4 Psychological Reasons ‘Visual Marketing’ Works Best on Instagram

As modern consumers, we rarely put much thought into the advertisements we see, let alone assess why they’re persuasive or not. Some ads connect on a highly personal level and we don’t think twice before purchasing a product, while others are merely background noise in our daily existence.

If there’s one aspect we can all agree on – regardless of the subject matter – it’s the importance of visuals in marketing. Social media platforms like Instagram have opened the door for brands of all types to promote their products or services in a visually engaging manner.

Due to the short life of every Instagram post, it’s crucial to get the very most out of each advertisement. Whether it’s a photo, video or an Instagram Story ad, you have a very brief timeframe to win over your consumers and persuade them to take action.

If you’re like most ambitious brands today, you’re constantly looking for advice on how to grow your Instagram audience. Progressive visual marketing is a proven method for connecting with your consumers on an emotional level if done correctly.

Below are four psychological reasons why visual marketing works best for consumers, specifically on Instagram.

1) Process Information Fast

The human brain can process visuals 60,000 times faster than text. This is a crucial factor to consider when constructing any type of ad or promotional copy. Most modern advertisements are designed to be easily comprehensible, without utilizing our full brain capacity. In fact, only 50% of your brainpower is required to process visuals efficiently.

Instagram in its most basic form is merely scrolling through visuals rapidly, yet taking in just enough information to make your own judgment. Having a basic understanding of the psychology behind visuals should change the way you promote your products and brand altogether.

2) Colors Influence Our Emotions

What are you selling? What is the primary message you are trying to get across to your consumers? Many content marketers and brands on Instagram neglect to consider these basic notions and disregard appropriate color schemes all too often. This is highly unfortunate as color could be the simplest way to improve your visual marketing campaign significantly.

Consider the most renowned establishments and what they represent, and then look at the colors they’ve chosen for their brand. Yellow, for example, is oftentimes associated with quick convenience, or affordability, while green tends to represent peace, growth or health. Keep a color emotion guide on hand as a reference when creating your next ad.

3) Encourage Reading Text

Think about how a single photo in a magazine can convince you to read an entire article, or how an intriguing book cover can compel you to dive straight into the story. This same philosophy applies to Instagram and content marketing.

Regardless of how prominent visuals are, text will never lose its value. However, it can always use a little visual aid. According to Quicksprout, content with quality visuals receive 94% more views and engagement than those without. Keep this in mind as you continue to explore how to grow your Instagram audience.

4) Visuals Define Your Brand

Aside from providing an amazing product or service, there’s no better way to establish your brand than posting consistent imagery. As previously stated, you have a mere matter of seconds to get your consumers attention with an ad. As your brand gets more refined, viewers will ideally be able to recognize your brand solely off your visuals without seeing a logo or text.

Visual Marketing or Bust

Instagram is an amazing platform for trying new mediums of visuals and evaluating feedback. It can be difficult to understand how to grow your Instagram audience without first having some definitive visuals to win over your consumers eyes. Consider these tips for a brilliant Instagram marketing campaign.