When you think of content your mind probably goes right to text. Articles and blog posts, columns of writing explaining a service or product…that is what content is, right? For the most part, that is exactly what content is. But that doesn’t mean images cannot be a labeled under the definition. If you are failing to add a visual component to your posts, you are making a big mistake. All content should be enhanced with multiple mediums to catch the eye and keep the reader interested enough to delve further than the headline.

For content marketing, having a campaign that utilizes visuals is especially important. Especially when it comes to expanding out to social media, a primary tool for visibility and traffic building. Here are a few tips on how to use visual content in your content marketing strategy.

Know Your Tools

Use Relevant Images

I can’t tell you how often I have come across an image that doesn’t support the content, or that barely relates to it. This is actually a pet peeve of mine, because it completely takes away the point of having an image in the first place. You might as well just put on a flashing, neon sign that says “I don’t care, but read me anyway!” Make sure the image you use is of high quality, relates to the post, and actually enhances the content it is posted with.

Use Multiple Images to Get Your Point Across

Don’t just stick a photo under the headline. Use multiple images through the article to break up the text and keep the post looking dynamic and professional. There is a reason this is such a common practice. Be sure to use good captions to give the images context. This is a great way to hook skimmers that are otherwise just glancing over your content. They are most likely to pause and read over the text that the image represents.

Don’t Be Afraid to Use Videos, Infographics, etc

Not all visual content has to be a photo. Using other forms of visual data can be very helpful, such as an embedded video, infographics, charts, graphs and even content. That kind of content is also hot for social media sharing, and as long as you customize it you can see links back based on the visuals alone.

Try Editing the Image

Have you found a picture that is almost perfect, but not quite? Or that you can see making an impact if something were a little different? As long as it is your own work, or it is protected under creative commons licenses that allow for manipulation, you can edit it to fit your needs. There are a lot of online programs for this, but I prefer the more extensive desktop versions.

Photoshop is one option, but it is very expensive. A good alternative is GIMP for actual photo manipulation software. If you just want to do something super simple like resize, crop or add text, even Paint will do.

Ask for Reader Contributions

For good original content that you don’t have to work for, ask readers to contribute their own work. Offer them full credit and a link (such as you would offer a byline to a guest poster), and watch as others start sending in content by the bucket full.

Do you have any tips for enhancing content marketing using visuals? Let us know in the comments.

Image Credits: 1, 2, 3

The other day I was discussing viral content marketing with a friend (yes, we really are that lame) over coffee. She mentioned that she thought viral marketing was only for certain types of niches, such as those that could be labeled under entertainment. In other words, viral marketing was only for ‘fun’ niches, rather than those that could be described as boring.

I most heartily disagree, I think viral marketing is for any niche around. Because even the most boring of topics can generate interest, as there will always be an audience that doesn’t find it boring. Besides, the idea behind viral content is that it has been shared to a huge degree. Which may or may not be due to entertainment value, and could just as easily be thanks to the value of the information itself.

Of course, to me all viral marketing is really just marketing in general. No amount of fiddling with what you produce is going to ensure that it spreads. Often only luck, such as posting it at the right time while hitting the exact right resonance and initially appealing to the right people, will be enough for that. Sorry, but it is the cold, hard truth.

That doesn’t mean you can’t encourage better traffic and hope it eventually leads to viral status, however. Whatever niche you are basing your content on will have a chance if you give it one.

Turning a “Boring” Niche Into a Marketer’s Dream

Deodorant…not very exciting, is it? The hygiene niche in general is a pretty bland one, as it doesn’t even have the oomph of related fields like beauty products, skin health or weight loss, all of which are at least provocative. Hygiene also has the dubious title of Things We Don’t Talk About, as it is hardly a polite topic of conversation.

But if you need proof that something uncomfortable can turn into a phenomenon in popular culture, look no further than the Old Spice Guy. Yeah, you knew it was coming, and why not? It is perhaps the most popular example of viral marketing ever, and all within a niche that is as boring as they come.

