It’s impossible to overlook the growing prominence and importance of visual storytelling in law firm content marketing. Consumers of information online are connecting to, searching for, watching, creating, and downloading more content than ever, and it’s increasingly in visual form. And the best visual content—be it in the form of video, photos, illustrations or infographics—tells a compelling story that connects on both an intellectual and emotional level.

One only has to spend a few moments on today’s most popular social media platforms to appreciate the power of visual storytelling. Platforms like Pinterest and Instagram rely almost exclusively on visual appeal. And platforms that are more commonly used by law firms, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, have prioritized visual content—particularly video—over written content in their feeds.

Law firms, who have traditionally relied upon written content in the form of blog posts and white papers to promote their thought leadership, would be wise to follow the lead of other non-legal professional services providers such as McKinsey, Goldman Sachs, Boston Consulting Group, and Deloitte who are using visual storytelling to great effect to capture attention and spread their ideas in new and interesting ways.

To help you keep pace with these trends, and start leading the way in law firm content marketing, let's take a look at some visual storytelling statistics that demonstrate the impact visual content has on reach, engagement, and lead generation.

1.Instagram is a pioneer in visual storytelling. Known for shiny graphics and high-quality video, its platform continues to grow. From 2013 to 2018, the social media giant grew from 90 million monthly active users to 1 billion monthly active users. That’s a lot of people looking to connect with brands.

2. Video continues to raise the bar in visual storytelling. Did you know that Facebook video posts garner 135% greater organic reach than photo posts? If you have basic video knowledge, video is a great way to get your brand noticed.

3. According to this report on Twitter, posts with images increase the likelihood of retweets by 68% and favorites by 74%. Similarly, LinkedIn posts that include an image increase the comment rate by 98 percent.

4. According to Hubspot, 65% of users prefer emails that include multiple images compared to 35% who prefer text heavy emails.

5. According to the Visual Teaching Alliance, 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual while approximately 65% of the population are visual learners.

6. Visual storytelling can help you remain at the top of mind of your audience. According to this infographic from HubSpot, 80% of people remember things they see or experience.

7. Not only do people remember visuals, but they respond to them as well. It’s reported that people follow instructions three times better from video or imagery than they do from text.

8. Having people share your content is essential to successful law firm content marketing. According to LewisPR, the use of imagery within a post every 75-100 words can double the number of social shares for an article.

9. Consumers view tons of content per day, so it’s important that they remember your brand. According this study, people recall 65% of the visual content they view after three days in comparison to only 10% of written content.

10. Do you send out press releases or newsletters? Including both a photo and video within a press release increases views by over 45%.

11. Infographics continue to be on the rise for B2B marketers. Content Marketing Institute reports that the use of infographics by B2B marketers grew from 50% to 58% from 2015 to 2016 and continues to grow.

12. Struggling to generate traffic to your blog? One study shows that by including visuals within your post, you can increase traffic by 48%.

13. More than half of all B2B writers want to create more visual content in the next year.

14. According to Hubspot’s research, infographics are shared 3x more than any other visual content on social media.

15. Don’t waste your time putting together an article if it’s not accompanied by an image. Articles that contain an image garner 94% more views.

16. Visual storytelling is also a great tool for generating traffic to your site. According to the Delhi School of Internet Marketing, 75% of viewers will pay a visit to a company’s website after viewing a branded video.

The bottom-line is that visual storytelling works and more law firms are taking notice. Every brand has a story to tell, including your own. Your visual story should be compelling and connect with your audience.

Visual content continues to gain steam. It’s taking over the internet and social media. Don’t get left behind. Start including more images, infographics, and videos in your law firm content marketing. You’ll realize greater engagement with your audience, gain more attention online, and generate better results with your content marketing strategy.