy and communicate it to the outside world.
The imagery factor should therefore not be neglected in your editorial plan
With regard to the significance of imagery, neuroscience provides us with unambiguous findings: Of all stimuli, visual stimuli are by far the most effective. They are like "quick shots to the brain", to use a metaphor by the German consumer and behavioural researcher Werner Kroeber-Riel
Speaking of metaphor, have you ever noticed how much imagery even shapes our spoken and written language? Figurative expressions get to the heart of complex issues and facilitate our interpersonal communication
Images shoot into our brains at an absolute top speed. We process them up to 60000 times faster than texts
From an evolutionary point of view, this seems only logical. After all, the human brain was not made for processing text. The printed or written word is an - admittedly practical - human artefact. We are born with the ability to visually perceive and interpret our environment. It is firmly anchored in our brain structures.
Generally speaking, we humans not only process pictures much faster than words. We also remember them much better. This phenomenon is called the Picture Superiority Effect and has been proven in various studies. It refers to the idea that we internalize content more easily by looking at pictures than by reading text.
The famous Roman rhetorician Cicero already knew this over 2000 years ago. Based on this knowledge, he developed an extremely effective memory technique in which pictures play a key role. The Picture Superiority Effect benefits us in learning and in the field of rhetoric as well as in marketing. To help visitors to your corporate blog understand what it's about more quickly, you can help them along with an infographic, for example
So should we dispense with text in the future and just present our readers with images and graphics? Definitely not! Visual language may be more powerful than many think, but the written word undoubtedly still has its place
Good content consists of text and images.
However, it is more than the sum of its parts. Only in the harmonious interplay of text elements and visual language does it unfold its full power. In this way, the text supports the message of the image motif and vice versa. In the symbiosis of both components, the emotional effect that we want to evoke with our content is potentiated. Supplementary information in text form completes and contextualises images as well as graphics. In this way, you ensure that your core messages reach your readers.
Ideally, your content plan should include a balanced combination of image and text elements. In order to use the full potential of the synergies that arise from the interplay of text and image, however, you should pay attention to a few aspects:
Congruence: Image and text must not contradict each other in any respect. This is because both would lose their expressiveness - and you would lose your expert status at the same time
Relevance: Always choose images and graphics that are relevant to the topic being discussed! They underline the essential statements of the text and represent a supplement to it. Complement is not
Repetition: You don't have to explain to your reader long and hard what the picture element shows. If you choose an appropriate image, it should be obvious anyway
Emotion: Emotional content needs expressive images that move. With seasonal or daily topics, you can also make an impression with freshly shot photos. You should definitely take this into account when planning your content.
The power of imagery in B2B marketingIn B2B contexts in particular, the use of images, illustrations and graphics offers a multitude of additional benefits. Imagery is a significant part of your business communication. A consistent and meaningful picture language
anchors your message in the minds of the reader or viewer
strengthens your corporate identity
has an excellent effect on your SEO performance
In the context of search engine optimization, it is considered best practice to include at least one image or graphic on a page. Images show search engines that a page is valuable as well as attractively designed and thus useful for searchers
Blogs that combine text and images have lower bounce rates than those that rely solely on text.
Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly advisable to additionally optimize image elements for image searches on Google and other search engines.
The power of images as a medium is that we humans can grasp it in a flash. With images, we help our readers understand what our posts are actually about. And seriously, if this blog article were an infographic, you most likely would have grasped everything important ten minutes ago. But pictures alone are usually not enough
If you want to get the maximum potential out of your B2B content, you should not think of the two components image and text separately
Emotional marketing is mostly about creating a rounded and holistic impression. And this usually arises from the harmonious symbiosis of images or graphics and the written word