Flipboard’s success as emblematic of the visual web era

The prominence of the visual web

The rise of the visual web is fast upon us. With the explosion of popularity surrounding Pinterest and Instagram, it’s apparent that consumers are attracted to images rather than massive blocks of 10 point font. A great picture tells a story that consumers can connect with and that concept extends into the social media realm.

Flipboard, a social magazine, pulls information from users’ social media feeds and transforms them into a vibrant,interactive digital magazine format that consumers can read on their iPads, iPhones and Androids. In fact, they just celebrated their 2nd birthday, further proving that the visual web is here to stay.

Why should you care?

In order to increase the likelihood that consumers will want to interact with your brand, you have to provide engaging content packaged in a visually appealing way. For example, social media feeds spew out hundreds of postings each day and can overwhelm readers.

Flipboard compiles that content and packages it in a digital magazine layout where readers can sit back and leisurely read through the topics that interest them. It’s not the best way to keep up to date with every single thing that happens on Twitter, but it does allow consumers to pinpoint their key interests, such as politics and music, and delve deeper into subjects they’re interested in, absorbing a message that is enhanced with pictures and graphics to aid in increasing understanding.

The takeaway

Consumers today don’t want to read a dissertation about your products or be talked at; they want a visually rich experience that tells a cohesive story that they can identify with. Images help prompt memory and aid in recalling information specific to your brand story. Pictures can easily be added into your communications materials and website and editing tools are widely available.

There are also a multitude of applications that can take even the most novice photographer and turn them into a pro. As the transition to the visual web continues to grow, your business needs to adapt to the evolving media landscape; take the time to make content aesthetically appealing and provide pictures that tell your brand story in order to remain prominent on the visual web.