See it or read it?

Although not too surprising, social media visuals are becoming an integral part of a marketing plan. According to hubspot, Facebook images and photos receive 53% more likes than the average post. This would explain why social media networks like Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube are becoming so successful.

In this post I will explain why visuals are so important to helping you learn more about your consumer. In the next post I will explain the importance of visuals with the social media marketing plan.

Visuals are very important because they help the consumer to connect with the brand/company. Photos, say through Instagram, can help marketers to see what is favored about their products, how their products are being used, who is using their products, and what is popular.

As well, YouTube is an excellent tool for marketers to learn about their consumers. Many consumers place product reviews on YouTube, detailing specifically what they did and did not like about the product. As well, on YouTube, consumers also detail different ways to use your products. So when reviewing your own product line, you can always find ways to improve or tailor your marketing techniques.

Along the same lines as YouTube and Instagram, Pinterest displays what's popular. Unfortunately when someone "pins" your product it doesn't exactly mean they will purchase it, but it does mean that they favor it. They may not own the item due to the price, availability, ease of purchasing process, or other reasons. So when using social media to market, one could discover ways to better reach these consumers that favor the product but do not own it.

All of these visual social media networks offer marketers new ways to reach and learn about their consumers, and it would be in the marketer's best interest to learn and use these tools.