Our digital world offers us a great opportunity to stand out. Quality content is crucial to keep people interested and coming back. But images draw people to the content. Research shows that if someone is given a page of text with one image, their eyes naturally go to the title, image and caption first before reading one word of the content.

Here are few more things to consider when choosing to use images in connection with your content.

• Articles with images get 94% more total views than articles that are text only.
• Images drive social engagement. Social media users more often share a post with an image than straight text-based content.
• You are more likely to be considered as a final contender for business by 60% of consumers when you use an image within your materials.
• Visual memory is stronger than memory created by written content.  According to recent studies, visual communication is also more powerful and provides better retention than verbal communications.

It is really true that a photo can tell a thousand words. Don’t be afraid to use images, but be thoughtful about them.  Think about what your image says to your audience and be sure your choices reflect what your audience wants to see. Finally, be sure to give credit where credit is due. Don’t ‘borrow’ images that are subject to copyright or may outright belong to someone else.