Over the last two years, Venngage has reached out to thousands of marketers to understand the role visual content plays in their marketing strategies, the challenges associated with it and their thoughts on the future of visual content.
In 2019, Venngage spoke to nearly 200 content marketers on what types of visual content have been delivering results and how they see it impacting their strategy in 2020. Here’s what they found:
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1. Visual content usage has seen a rapid increase
Marketers are rapidly understanding the importance of using visuals in their communication. Whether it’s communicating with customers or even internally with their remote teams -- there has been a shift from text-based to engaging visual-based content.
In 2019, 74% of the marketers said that more than 70% of their content contained visuals which marked a significant 10.5% jump in visual content usage since 2018.
2. Original graphics such as infographics and illustrations performed best
Even though the majority of marketers admitted to using stock photos most frequently, when asked which form of visual content performed best, 40% of marketers voted for original graphics such as infographics and illustrations.
On the other hand, only 13% said that stock photos helped them reach their marketing goals. This isn’t surprising because original graphics tend to be more engaging, authentic and insightful compared to stock photos. And since social media reach is increasingly dependent on engagement, you need to make sure your social visuals are stronger than ever.
3. Visual content is being created in less time
One of the most common apprehensions marketers have when it comes to visual content creation is that it’s time-consuming and costly.
However, our survey indicated that things are changing for the better. 28% of marketers said that they spend less than two hours each week to produce visual content.
This clearly goes to show that creating engaging visual assets is not as taxing as it’s perceived to be.
4. Self-service tools are most commonly being used to create visual content
Thankfully, you don’t need to be a graphic designer (or hire one) to create visual content these days.
36% of marketers said their go-to method for creating visuals is self-service tools closely followed by in-house designers. With access to the right tools, you can effectively use visuals to boost your content marketing efforts.
5. More money is being invested in visual content production
With close to 15% of marketers spending more than 40% of their budgets on visual content creation, it’s safe to say that people are investing more money in it.
It’s interesting to note that when asked about their marketing expenses projections for 2020, close to 22% said that they plan to set aside over 30% of their budget on visual content.
This only goes to prove that marketers are not just spending more money but also deriving value from visual content.
6. Visual content will continue to be an integral part of marketing strategies
After having reaped the benefits of visual communication, 68% of the marketers said that visual content was either essential or an important part of their marketing strategy.
From attracting new customers and achieving better engagement results to generating leads and delivering a more user-friendly experience - most of the content marketing wins in the last decade can be attributed to the use of attractive, engaging and scannable visuals.
The future of visual content marketing looks bright with 41% of the marketers thinking that more than 70% of businesses will rely heavily on visual content.
So whether you’re starting a blog, strengthening your social media presence, setting up an email marketing strategy or creating a landing page to generate leads, it’s important to make visual content an integral part of your strategy in order to connect with your audience and achieve higher conversions.
1. Visual content usage has seen a rapid increase
Marketers are rapidly understanding the importance of using visuals in their communication. Whether it’s communicating with customers or even internally with their remote teams -- there has been a shift from text-based to engaging visual-based content.
In 2019, 74% of the marketers said that more than 70% of their content contained visuals which marked a significant 10.5% jump in visual content usage since 2018.
2. Original graphics such as infographics and illustrations performed best
Even though the majority of marketers admitted to using stock photos most frequently, when asked which form of visual content performed best, 40% of marketers voted for original graphics such as infographics and illustrations.
On the other hand, only 13% said that stock photos helped them reach their marketing goals. This isn’t surprising because original graphics tend to be more engaging, authentic and insightful compared to stock photos. And since social media reach is increasingly dependent on engagement, you need to make sure your social visuals are stronger than ever.
3. Visual content is being created in less time
One of the most common apprehensions marketers have when it comes to visual content creation is that it’s time-consuming and costly.
However, our survey indicated that things are changing for the better. 28% of marketers said that they spend less than two hours each week to produce visual content.
This clearly goes to show that creating engaging visual assets is not as taxing as it’s perceived to be.
4. Self-service tools are most commonly being used to create visual content
Thankfully, you don’t need to be a graphic designer (or hire one) to create visual content these days.
36% of marketers said their go-to method for creating visuals is self-service tools closely followed by in-house designers. With access to the right tools, you can effectively use visuals to boost your content marketing efforts.
5. More money is being invested in visual content production
With close to 15% of marketers spending more than 40% of their budgets on visual content creation, it’s safe to say that people are investing more money in it.
It’s interesting to note that when asked about their marketing expenses projections for 2020, close to 22% said that they plan to set aside over 30% of their budget on visual content.
This only goes to prove that marketers are not just spending more money but also deriving value from visual content.
6. Visual content will continue to be an integral part of marketing strategies
After having reaped the benefits of visual communication, 68% of the marketers said that visual content was either essential or an important part of their marketing strategy.
From attracting new customers and achieving better engagement results to generating leads and delivering a more user-friendly experience - most of the content marketing wins in the last decade can be attributed to the use of attractive, engaging and scannable visuals.
The future of visual content marketing looks bright with 41% of the marketers thinking that more than 70% of businesses will rely heavily on visual content.
So whether you’re starting a blog, strengthening your social media presence, setting up an email marketing strategy or creating a landing page to generate leads, it’s important to make visual content an integral part of your strategy in order to connect with your audience and achieve higher conversions.
