Marketers Rely on Visual Content for Social Platforms
Compelling images and video help drive higher engagement
June 15, 2016
The growing success of visually oriented social media platforms like Snapchat and Instagram is encouraging more interest in producing visual content among advertisers.

March 2016 research by communications firm Lewis, which examined the use of visual content (which refers to both images and video) among marketing decision-makers, found the demands of social media and the format’s high engagement rates are key reasons for its use. According to Lewis’ study, 94% of marketing decision-makers already produced visual content. When asked about the reasons for producing such image-focused media, 67% said it was “more engaging,” while another 50% said “social media requires” its creation.
These findings match up with those from an earlier Q2 2015 visual content study conducted by the CMO Council, which found that two-thirds of senior marketers in North America believed that visual assets were core to communicating their brand story.

Although the vast majority of marketers are now producing visual content, creating a successful image or video isn’t always a simple task. Factors like image quality, eye-catching photos and timing all impact success. Two thirds (66%) of marketing decision-makers in Lewis’ report said “great production quality” was a key factor in their visual content success, as was having a “compelling image,” mentioned by another 42% of respondents.
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