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Mastering Visual Content Marketing: Best Practices for Eye-Catching Content

Optimizing Visual Content in a Crowded Digital World

Published: January 27, 2025
Mastering Visual Content Marketing for B2B Brands Best Practices for Eye-Catching Content - Today Digital Blog

Rebekah Carter

For B2B tech brands, visual content marketing has gone from being a supporting act in the promotional landscape, to a center stage phenomenon. Why? Because standing out in today’s online world is increasingly complex. Companies are endlessly bombarded by dreary, monotonous content, often generated by AI- lacking soul and emotional impact.

It takes something powerful, like an eye-catching featured image, a genuine photo of real human beings, or an authentic video to grab attention.

Visual content is the key to overcoming growing news fatigue in a world where attention spans are shrinking, capturing the trust of skeptical B2B consumers, and driving collaborative growth. Look at this way – posts with images are 2.3 times more likely to receive engagement on social media, and they’re 40% more likely to be shared, by consumers, jorunalists, or other brands.

That seriously boosts your brand reach at a time when tools like Google’s AI overviews are stealing clicks, and social platforms are crushing organic reach.

So, how do you master visual content marketing in the new world?

Why B2B Brands Need Visual Content Marketing

Visual content marketing makes an impact – it always has, and it always will. 91% of customers prefer visual content to written text – particularly when they’re researching products, or looking for informative, educational or entertaining content.

Plus, human beings are wired to appreciate visuals. We process visual content 60,000 times faster than text-based information, retain it for longer, and use it to make more of our decisions. In fact, visual content can increase conversions by up to 80%.

In the B2B technology world, visuals give companies a way to create more effective, category-defining content that engages, inspires, and informs customers throughout a lengthy buying journey.

Look at it this way – are you more likely to make a purchase after reading a huge report about a new AI bot, or after you see an image or video of that bot actually delivering results?

Authentic visuals can even help earn trust, by humanizing your company, and separating you from the countless companies using AI to create images and videos at scale.

The Biggest Benefits of B2B Visual Content Marketing

Imagine a world where the web was filled just with sterile, text-based posts. It wouldn’t just be boring. It would make it harder for B2B buyers to navigate their buyer journey. You can get a lot more information out of a video, a selection of images, and infographics than endless whitepapers, in a much shorter amount of time.

On a broad level, visual content improves the buyer journey. You only need to look at the popularity of the top social media channels to confirm this fact. YouTube is the world’s most popular social channel, and TikTok and Instagram are some of the fastest-growing platforms worldwide.

Beyond, that, visual content leads to:

  • Better knowledge retention: A staggering 65% of people are visual learners. Pair that with the fact that visuals enhance retention, and you’ve got a winning formula. Infographics, for example, help convey data-heavy insights in an easily digestible way, ensuring your message sticks.
  • Simplified communication: Tech solutions are inherently complex. Visuals like flowcharts or product demos break down the intricate and make it understandable. This not only builds trust but also accelerates decision-making.
  • Increased engagement and reach: Visual content gets 94% more views than text-only posts. As mentioned above, it’s also more likely to be shared. That’s crucial at a time when a holistic approach to expanding content reach is becoming crucial.
  • Greater conversions: Visuals give your customers more of the key information they need throughout the buyer journey, helping them to make purchases faster. They increase your chances of winning sales significantly, and differentiate you from the competition.
  • Improved brand reputation: Creating genuine images, rather than relying on AI-generated content, improves your brand’s reputation. It makes you seem more trustworthy and credible, particularly as AI deepfakes become more of an issue.

The Top Types of B2B Visual Content Marketing Assets

The types of visual content marketing assets you can experiment with in the B2B world are evolving rapidly. That’s particularly true now that companies can use cutting-edge tech to create virtual, augmented, and mixed reality experiences for customers.

Still, if you’re looking for simple but effective visuals, there are a few key options that stand out.

Graphs and Charts: The Data Dynamos

Graphs and charts are the go-to visuals for data-heavy industries and complex sectors like technology. B2B customers want insights into data, but they don’t want that data to be difficult to consume. They want instant insights into what makes your solution valuable.

Graphs and charts simplify dense information into a format that’s easy to digest. In fact, they can increase understanding among audiences by 80%. Even better? Graphs and charts are versatile. You can use them in white papers, social media posts, press releases and more.

They’re also inherently shareable. Just think about how many charts and graphs are shared on news publication websites and other industry-leading channels.

