Do you ever wonder why you can remember the face but not the name? It’s because the brain tends to be more responsive to visuals than other sensory inputs. This ability is essential, especially for those involved in marketing.
The Relationship between the Brain and Visuals
The brain is one massive organic computer. It can process plenty of information in a blink of an eye—literally. In a study conducted by MIT neuroscientists, they learned that the brain can process an entire image you see for as fast as 13 milliseconds. That is even way faster than what was previously believed, which was 100 milliseconds.
It is, therefore, not surprising to know the human brain can process images 60,000 times faster than a text. But that’s not all. It’s a long-held belief that the mind is fallible or, in other words, gullible. You can’t trust your memory at all times. It’s precisely the reason why cross-examination is critical in any court hearing.
A 2008 study, however, disagreed with that. The brain is capable of storing many important details related to the images as long-term memories. In the experiment, the participants viewed more than 2,000 objects within five hours. Afterward, they had to see two images and identify which of these they had already seen. Across all different categories, they scored high.
In a different study, this time by the University of Iowa, the researchers discovered people were able to process visuals and tactile objects faster than auditory inputs. They were more likely to remember the objects they had seen or touched than the ones they had heard even after a few weeks already passed.
What Does This Mean for Marketing?
You can have the best product or service in the world, but if you don’t have a robust marketing plan, nobody will ever know you. You will not achieve the growth and cash flow you’re looking for. A marketing plan, however, won’t succeed without visuals, particularly since more than 60% of the population are visual learners. In other words, they understand better with pictures and videos than with words and audio.
Meanwhile, in compiled data by Fast Company, people can retain 80% of what they see and only 20% of what they read. The question is, what types of visuals should you use for marketing? After all, visuals won’t work either unless it appeals to your audience, which reveals the importance of e-commerce product photo editing.
Besides accurate product images, you might also need to make infographics. Research suggests that websites with infographics can boost their traffic by 12%. Consumers are also looking for them. Over the last five years, Google searches for these visuals went up by 25%. You also need to combine images with videos. About 90% of online shoppers revealed they used videos to decide on their purchases. Even executives rely on them, with 70% watching work-related videos once per week.
The saying “A picture paints a thousand words” might be cliché, but it remains true up to the present. Its impact is even more significant in marketing where you only have a little window to persuade your consumers why you’re better than your competitors.