Another boring niche is blenders. Yet Will It Blend?, the brain child of Blendtec, not only turned into a huge campaign that still attracts a great deal of attention eight years later, but it launched the company from obscurity to internet fame. Plus, we get to see a blender decimate an iPhone. That is pretty cool, don’t you think?

Even garden sheds have gotten their day. Every year Reader Sheds holds an open contest for their ‘Shed Of The Year’ award. Not only does it gain more than a thousand entries per year, but it is a pretty big deal on social media. Even news sources in the UK like the Guardian and the Daily Mail cover them, making them an immediate candidate for viral status every year.

My point is that there is very little justification for the theory that a so-called boring niche will not have a shot at becoming a viral marketers dream. The problem then falls to the viability of creating viral content in the first place.

Your Content Won’t Go Viral

OK, some of it will…maybe. At least for some of the people reading this. But for every awesome bit of content you produce, there will be something less impressive that becomes a web-wide phenomenon. Most of what is behind this is pure, dumb luck. Often the person who created the content had no actual intention for it to go viral in the first place. Later on, their other work won’t find nearly as much success, even if it did make them a little piece of Internet history. Remember this guy? Yeah, Tay Zonday is a great example of unexpected fame.

As I mentioned in the intro to this article, there are ways you can improve your chances of going viral. These are primarily common sense tips, like:

• Make sure your content is high quality.
• Give your content wide appeal to not only your followers, but more importantly their friends who don’t know you or your site yet.
• Use provocative and eye catching headlines.
• Try to get your content shared on other sites
• Etc.

But the best presentation I have ever seen on this topic came from the geniuses at Upworthy. Their slideshow How To Make That One Thing Go Viral includes the subheading “Just Kidding” for a reason. They understand that it is fruitless to create content purely for the sake of marketing it on a viral level. It was a lesson they have learned through experience.

The presentation instead talks about the few posts they have published that had hit over 1,000,000 views, and what they believe was the reason behind it. They also give practical and useful advice on optimizing your content to have the best chance of increased visibility, whether it leads to viral status or not.

Conclusion

Sadly, the truth about viral content is that it tends to be a fluke. A lot of what you make will not get the attention it deserves, and some of what you make that is less impressive might get a lot more. It is just one of those odd facts in life that we are all subjected to.

But don;t despair, that doesn’t mean your content will not go viral in the future, it has every chance in the world. Even if you are not in a ‘fun’ niche. If garden sheds can get a sweet deal in the sharing department, so can you. Really.

Image Credit: 1.

Today’s update is a tiny one, but, boy, it’s a killer one!

Now you can upload projects to Viral Content Buzz with one click of a mouse!

Just go to “Add project” and install our very easy bookmarklet:

Now, whenever you are viewing a page you feel like sharing with our community, simply click that bookmarklet and it will grab the current page URL, title and meta description and pre-fill all the fields for you:

Add to VCB (Drag and drop to your bookmark toolbar)
(You may need to allow pop-ups from VCB to make it work)

All you need to do now is to set the budget, select the networks you want it to be shared on (Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest for now) and agree to our quality guidelines!

Install the bookmarklet now:

Add to VCB (Drag and drop to your bookmark toolbar)
(You may need to allow pop-ups from VCB to make it work)

*Now you can use the tool to get your pictures pinned!*

It requres a few more clicks than sharing on Twitter and Facebook – but we have to adapt to what each social media network has to offer for us! Again, you have full control over what you share. WE don’t have login to your Pinterest account: You share on Pinterest and provide us with the pin URL to verify!

For Pinterest newbies and explorers, let’s share some Pinterest traffic-driving tips!

When it comes to social media, Pinterest is still the new kid in the class. But that doesn’t mean it is unknown; this photo pinned website has grown in popularity at a rate that is positively shocking. A growth that has continued strong over the past year, and creating more fanatics by the day.

One of the main problems that people are finding with the site is that they are unsure of how they should approach the topic of traffic driving. Being that it is still a rather new site, you might feel a little overwhelmed when it comes to establishing a campaign to utilize the tool.

Luckily, there are a couple of easy tips to get you started.