Illustrations: Your Brand’s Personality Booster

Custom illustrations can communicate abstract ideas, explain technical concepts, or give your brand a distinct personality. IBM, for instance, uses consistent, branded illustrations to explain how their technology drives innovation. Dropbox is another well-known brand that uses illustrations constantly.

Illustrations give life to your brand’s identity, and help to build brand recognition through a cohesive and consistent visual style. They’re memorable, unique, and distinctly human, which is powerful in today’s AI-driven world.

Invest in a consistent illustration style that aligns with your brand identity. Whether it’s clean, minimalist graphics or playful, colorful drawings, consistency builds familiarity and trust.

Action Photos: Keeping it Real

Stock photos and AI-generated images are dead (more on that later). Real-life, genuine action photos showcasing your products in use, your team, and your customers, are where it’s at. In B2B visual content marketing, these images humanize your brand, and make it more relatable.

When IBM promoted its Quantum System One in Japan, they shared installation process photos. These behind-the-scenes glimpses not only showcased the product but also highlighted the company’s focus on supporting its customers.

Stop relying on generic images, and capture real-life moments to show your customers what your company is really about, and what it can do.

User-Generated Content (UGC): A Trust Magnet

User-generated content is a powerhouse asset for earning consumer trust and 40% more likely in the B2B world. Written reviews, testimonials, and case studies are great. But what if you could connect with customers on a deeper level, through images and videos too?

Anything from the posts customers share of them using your products on social media, to unboxing videos from influencers and snaps from industry events can make a huge difference to your brand’s presence. UGC is trustworthy, authentic, and reliable.

It’s also surprisingly easy to generate. All you really need is a way to encourage your audience to share their experiences with you. Try a branded hashtag, a competition on social media, or connect with collaborators in your industry.

Micro-Infographics: Snackable Insights

Infographics have long been a staple of visual content marketing for B2B companies. First of all, they receive 3 times more shares than other types of content, expanding your reach. They’re also excellent at making complex information more accessible.

However, infographics don’t have to be huge to be impactful. Bite-sized infographics are particularly valuable for social sharing platforms like LinkedIn, and Facebook. They can be great for communicating a single, shareable idea in an instant.

Plus, they’re easy to create -you can simply convert some of the key statements and facts from a blog post, article, or case study into an infographic in seconds.

Interactive Content: Next-Level Engagement

Interactive content is amazing for boosting engagement. Think of a magazine or case study report that users can actually “flick through” on your website, or an infographic that comes with expanding sections, or the ability to click and drag components.

Interactive content is particularly handy when you want to stand out from countless companies offering the same old boring experiences. It’s also fantastic when you want to give your customers more in-depth information, but allow them to control their research journey.

With an interactive infographic, for instance, users can choose which parts of a graph they want to dive into further, depending on their needs.

Video Content: King of Category-Leading Content

Video content is an all-star player in visual content marketing. Whether it’s explainer videos, webinars, or customer testimonials, videos pack a powerful punch. Consider the fact that around 85% of B2B companies increased their use of video marketing in 2024.

Videos can even help you to create more impactful news content, at a time when customers are spending less time reading standard press releases and posts on social media. 66% of companies now say they rely on videos for news-based content.

Experiment with different formats – short form video for TikTok and YouTube shorts, long-form conversations with market leaders, and explainer videos. The options are endless.

Optimizing Visual Elements in All of Your Content

Excelling in the new age of B2B visual content marketing isn’t just about creating specific visual assets to share online. It’s also about making sure you add eye-catching visual elements to all of the content you produce. That includes press releases, articles, case studies, and more.

Remember, articles with an image every 100 words or so generally get double the number of social shares than their text-heavy competitors.

Adding visuals to your content, whether it’s an image of your team on a press release, a graph on an article about a new product, or even a video, improves the impact of your content.

One of the most important areas you should be focusing on is your featured images. These are the key images that capture customer attention on your website (or external sites), drive clicks, and increase engagement.

Here are our top tips for optimizing featured images for every type of content:

  • News stories: Pick an image that connects with your headline. Real people and faces in your images are also excellent for forming human connections.
  • Blogs: This is your chance to use bold, unique visuals that act as click-bait for your content. Create something fun, memorable, and eye-catching.
  • Events: Choose an image directly from your event – such as a picture of your team leading the charge on a keynote speaker session.
  • Videos: Choose an eye-catching thumbnail, enhanced with bright colors, readable text overlays, and branded elements.
  • Reviews and comparison: Choose clean, professional images that place products and vendors side-by-side.

