Why we as a human species prefer visual information has already been explained by science: it’s how we are wired.
But what does that mean in practice? How can this insight be used to be more persuasive for example? Ultimately, it’s about the result, isn’t it?
So, what is the effect? Well, for starters online articles with images receive 94 percent more views than those without.
And compared to our senses, when people hear information, they’re likely to remember only 10% of that information three days later. However, if a relevant image is paired with that same information, people retained 65% of the information three days later.
Some Examples backed up with numbers
People following directions with text and illustrations do 323% better than people following directions without illustrations.
Tweets with images receive 150% more retweets than tweets without images.
In an analysis of over 1 million articles, BuzzSumo found that articles with an image once every 75-100 words received double the social media shares as articles with fewer images.
Facebook posts with images see 2.3x more engagement than those without images.
Including a Photo and a video in a press release increases views by over 45%.
60% of consumers are more likely to consider or contact a business when an image shows up in local search results.
In an e-commerce site, 67% of consumers say the quality of a product image is “very important” in selecting and purchasing a product.
In an online store, customers think that the quality of a product’s image is more important than product-specific information (63%), a long description (54%) and ratings and reviews (53%).
Engagement rate on Facebook for photos averages 0.37% where text only is 0.27% (this translates to a 37% higher level of engagement for photos over text).
Final Words Should be an Image
So it’s safe to say that images are more effective. Period.
This can be in terms of engagement on social media, media attention in the press, but of course also in terms of persuasiveness in presentations.
Especially now that many presentations go via Zoom/ Meet or Teams, it is more difficult to convey enthusiasm. Instead, the power of persuasion should be in the presentation itself. A good way to compensate for the absence of the presenter is to use powerful visuals.
The B2B buying journey is hard
“the typical buying group for a complex B2B solution involves six to 10 decision makers‚ each armed with four or five pieces of information they’ve gathered independently and must deconflict with the group.”
As a consequence, your sales deck will be passed on. Without you. So it will lack your enthusiasm, guidance and necessary context.
Be prepared and use powerful images!
