Seeing Is Believing
A number of items crossed my screen in the last week or so that underscored the power of visual presentation.
First I saw this promotional email from DirectMarketingIQ that featured a number of publications I intend to browse …
- Visual Marketing, by David Langton & Anita Campbell
- Infographics: The Power of Visual Storytelling, by Jason Lankow, Josh Ritchie and Ross Crooks
- Drawing Attention, by Stu Heinecke (about using cartoons … actually, this is #1 on my ‘get’ list)
- Open Me Now, by Herschell Gordon Lewis (this is about envelopes … he’s been writing about direct response copywriting for ages … like the ’80s)
Then, from ConnectedNonprofit, I saw …
They were generously pointing to this helpful guide from resourcemedia … Seeing is Believing: A Guide to Visual Storytelling Best Practices. It’s free. Get it. Check out their fascinating examples of images at work. Follow their Seven Rules of the Road to maximize the impact you can have with visuals.
A ‘WOW!” stat from the guide: By the end of 2012, 300 million pictures a day were uploaded to Facebook, 40 million to Instagram.
In a study they cite, when information was presented only orally, people remembered only about 10% of what they heard when tested 72 hours later. That jumped to 65% when pictures were added.
Want a more practical tidbit?
Another study showed that captions under images on websites are read on average 300% more than the body copy of the story with which those images appear.
And a close from Walt Disney, who knew a fair bit about imagery …
“Of all of our inventions for mass communication, pictures still speak the most universally understood language.”
Amen.
Tom
4 responses to “Seeing Is Believing”
Behavioral Science Q & A
Integrating an individual giving appeal with other communications from a charity can have both positive and negative effects, and the outcome largely depends on how it’s executed. Advantages of Integration Brand Consistency: Maintaining a consistent appearance and messaging across all communications can reinforce the org’s brand identity and strengthen brand recognition and trust among your […]
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I’m not aware of any in-market tests specifically comparing recurring vs. gift frequency language. I suspect the answer might not be the same with all gift frequencies, nor with all people. It sounds like a great opportunity for you to test and find out what works for your audience. Based on the literature, here’s a couple […]
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Based on what we know from existing data, those renewal notices can actually be pretty effective in getting people to donate. They tap into our psychology – creating a sense of urgency, reminding us of past support, and using personalization to make the message hit home. They’re playing on our natural tendencies to feel obligated […]
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Interesting question. I had a quick look at the testing done on this topic. On the positive side, in all cases, over half of donors decide to cover the fee. In some cases, it goes as high as 65%. Not a negligible percentage at all. Here’s another test from iRaiser showing consistent results (see point […]
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There’s just one thing to consider when designing a supporter journey: the supporter. More specifically, you need to take into account: Who the supporter is i.e. their identity, which is the reason they support this cause, and their personality, which describes the way they “see” and process the world. These will determine the kind of […]
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I’m not an expert in this but a quick search surfaced this article on the effect of tax reforms on 2019’s charitable giving. The researchers didn’t find a reduction. Actually, they observed an “increase in charitable contributions in 2019, even with the lower tax rates and the dramatically smaller number of taxpayers who itemize their […]
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I would also recommend Dan Roam’s book “The Back of the Napkin” for learning why visuals can be so helpful for explaining or understanding any problem, and also practicing how to create them. http://www.danroam.com/the-back-of-the-napkin/
Kevin
Tom,
On the whole this is a good report.
However, I have to disagree with the image of the girl collecting water, whilst its a nice image and does depict hope, it does not say this child needs help – like a child drinking dirty water does. it’s not obvious that she is in need and therefore if the purpose is to raise funds, I don’t believe this image would be successful. having previously worked for a water charity and now at another INGO, I have tested this many times. need works when wanting to solicit a gift – as demonstrated by Save the Children’s (UK) enormous growth in the past few years, where they do show malnourished children…
I can say the most clever things on Facebook, but it’s the photos that draw the comments.
Hi Sami,
Thanks for your comment about the cover of the guide. I am the one who chose that picture, so I’ll jump in with the backstory. My intent with the cover picture was to have a face of someone that would draw people in to the guide in a positive way – someone looking right at them, and with a cheerful look. Nothing grim, no problems, just warm colors and warm emotions. The cover of this e-book showcases a solution, just like the content inside. You are absolutely right that to motivate people to act around a threat, you need to not only show the solution/hope picture, but you also often have to show the threat. Threat first – get people’s attention, get them concerned, followed by a positive, solutions-oriented picture to encourage them, show them that their engagement will make a difference. That’s the right approach for your water work, but I had a different approach and intention with the guide’s cover!
All my best,
Liz