The big trend in 2012 social media has been, and will continue to be, visual media. This trend makes perfect sense when you think about the way humans are hard-wired. According to a study conducted by 3M, we process visuals 60,000 times faster than text! That speed may seem hard to grasp but if you think about the current obsessions on the internet, all of them include a visual element.
- Blog Images - It's no secret that images sell newspapers (just look at what's getting your attention about the front page) and this recipe for success has been transferred to newspapers' digital counterpart, the blog, with the same undenying success.
- Facebook - With the introduction of Timeline earlier this year, brands (and the average user) are now having more visual experiences on Facebook. The Timeline itself, framed by the Cover Photo, gives a visual storyboard of a brand's evolution (and of a person's life). If you play your cards right, this is visual storytelling at its best.
- Memes - You no longer need a witty comeback up your sleeve, just grab something from the internet's arsenal of memes and you'll be sure to make a point without having to say anything at all. This images are worth a thousand words.
- Instagram - The mobile app Instagram allows anyone to take beautiful photos with their smartphone. Over a billion photos have been uploaded and posted through Instagram by both individuals and brands. It's a newer platform but brands are starting to use it more and more to capture the still beauty of their company. Instagram was recently acquired by Facebook, which means we should be seeing even more visual integration into Facebook.
- Pinterest - The latest (and greatest) of social media is one of the most visual social networks out there. Pinterest is the fastest growing independent social network and sends more referral traffic to other sites than Google+, LinkedIn, and YouTube combined. Its quick growth and addictive qualities points toward the desire to consume visual content.
- Infographics - An infographic is basically a visual representation of a story, typically featuring data. Its rise in popularity across all networks shows that people want visual content and want to interpret data differently.
The Future of Visual Social Media?
- Mico Video Blogging - In addition to still images that are all the rave right now, I believe we will see the increase of micro video blogging through platforms like Viddy--the Instagram of video editing.
- Google+ - In addition to its spring closing in acquiring Picnik, Google has just acquired Snapseed. As a competitor of Instagram, Snapseed is a photo editing tool that could transform Google+, along with Picnik, into a visually stimulating social network, which it is currently lacking. Google+ already has photo editing tools available but they are not widely utilized.
Content will always be king (just like the old saying goes). But now it is about what kind of content. And in today's world, visual media is king.
The Timeline itself, framed by the Cover Photo, gives a visual storyboard of a brand's evolution (and of a person's life). If you play your cards right, this is visual storytelling at its best. visit us for more details
ReplyDeleteThe latest (and greatest) of social media is one of the most visual social networks out there. Pinterest is the fastest growing independent social network and sends more referral traffic to other sites than Google+, LinkedIn, and YouTube combined. Visit us for more
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