If you’ve left your house in the past 10 years (which, for your case, we certainly hope you have done), it’s evident that we have entered the digital age: an age of connectivity, technology, and a sometimes-concerning obsession with our devices. We have access to consistent digital stimulation and updates, which makes it no surprise that a strong digital presence has become the core of marketing tactics for many businesses. With more than half of content marketers claiming that visual asset creation is a top priority in their marketing tactics, it’s clear that strong digital assets are important for your online presence. But what does this mean, and how can your business source strong digital assets? The experts of content marketing Pittsburgh - Responsival - are here to break it down for you.

Why are Strong Digital Assets so Important?

Digital Imagery Statistics from the Leaders in Content Marketing Pittsburgh

As simple fact exists in human psychology that we now - more than ever before - crave constant visual stimulation and gratification stimuli. We search for content that rewards us in some way: by making us feel good, encouraging us to click through a website, or bringing us to the desired end result. When done right, the content we interact with online is designed to bring us these psychological rewards and, in turn, helps us take valuable actions online that marketers are consistently aiming to capitalize on.

But we’re not here to talk strictly about the theoretical backing of strong digital assets. Let’s talk numbers. Studies have found that articles with images online get 94% more views than articles without images, and people are more likely to remember the content they read if it contains an image. On e-commerce websites, 63% of people say that strong product images are even more important than product-specific information. This information means that if you’re looking to sell products online or share information about your business, including strong assets could make or break your ability to turn your web traffic into a customer.

Additionally, in the digital age, your online presence isn’t limited to your website. Social media is an important aspect of branding and sales for many businesses, which means strong digital assets are just as important on social media. Studies find that strong images and videos can help increase your engagement drastically. On Twitter, tweets containing an image receive 150% more retweets on average. This trend can be seen across almost all social media platforms, with images increasing likes on Facebook by 53%. Not only do these images increase engagement, but they add visual interest and a compelling edge to your social media that your business needs to stand out from the competition.

What Makes a Strong Digital Asset?

Evaluating Whether or Not You are Creating Strong Images

Some people think that determining the quality of photography and digital assets is subjective. However, there are fundamental criteria that set quality art or photography apart from the poor and mediocre. While Responsival - the experts of content marketing Pittsburgh - is not here to give you a lesson on art history, we are here to break down what makes strong digital assets for marketing and online purposes -- for which the rules are a little different. Here’s the functional baseline for your images.

• Your images are in focus. At the very least, your images need to be clear - no pixelation, no blurriness - and are focused on the product rather than the background or foreground. Part of this includes ensuring that your images are large enough for your website or social media applications.
• Photos present your products from a logical perspective. When evaluating a product image, ask yourself “Is this the best way to present my product?” If you feel like the image is displaying the most important aspects of your product - like the shirt itself rather than just the sleeve - you’re probably on the right track.
• The images are well-lit. Lighting is one of the most important aspects of creating strong digital assets. Without good lighting, it’s nearly impossible to create consistency among pictures or show the quality of your products.
• Images are visually balanced. It’s important that your images are centered and the colors appeal to the eye. Many product photos are taken on white backgrounds to ensure the product can be seen (and are properly lit), but all-white products are usually displayed on other colored backgrounds for balance and contrast.
• Your images contain some level of visual consistency. While visual consistency is important for your website and social media feed, it’s also important in ensuring consistent branding.

If your digital assets achieve these criteria, there’s a good chance that they will be larger file sizes. It’s important to condense your file size so that you don’t make your webpage too heavy, which slows down your loading speed and hurts your SEO.

How Can I Create or Find Strong Digital Assets?

Tips for Picking Your Images from the Leaders in Content Marketing Pittsburgh

If you’re a beginner at creating strong digital assets, the pressure to use strong digital assets can be overwhelming. However, there are plenty of resources available to make this process easy for you. In order of favorability, here are some ways to source or create great product images:

1. Hire a Professional Photographer: While not a possibility for some budgets, hiring a professional photographer is the best way to ensure you’re getting high-quality product and lifestyle imagery. Professional photographers ensure a great end result, save you time, and are experts at using imagery to portray the right brand narrative.
2. Do It Yourself: Don’t be scared here -- you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on a professional camera and equipment to get great images. One of our favorite e-commerce platforms created an awesome guide to taking product images using some white poster board and natural lighting.
3. Use Manufacturer Images: For e-commerce, third party retailers often use manufacturer images in place of custom images. This ensures high-quality images than can often be used free of charge.
4. Utilize Stock Images and Video: While not ideal for businesses looking to highlight their custom flare, stock images can be extremely high quality and compelling. While many images are available for free, most can at the very least be purchased for a fraction of the cost of hiring a photographer and can add incredible visual interest to your assets.
   

It’s clear that strong digital assets are important for your business and that these images can be sourced with just a little bit of time and effort. If you want help taking your website or marketing efforts to the next level with strong visual assets and more, get in touch with the experts of content marketing Pittsburgh at Responsival today. We can help you take your online presence to the next level with a variety of custom digital marketing solutions.