It’s not the image itself, but the connections in your brain it sparks
You only have seconds to capture a prospect’s attention. Our brain process visuals 60,000 times faster than text, and we need only half of our brainpower to efficiently understand them. What are you going to do to get your content noticed? Visuals power the marketing engine.
And yes, the image has to be just right. Researcher Technavio reports that the demand for professional stock images will grow to be a $4.46 billion dollar market by 2021. The demand for authenticity has given rise to an industry within the industry. Microstock sites like iStockphoto, Dreamstime, and Shutterstock are driving down the prices of quality images by breaking up the exclusive hold on the market formerly maintained by established massive stock photo repositories such as Getty Images.
Which image, and why?
If you’ve ever been responsible for finding images to represent your company – or even just a piece of content – you’re aware of how time-consuming the undertaking can be. It’s easy to spend hours in the “maybe just one more before I make a final selection” mode, because it has to be just right. But what’s behind the reasoning for your selection?
You need to understand the science-backed psychology of visual marketing. Let’s start with the connection between words and pictures. Life – at least for content marketers – would be easier if the job could be accomplished with just images or video. But there’s context involved, and therefore, words.
You want prospects to fit your brand into their worldview and then retain the experience. It takes a village – of words and images. Studies show that images create the welcome mat for words by educating, providing information, and creating perspective. Science can link memory with dopamine and provides evidence that the release of this neurotransmitter increases when positive emotions are induced, with a direct impact on the formation of memories in the hippocampus.
Science may even be getting closer to helping us move past intuition to determine eye-catching images for content. EyeQuant announced they’ve built a prototype algorithm that can instantly rate online ads – using a scale of 1 to 100 – on how visually arresting they are.
Visually arresting is important, but authenticity may be even more important. For example, the worldwide advertising agency Laundry Service found that the regular photos they used for 15 clients to generate 100 million impressions, were achieving a 2.35% click-through rate. Switching to Instagram-style photos increased CTR to as high as 8%.
The importance of a first impression
We’ve all heard that you never get a second chance to make a first impression, but science is showing us that these first impressions may actually be linked to what we’ve already experienced and are comfortable with.
A Stanford University study showed that we react to an image by determining the relationship it will have with similar past experiences. If an image is too generic, we may not find a connection or reason to pursue engagement. If the image is too drastic, we may associate it with a past negative experience and quickly – within seconds – move on. The image must strike an emotional chord somewhere in the middle. What’s supports that middle space?
Color my world
Science has demonstrated that color makes an impressive impact on our emotions. Fortune 500 companies have been known to spend considerable sums of money on the quest to link an appropriate color with their brand. What better way to deepen our understanding of this concept than with an infographic – courtesy of HubSpot and Colourfast – you’ll process the infographic images 60,000 times faster than if you had read an article about it, anyway.
If you aren’t ready to follow the link, the infographic gets into the specific reasons why, for example, you might choose blue over yellow for your logo; and why spacing or a serif font can change your perception of trust.
It all adds up
There’s science behind the psychology of why visual marketing works, so it should be no surprise that math gets involved, too. One of the most powerful mathematical equations we apply to the selection of a visual is the Golden Ratio. According to Canva, you’ve achieved the Golden Ratio with an image when a line is divided into two parts and the longer part (a) divided by the smaller part (b) is equal to the sum of (a) + (b) divided by (a), which both equal 1.618.
Why 1.618? Likely for the same reason we prefer images to text and can process them 60,000 times faster. Adrian Bejan, a Duke University professor of mechanical engineering, explains that our eyes are capable of interpreting an image featuring the Golden Ratio faster than any other.
There’s a reason why you just can’t seem to stop searching for a picture that’s just right. Images seal the deal for our content, paving the way for acceptance, retention, and action. Now you have the science to justify your effort. Learn how we can be part of your perfect picture.