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May 3, 2018
This article is part of a series called Editor's Pick.

You might have already learned about how typography influences readers and how the text, format, and font could help you to improve candidates’ responses or affect people to take some action.

But did you know that the human brain reacts according to the type of content format it has to process? Most certainly you want to give your potential candidates, and clients details about your brand appealing and attractively, and you also want to create effective marketing campaigns.

In this case, it is worth knowing how the brain responds to the various types of content available out there. But it’s important first to understand what your goal is and then figure out how to present your information to your audience.

Thus, having said all this, let us take a closer look at how different contents impact the human brain and how can we use them in favor of our business.

 

Different Content Formats

Written content

Written content is undoubtedly one of the oldest types of material out there. In spite of the fact that technology advances at an exceptional pace, we cannot overlook the importance and impact of written content.

How can you deliver written content these days? It can take a variety of forms, starting with blog posts and content on your website, to eBooks, whitepapers, published articles, and case studies.

While it is said that most people don’t have time to read written content, this is a false assumption, as we need this kind of content when we want to be well-informed. Providing written content will help you establish a good relationship, based on trust and reliability, with your customers.

Not only will people end up identifying themselves with the content they read, especially if you personalize it according to your customer niche, but they will also see your brand as a trustworthy one, as it provides useful and interesting information as well, and not just advertising.

Also, with the help of written content, you will be able to build an excellent reputation. This is done by showing your expertise in your activity field while using this content to talk about the values your brand offers and share the experiences clients had with your products or services.

Written content is also exceptional for SEO, as any text material could help you to drive traffic to your site.

 

Graphic content

There is also the graphic content, which is one of the most significant types of content at the moment. Our brain is capable of remembering images better than text, which is why it is highly recommended for graphic content to be used, as a way to complete other content formats. With the help of images, people manage to understand and retain even those pieces of information that are more complex. Why is this happening?

Well, the human brain activates 50% of its capacity when processing visual content because our neural tissue is directly or indirectly related to vision, which assists in visual learning. (Source: Integrating Vision With the Other Senses)

And a team of neuroscientists from MIT found that the human brain can process entire images that the eye sees in as little as 13 milliseconds — the first evidence of such rapid processing speed. (Source: MIT)

To this we have to add the fact that images are best stored in our memory, so we will be able to remember them many years from now. Graphic content can be an image, symbol, infographic, slideshow, pictures in an eBook, and so on. If you want to transmit information in a quick, fun, and easy-to-remember manner, then an infographic will help you do so.

Slideshows are also helpful, although they may take more time to digest, as they are capable of transmitting more information than an infographic. What you need to remember is that this kind of content is required when looking to share complicated ideas, when you want people to remember your message, and when you would like to get their attention quickly and easily.

 

Interactive content

We all know that static content is not sufficient these days, as we need to improve the engagement levels we get from our customer niche. This is where interactive content comes into the scene. This kind of content is somewhat complicated, combining storytelling with visual content, stirring the desire of the user to participate.

Because this, interactive content is capable of stimulating several sections of the human brain, which turns the experience into a pleasant and memorable one. Quizzes and interactive infographics are the types you can use with success to increase engagement for your brand. Considering that this type of content is highly shared by users on social media, this is the best place to use this kind of content.

If your brand or company does not have a social media profile just yet, it would be recommended to create one, as social media provides the ideal environment that allows you to get closer to your customers. And finding out their needs and interests will help you create better products and services, while interactive content will attract attention to your brand and help people remember it.

Quizzes are also one of how companies like Cambridge Analytica and others quickly get the personal information from your FB profile. They use it because quizzes are very popular among people.

 

Video content

In today’s digital marketing scene, video content is a must. People love video content, and that’s a fact. The reason we prefer this type of content so much is because we can process videos much faster than we can handle text. More precisely, videos can be processed 60,000 times faster than written content (source: 3M), which means that we are capable of processing information better and in a shorter period.

However, this is not the only reason that should make you use video content. Videos allow you to establish an emotional connection with the viewer, and implicit your potential client, as videos don’t contain plain information, but also facial expressions, voice tones, body language, and other details that trigger emotions and not just awareness for the received data. It is recommended to use video content to tell the story of your brand and business, precisely because it helps with the formation of that emotional connection we talked about earlier.

However, it can also be used with success in showing how things work and for demonstrating certain aspects. So, if you want to show your customer niche how your products work and how they can be used, for example, this is the way to go.

Don’t forget live video. This is a great tool to drive people to your site, make them part of your webinars through Q&A, etc. Both Facebook and YouTube offer live video options that you can use.

 

Conclusion

There are many ways to influence people through the different content arrangement. But don’t forget that every format will get you better results if you choose the right site where you are going to share it.

 

Summary:

  • The text is the best way to build relationships
  • If you would like to have highly shareable content, try a quiz or something interactive
  • If you would want to target emotions, use video
  • If you would like to share your message quickly, use an image or infographic

If you would like to learn more about growth hacks join Growth Hacking Recruiters on Facebook.

Alternatively, if you can’t remember all the information from this article, check out this infographic. I added this at the end of the article because I am trying to build a relationship with readers. 🙂

Now that you know how each type of content format influences the human perception and brain processes, you will most certainly be able to come up with more effective strategies for attracting the attention and interest of the targeted audience and retaining more clients.

Every type of content is essential, but even more important is how it is used to improve the relationship between your brand and its niche of customers.

This article is part of a series called Editor's Pick.
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