Our attention span as humans is decreasing each year and is now theoretically shorter than that of the ordinary goldfish (depending on the source our attention span is roughly between 2.5 seconds and 6.5 seconds versus roughly 9 seconds for the average goldfish).
1. Faster is Better – TIP: Leverage images as they are a shortcut to the brain.
2. Improving Recall – How important are visuals in terms of recall? If you communicate using only words, retention is only 10% of what’s communicated. There is no excuse today not to use great images. TIP: Resources like Canva and Dollar Photo Club allow you to leverage images at $1 per photo.
3. Right Here, Right Now – Real time marketing is a mentality. The more timely the image is, the more impactful it will be. TIP: Developing a real time approach takes time and discipline.
4. Less is More – You can add words to your visuals, but keep them to a minimum. Avoid having a bullet mentality. To steal a quote from Malcolm Kushner, “ ” TIP: If you need to add text to an image, keep the maximum number of words to sixteen.
5. Open the Kimono – Be open. Don’t be afraid to show the behind the scenes. TIP: It doesn’t have to be polished. Rough around the edges is authentic.
6. Placement Matters – If you need to place text on a visual, avoid it being cut off or blocked from view. TIP: Keep it on the top-third of the visual.
7. Use the Power Points – Leverage this trick from photographers. If you place a tic-tac-toe board over the visual, power points are created at the intersection of the lines. TIP: Place key text or focus the image in on one of these four points.