1. Use Infographics

There are a lot of types of content that generate attention, but infographics are some of the most shared all over the web. You run into them in every category on Pinterest, and they are repinned again and again. If you want a quick injection to your content you can find plenty of tools to help you make your own. Piktochart, Stat Planet and Creately are some of the best. But there are dozens out there to try out, with more being created every day. If you have a flare for art or graphic design, you can even make your own in Photoshop.

2. Pile On The Pictures

You may have seen the extra long pictures on Pinterest that have been showing up lately. They are a great way to show off steps, give multiple tips or just combine images. Users love them, so you will be sure to get plenty of traffic with those images. Especially if you make them and post them to your blog in a single image file, so they can be easily shared as they are instead of just as a link.

3. Have Default Images

Not every post will have a great image accompanying it. Sometimes you might not have a picture at all. Having default photos that show up on every post on your site, such as a simple banner, will allow users to pin any page you have without any issues. I have lost track of how often I have not pinned something because there was no image to share. Don’t make that mistake, especially as it is such a simple one to avoid.

4. Provide A Pinterest Button

Social media buttons act as their own little call to action. By having them with every post, you will give a little reminder to users that the content can be shared on Pinterest without any complications. Which will make them more likely to share it. Don’t neglect adding one for the photo sharing site, even if you also have a Facebook, Twitter and Google+ button.

5. Combine Social Media

Lately I have been seeing a lot of Facebook and Twitter profiles with links to Pinterest in the About sections. Which is a fantastic idea that will show people that they can visit you there, as well. Since Facebook no longer has pinning as a standard feature (an odd choice for them to make, considering their connection in the past), this will ensure that your other users won’t miss out on content and will know to follow your boards there.

Pinterest is an incredible tool that anyone can drive traffic to with a little bit of effort. What are some of your ideas? Let us know in the comments.

Image Credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

Think of some of the viral content you have seen in the last few years. What comes to mind? Heman’s ‘What’s Going On’, Where The Hell Is Matt?, Gangnum Style…everyone has seen these videos, and they are still getting regular views. But they are only a small collection of examples, and they are all completely different. What is it that made them hit viral status, and how can you emulate their formula for your own videos?

I always find this a really hard question to answer. Mainly because people don’t always like what I have to say about it. The biggest element I think applies to viral content is luck, plain and simple. Sometimes the cards are just dealt in such a way that it boosts a video into superstar status. All while similar or even near identical videos remain in obscurity, never finding the success of that single clip that caught so much attention.

After all, did the Literal Music Video craze, even with the popularity of Dustin McLean’s original Aha version, really take off until David A Scott released his Total Eclipse of the Heart dub? It certainly didn’t spike in the mainstream media until that point, launching the videos that came before it into greater infamy.

However, I don’t want to make you think that luck is the only factor. It isn’t; high quality can definitely play a part. While occasionally you will have something with low production values or straight-up badly made launch into the viral consciousness, it is a rarity. Usually something with more time and effort put in will gain a better foothold.

The Jonah Berger Factor

You may have never heard of Jonah Berger, but he is one of the leading experts in viral content and social media sharing. Professor of Marketing at Wharton University of Pennsylvania, he released a paper talking about the different elements that make up a viral video or piece of ‘contageous content’.

According to him, there are certain things more likely to launch something into popularity. These are: positive messages or themes, anything that evokes a powerful emotional response, and something offering a practical explanation of how something works or how to do something.

These all make sense. Remembering the many viral videos that have taken the web by storm, they all seem to fit into these categories. Especially when you think about the things that are shared on sites like Facebook, which are usually emotionally based or feel-goody in the extreme. Or the millions of practical DIY photos and links that are littering Pinterest. Then of course the videos that get the most views on YouTube, which are usually funny, inspiring, frightening or heart warming; all intense emotional reactions.

Conclusion

I think that Professor Berger is certainly onto something. But keep in mind that you might hit every one of these ticks, while still maintaining an awesome quality in your content, and it might never reach viral status. That is where I think luck really does come in; sometimes the stars just seem aligned, so to speak.