In recent years, we've seen a massive technology-driven shift in the way content is consumed via digital platforms. According to estimates, over five exabytes of content is created every day, and this rapid increase can make it challenging for consumers to discover meaningful content and for brand marketers to engage consumers to create those deep connections that drive sales.

The future of storytelling depends on the use of high-quality visual experiences. This content evolution, driven by the dramatic increase in the adoption of smartphones and other mobile devices, is forcing publishers and brand marketers to rethink their approach to content development and to adopt a visual-first strategy.

According to a study recently conducted by POPSUGAR, 76% of women feel that messages they see are more memorable than messages they read or hear, which makes sense when you consider that humans process images 60,000 times faster than text. So it appears obvious that the way to rise above fragmentation of your marketing message is to use high-quality images to get consumers to pause, engage and connect with your message. In the POPSUGAR study, consumers defined "high quality" as images that are high resolution, aren't cluttered in their composition and feature original photography over stock images. The use of high-quality, "thumb-stoppable" images combined with strong headlines acts as a magnet to pull consumers deeper into a compelling content experience.

In order for brands to succeed in the age of the evocative Internet, the focus needs to be on the quality of the content as well as the emotional connection that the visuals evoke. Research by AdAge.com found that 87% of women prefer high-quality visual content, 69% of women prefer native advertising and 78% of women prefer ads that use original photography. Using this information, it's possible to develop highly engaging content on Pinterest. In conducting their research study, AdAge.com found that art-designed pins consistently outperform undesigned pins in terms of both impressions and repins. In one month, 86 designed pins delivered 37 million more impressions than 670 undesigned pins.

Their research also shows that women view brands that use high-quality original images as being more creative (53%), more experienced (48%) and more knowledgeable (46%) than those that don't. Therefore, brands that invest in providing women with thoughtful, original, high-quality visual content can reap significant rewards.

As digital marketers, we can only succeed when we are able to create a memorable experience that delivers value to both brands and consumers and creates a deep, long-lasting, and positive impression.

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