Your readers no longer read posts word for word, without first skimming through to see if you really got something worth their time. That means, your content shouldn’t just be huge chunks of paragraphs.
Remember we are living in an age of information overload, and humans can only consume so much at a time, plus we could do with visual content.
But why then are you always advocating for long-form content?
Tricky, right? Long-form content solves a particular problem in depth. That’s why search engines love them too. The good thing about long-form content is that, when carefully crafted and structured, does not normally appear loooooong to your readers. And the reason is simple (shorter sentences, shorter paragraphs, headings, and subheadings as well as lots of supporting visuals.)
People love pictures and videos. Think of sites like Instagram and Pinterest. Why are they growing so fast? In fact, people nowadays prefer searching for blog posts to read via Pinterest instead of going to Google… interesting.
You can’t talk about blogging without bringing in the marketing aspect.
Bloggers are marketers.
Marketers are salespersons. Salespersons convince people to do something. Marketers do so using visual content Come to think of it, everybody is always, at any point in their lives, selling or buying something.
Selling.
The thing about marketers is that they are agile. They’re always embracing new technology, studying psychology, finding relevant data, improving their services and products, etc.
They embrace visuals. A blogger is no exception to a marketer. Every blog post you write is an idea that you hope to sell. Embracing visual content is becoming a necessity, and therefore, you should take time to learn everything there is about visual marketing.
Types of visual content to include in your posts
1) Videos
If you can, create a video for your main website. Welcome your new site visitors with a warm embrace and a classy real tone that assures people that you are a person too and not another robot behind the screens.
For services, you can think of creating a whiteboard explainer video, and guide your prospects through the processes involved, all in an under the 2-minute video
You can also create videos for your most popular posts. Tutorial videos. Teach your visitors how to go about a service platform XYZ ETC.
2) Photos
Add your own personality or your entire business culture to your blog/website with the right photos.
Great photos evoke emotions, tell a great story, and help you connect with your readers.
You can show transitional photos, which showcase your Before and After results. These are particularly great for those who are in the fitness niche.
Showcasing your company’s behind-the-scenes photos help you spread your company’s culture message, which is also equally great for branding.
What was it like starting up? Do you have that ridiculous first-office photo?
Tell a story with it. You’ve certainly had a past, and sharing that past with your readers not only enhances trust but positions you as a unique company that has human personality with it….a family that you get to choose.
Your blog could be small right now, but it is constantly growing, and soon will be a team of a brand recognized worldwide… If you don’t give up along the way, that is.
3) Infographics
Simply put, an infographic is simplified information of a huge chunk of the content presented in a graphic form that easily guides the eye.
It’s a great way to help your audience absorb a lot of data points at once. These could be lists of resources, a step-by-step guide on how to go about something, etc.
4) Presentations or slideshows
If you’ve written a really awesome blog post with several subheadings, you may want to create stunning presentations for that post as well. You can then use the slides when presenting at an event or a seminar. To create your slides, simply use Microsoft software, or if you prefer, consider Canva.
For additional exposure, upload your slideshows to sites like Slideshare. You can then embed this SlideShare presentation in your blog post.
5) Other images
Add relevant images to your post. The rule of the game is to never download images directly from Google search results. You will run into legal issues if you happen to use copyrighted images. Take your own images whenever you can. You can also outsource free stock photos from stock photos sites such as Unsplash and Pixabay.
We also have a blog post on some of the best free stock photos websites you can dash to find suitable images and relevant graphics for your post
