This week we’re discussing the impact that visuals have on the sales process. We share the science behind how visuals contribute to the effectiveness of any content strategy, and the ways that your sales process is enhanced.
The Science Behind The Imagery
While it's easy to assume that text is the most informative content, illustrations are more easily absorbed and understood. Don’t believe me? Here are some interesting statistics about the science behind visual learning:
- The brain decodes visual information 60,000X faster than text (Source: Forbes, 2014);
- 90% of information being transmitted to the brain is visual (Source: TNW News, 2014); and
- 50% of your brain is active in visual processing (Source: TNW News, 2014).
Visual content conveys your message faster while providing a stronger reaction (Source: Shift Learning, 2014). In fact, 40% of people respond better to images (Source: TNW News, 2014). Helping your customer understand the message more efficiently pays dividends in the long term as it simplifies the decision journey and optimizes the sales process. Visual aids assist your buyers to engage with the content, as emotional reactions better influence information retention (Source: Shift Learning, 2014).
Why do we absorb visual communication better? According to Shift Learning, 2014 “this is because the visual memory is encoded in the medial temporal lobe of the brain, the same place where emotions are processed.” Visual stimuli and emotional response is linked, which leads to the formation of memories (Source: Shift Learning, 2014). Using images not only helps buyers to connect your product with their needs, but also helps them retain your content much more easily.
Buyers have access to all kinds of content at the touch of a button, making it easy for information to get lost or ignored if it’s not in a format that is desirable to them (Source: TNW News, 2014). Visual aids can also attract more audiences as it is eye catching, easy to digest, and easy to share.
Before you go ahead and jump ship from non-visual forms of content, keep in mind that like all mediums, images must be used correctly in order to be effective. The medium by which you choose to convey your message can greatly impact the way that a buyer interprets it.
Did you know the medium is the message? Learn more about how the channels you use are influencing your messages in our post, “The Influence of Channels on Digital Content Management Communications”.
New Age Buyers
Visual content is a great way of grabbing your audience’s attention, especially when it comes to younger B2B buyers. Young professionals prefer the internet for both communication and commerce (Source: Dynamic Web, 2013).
(Image Source: Geist Agency, 2015)
According to the ITSMA survey, B2B buyers are driven by content. Content just makes sense for younger buyers who are accustomed to answers at the click of a button and don’t want to sift through print materials (Source: Dynamic Web, 2013). They want content that is easy to skim through and gives them the answers they need quickly. Attracting these buyers begins with your website. B2B companies that effectively grab the attention of young professionals also have strong websites with compelling content (Source: Dynamic Web, 2013).
Young professionals expect not onlymore content to be made available to them than older generations, but also expect different types of content (Source: Dynamic Web, 2013). Content includes blogs, videos, infographics, and digital magazines (Source: Dynamic Web, 2013). Even though young professionals might not make up a large portion of your audience, creating content that they find engaging will help you out long term. These younger audiences are the future of industry and when you think about it, visual content is like an investment in that future (Source: Dynamic Web, 2013).
Buyer Personas are a great way of profiling and creating content for your audience. Interested in learning more? May we suggest our post, “What is a Buyer Persona and How Does it Influence Digital Content?”
Out With The Old, In with the New
The empowered buyer wants to be able to gather as much information as they can about your product, in as little time as possible (Source: Demand Gen Report, 2014). Buyers today prefer to do their own research before contacting a sales rep. So where are your buyers getting their information from? Hopefully from you, through your website and digital content marketing; however, if you aren’t producing enough of the right kind of content, you run the risk of losing your customers to competitors and third party sources. Reportedly, “95% of B2B buyers agreed that they preferred shorter content formats” (Source: Demand Gen Report, 2014).
Interested in learning more about how buyers are empowered? May I suggest you take a look at our infographic, “Today’s Buyers are More Empowered!”
Customer expectations for content has changed remarkably over the past two decades (Source: Demand Gen Report, 2014). In the early days of the internet, sharing your best ideas with the world was unheard of (Source: Brass Tack Thinking, 2015). The common belief was: “Why would you want to put out your best work for your competitors to see?” and, “Would customers have a reason to contact you if you already gave them your best advice?” Back then, marketers would have argued that using this tactic would do more harm than good; however, times are changing, and marketers are coming to realize that sharing your ideas is in fact the secret to effective content marketing (Source: Brass Track Thinking, 2015).
[RELATED CONTENT] Want to learn more about the many barriers and challenges facing sales reps and marketers in 2015? Feel free to download the first chapter of our sales enablement success series.
Today, almost everyone is creating and publishing on the web. Buyers are bombarded with a sea of information every time they search. Grabbing the attention of an audience today is becoming increasingly harder to do on the internet. Visual content isn’t only a great way to get customers to absorb your materials, it’s a great way to grab their attention. According to Demand Gen Report, 86% of buyers expressed some level of desire to access interactive/ visual content on demand (Source: Demand Gen Report, 2014).
The best digital content marketers are applying similar tactics for success. Check out this link where we detail the “Top 3 Tactics used by Best-in-Class Digital Content Marketers” for some great insights.