Best Practices for Stand-Out Visual Content Marketing

Whether you’re creating visuals to add to your existing content, or designing something new from scratch (like a video or infographic), there are a few best practice tips you should always follow to increase your chances of engagement.

1.     Focus on Your Target Audience

Your visuals should speak directly to your audience’s preferences and pain points. Are they tech-savvy decision-makers? Use polished infographics and clean data visualizations. Are they creative marketers? Go bold with colorful illustrations and quirky animations. Find out what appeals to your customers by reviewing competitors, and experimenting with different styles.

2.     Be Consistent

Consistency is the unsung hero of branding. It helps to enhance your B2B storytelling strategy, and build familiarity with your audience through long, complex sales cycles. Use the same fonts, colors, and style across your visuals to make your content instantly recognizable. You might even consider creating a style guide you can use for all visual channels to boost results.

3.     Make Sure Visuals Add Value

Your visuals should add value, not clutter. A standard image of a product that a customer can find anywhere online won’t really deliver value. Think about how you can use your imagery to share additional information or add context to what you’re saying. For instance, you could show your product being used in a specific way, or focus on a specific feature.

4.     Forget the Stock Images: Stand Out

Ditch stock photography. It’s boring. Everyone has seen the same old picture of a person “sitting at a desk” a million times. Those pictures aren’t going to convince anyone to do anything. Make your visuals stand out. Use genuine, original illustrations, photos, and images. Make your brand personality and values shine through everything you create.

5.     Optimize for Each Platform

While consistency is key, there are different rules to follow whether you’re posting content on a publication website, or a social media channel. Think about how you can adapt your content to the platform. On LinkedIn, high-quality photos, video snippets, and infographics grab the most attention. On TikTok and Instagram, authenticity and short-form content make the biggest impact.

6.     Make People the Focus

Digital marketing in the B2B world is becoming increasingly less humanized. Making people the center of your visual content marketing strategy is your key to standing out. Highlight your team members, your customers, or other authentic human beings. Showcase brand ambassadors and thought leaders whenever you can.

7.     Optimize for Search

If you’re working with an industry publication, they’ll handle aspects of SEO for you. If you’re creating your own content for your own channels, remember SEO isn’t just for text. Optimize your visuals with alt text, relevant keywords, and descriptive file names. Make sure they load quickly and work effectively across all devices.

8.     Experiment with AI

While you definitely shouldn’t be using AI to create all of your visual content for you – it can be a helpful tool. You can use AI to convert written content into visual content, add personalized elements (like captions for videos), or enhance the quality of certain images. AI tools can also give you a great insight into which of your visual assets are driving the best results and the most conversions.

9.     Interrupt Skimming Patterns

Human beings are wired to skim rather than read, and glance, instead of watching. Sometimes you need to do something unexpected to keep your customers engaged. Add the element of surprise into your content from time to time, using sudden animations, color changes, or other elements to make your content more magnetic and interesting.

10. Get Straight to the Point with Video

When you’re creating video assets, jump in and capture attention fast. Share valuable insights and data straight away to keep your customers watching. Get straight to the point, and avoid overwhelming your audience with too much lengthy content. Sometimes long-form content works, but even then, it’s important to stay focused.

11. Stay Experimental

Don’t just find one type of visual content marketing strategy that works and stick to it. Experiment. Play with different content styles and strategies. Dive into the world of extended reality (if you have the budget), and create videos and images for every stage of the customer journey. Leverage A/B testing to see what resonates with your audience, and make granular updates.

Winning with B2B Visual Content Marketing

The world is overwhelmed by too much of the same generic content. If you really want to stand out in today’s world, you need to make an impact, and that starts with the right visuals. Investing in a comprehensive visual content marketing strategy ensures you can go beyond just capturing attention.

The right strategy will help you foster trust, simplify complex topics, demonstrate category leadership, and build relationships in an era where standing out is more challenging than ever.

So, what’s your next move? Dive in, experiment, innovate, and add more visual elements to your content marketing strategy. Reach out to the experts at publications in your industry, and ask them about new ways you can use visuals to attract attention in your next campaign.

Capture your customer’s eyes, then their brains, and their hearts. Visual content will take your B2B lead generation, engagement, and conversion strategy to the next level.