Visual Storytelling? Tool or Trend?

As a digital and graphic designer, being visual encompasses the bulk of how I've made my living for over 20 years. So when I saw the book entitled "The Power of Visual Storytelling", I knew I had to delve into the pages to find out what all this 'power' was about. Written by Ekaterina Walker and Jessica Gioglio, this somewhat 'how to" book discusses how to use visuals, videos and Social Media to market your brand.

First, let's define visual storytelling. The authors describe visual storytelling as "the use of images, videos, infographics, presentations and other visuals on Social Media platforms to craft a graphical story around key brand values and offerings."

Visual storytelling started to rise with the increase of Social Media platforms and increased awareness with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, YouTube and Vine. Mobile use has increased massively over the years and cameras are now in the hands of the mass majority of the population, making for instant capture of moments and quick shareable content.

Today's audience and customers live in a highly fast-paced, over-stimulated world. Everyone is busy, with limited time, and what time they have is divided over multiple Social Media platforms. Simply posting generic images or simple videos isn't enough to keep them engaged, interesting and loyal. Consumers expect real-time marketing, that is current, up-to-date and targeted to them. So how does a company do that?

In today's 'infobesity' that surrounds us everyday on Social Media, websites, digital and print marketing, it's important for companies to find ways to stand out from all of the noise and draw attention to their content and their brand. Visual storytelling could be one of those ways. Let's look at some of the key numbers and stats that the book brings to our attention, and see if it makes the case for the power of visual storytelling:

• The average adult attention span is between 2.8 - 8 seconds

• Visuals are processed 60,000 times faster than text by the human brain

• Posts that include a visual receive 120-180% more engagement on Social Media than a text-based post

• 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual

• 40% of people respond better to visual information than to plain text

• There are 40 million photos per day, with 8,500+ likes and 1,000+ comments per second on Instragram

• There are 3 billion views per day on YouTube

• 76% of Tweets have a photo attached

• There is a 37% increase in engagement when Facebook posts have a photograph

• Viewers are 85% more likely to purchase a produce after watching a product video

• Articles with images get 94% more views

• Using video on landing pages can increase conversion by 80%

• 67% of consumers consider detailed images more important than the product information, description and customer ratings

With numbers and stats like these, I think it's very clear to see the rise in the importance of imagery and visuals in any Social Media platform that a company is using. There definitely seems to be a power to what an image or video can bring to a post or marketing message. The key is how to convey your message properly and in the right manner and format that works for what you are trying to say. As well, the importance of telling a story that reflects your company's brand, or a message or campaign and doing it consistently with your brand and other marketing.

Here is a list of the types of images that the authors suggest can be used for visual storytelling: photography, drawings, user-generated images, collages, postcards, memes, cartoons, gifs, infographics, videos and presentations.

In terms of photography, a well-composed photo is always the most desirable. It doesn't have to be a stock photo, but if you are using original photography, make sure the image is clear, and the photo has good lighting and contrast and is sharp and in focus. Try to keep your photos aligned with your brand, and be consistent with the style of photographs that you use to build brand recognition. User-generated images are a great way to interact with your audience and have them get involved in your story telling. This can definitely increase the loyalty and following of your customers. Photo collages are another great way of using multiple images to convey parts of your story all at once, and may help convey our visual story.

Videos are a powerful way of reaching your customers, unlike any other visual medium can. They can tell a whole story from start to finish, or they can be short and highlight specific areas. With videos you not only have the visual element, but you can also bring in an audio element, which adds so much more to your story.

Infographics represent data and information in a quick overview to tell a story. They can highlight key ideas that can be depicted in a highly visual and shareable way. Infographics are a great way to inform your target audiences, deliver quick chunks of timely information and can be designed in so many different ways with elements that work best for any specific topic.

Memes and cartoons are a great way to interject some humour into your posts and your brand. Both can be used to spread cultural information and awareness.

Presentations and GIFs provide visuals with movements that tell a story, or in terms of presentations, provide a much more indepth level of information for your audience.

The type of visual you chose to use will depend on what the story is you are trying to tell, as well as what platform you want to share it on, as audiences on each individual platform are looking and expecting content to be delivered in specific ways.

As you can probably deduce on your own from the data and information that the book provides, visual storytelling is certainly more than just a trend. It is definitely a vital tool for Social Media marketers to make themselves and their company's relevant and engaging on any of the platforms that they have a presence on. Visual storytelling will continue to evolve as new Social Media platforms enter into the mix, and increasing your use of photos, videos, graphics and more will only help increase your company's reach and level of importance.

Next week I will cover the seven elements of visual storytelling and discuss the use of them on various Social Media platforms and the best tips and tricks for building your visual story on them.

Part 2: Visual Storytelling? How to embrace it and grow.