Visual Content that Enhances the Sales Process
The digital world is changing the way we sell. Demand Gen Report states their 2014 survey "revealed that a higher percentage of respondents are using visually appealing content such as videos, infographics and interactive presentations” (Source: Demand Gen Report, 2014). Understanding how videos, social media, and interactive content can enhance your marketing materials is becoming more vital to the sales process.
Unsure which channel is most effective for your message? You may find our post, “5- Steps for Digital Content Planning”, to be of interest.
Social Media
The rise of social networks has made sharing content much easier, and customers use this as a tool to help them along their decision journey. When you think about it, sharing content is a lot like getting a referral. Buyers look to their peers, not only get reviews and opinions on products, but also to share their own thoughts. In order for content to be shareable, audiences prefer that it be clean and easy to digest (Source: Demand Gen Report, 2014).
Using social media can be a great way to distribute your shareable content to buyers. When surveyed, 93% of B2B marketers stated that they use social media (Source: Content Marketing Institute/ Marketing Profs, 2015). The secret to content marketing on social networks is creating content that audiences will be able to share. B2B buyers say that they are “most likely to share blog posts, with 40% identifying that they share them frequently. Coming right behind blog posts are Infographics (39%) and videos (37%), with all three top content formats vaulting ahead of last year’s fan favorite, white papers” (Source: Demand Gen Report, 2014).
Looking to improve your social media strategy? We discuss the do’s and don’ts of social media in our post, “Content Management & Digital Content Success through Social Media”.
Interactive Content
Interactive content marketing isn’t by any means a revolutionary concept, but it is one that is just starting to take off (Source: Convince & Convert, 2015). Interactive digital content allows the user to engage with a brand on a deeper level while prompting users to provide contact information to receive tailored material in return (Source: Marketing Land, 2015). Interactive content can range from an online survey to an infographic. The most important indicator of whether content is considered interactive is that it has an interactive element that gives the user the opportunity to participate in the content while learning useful answers or results (Source: Convince and Convert, 2015).
Many marketers are experimenting with interactive content. For example, in 2014 infographic usage increased by 9% to 52% (Source: Demand Gen Report, 2014). Interactive content is also a great medium to use as it allows you to tell your story visually. Websites like Pinterest and Instagram, which are based on the premise of sharing images, gives the opportunity for branding strategy (Source: Forbes, 2014). The growing popularity of these kinds of image sharing sites only indicates that the future of content marketing is heading in the direction of more visual aids (Source: Forbes, 2014).
Want to make the most out of your digital content? Check out our post, “4 Steps to Get Your Customers to Say Yes with Digital Content”.
The Rise of Video Content
Video content is becoming one of the must-have forms of visual aids. According to the Marketing Tech Blog, “93% of marketers use video for online marketing, sales or communication” (Source: Marketing Tech Blog, 2015). In 2014 alone, “the use of video content increased by 8% to 58%“ (Source: Demand Gen Report, 2014). Next to Google, YouTube has become the second largest search engine (Source: Forbes, 2014).
Video content is easier and faster to digest. This is because video allows us to pick up on cues such as facial expressions, body language, imagery, and music - all of which help to create emotional bonds that influence decisions and actions (Source: Wirebuzz, 2015). The use of videos allow marketers to reach audiences in a more emotional and persuasive way than any other form of content.
Video content is also a great way to organically boost your SEO. Search engines are looking to determine if your content is engaging and the more engaging it is the higher you will rank (Source: Wirebuzz, 2015). Video content is the most engaging content you could have on your website. Through research, Forrester determined “that the presence of video on a web page makes it 53x more likely to appear on the first page of Google” (Source: Wirebuzz, 2015).
Arguably, video content gives marketers the best ROI and results. This year, “52% of marketing professionals worldwide named video as the type of content with the best ROI” (Source: Marketing Tech Blog, 2015). It’s not hard to see why! Video is engaging and grabs the audience’s attention faster than any other form of content. For example, including the “word ‘video’ in an email subject line boosts open rates by 19%, click-through rates by 65% and reduces un-subscribers by 26%” (Source: Marketing Tech Blog, 2015).
Not sure what digital content best reflects where your buyer is in their decision journey? If so you may find our post, “Which Digital Content Type to use for Each Purchase Decision Stage”, to be of interest.
How Sales Enablement Helps Your Sales Presentations be More Visual
Presenting the right information, at the right time, through the right channel, allows your sales reps to make the most out of their sales presentations while achieving sales enablement success. Sales presentations can be boring, dry, and not engaging to your buyer. Why not give your sales reps the power to grab the attention of everyone in the room? Sales presentation software can help you achieve this.
Using mobile sales applications your sales reps can take your content straight to your buyer, giving them the ability to soar in face-to-face interactions. Digital sales aids allow reps to share your visual content with potential buyers including power point presentations, images, video, and rich HTML content.
Mobile devices can greatly enhance your sales presentations. Want to learn how? May we suggest reading our post, “Mobile Sales Enablement: How will Tablets Enhance your Marketing?”
If your sales reps deliver visual content, you want to be sure they're using the best platform with integrated analytics and device-agnostic functionality because a sale happens anywhere. Feel free to request a demo and let our sales specialists give you a tour of real sales enablement software.
