Best Practices for Online Images and Videos
We all know visual content draws attention online. Pay attention to composition, tone and content to make the most impact with your images and videos.
Get to the Point Quickly
People’s attention wavers quickly. While text allows users to read at their own pace, videos progress at a set speed and holding people’s attention for any length of time is difficult. Videos that provide information quickly and clearly do best. Research shows that under 30 seconds is a good goal.
Keep Out Distractions
Be sure your image or video doesn’t have any unnecessary details that distract from your message. That can be anything from something unidentifiable in the background to a loud pattern in someone’s clothes. Make sure nothing distracts from the intended focus.
Be Accurate
Make sure the image or video is accurate for the message you want to convey. If you are talking about electric cars, don’t use a visual of a car that people know has a regular engine. The visual has to be a proper illustration. Inaccuracies can kill your message.
Create Brand Consistency
Make sure your images and videos share a consistent tone, coloring, etc. that make them clearly from the same source. Look at the social posts for major brands and you will see a consistency that unites all of their visuals no matter the specific topic or message. This is subtle but has an important impact on your viewer.
