4 THE POWER OF VISUAL STORYTELLING Benefit brand. Last, the interaction and content were memorable, prompt- ing an increase in perception, loyalty, and respect for the company. This is precisely why we wrote this book on the power of visual sto- rytelling. Visual storytelling, when done correctly, has the potential to enhance loyalty, strengthen customer relationships, increase awareness, and more. Social media communities and blogs have redefined how we connect with one another, search for information, and build relationships online. The challenge and opportunity In the age of infobesity, there are for marketers is to embrace the new rules of engagement several ways to stand out from the and think creatively about how the use of visuals can sup- noise and draw attention to your port their goals. Research proves that there’s a scientific content in an organic way. And reason why people respond to visuals more strongly and visual storytelling is one of them. quickly than text alone, but content for content’s sake just won’t move the needle anymore. Companies and brands need to strive for more by embracing the art of visual sto- rytelling. Understanding who you are as a brand, what you stand for, and what goals you’re trying to achieve in tandem with what your customers are looking for from your company can be crafted into a powerful, cre- ative visual story. It’s almost ironic to be writing a book when the visual storytelling leaders we see today leverage very little text in favor of images, videos, and other illustrations on their social media channels. This is why you’ll notice that we paid careful attention to the layout, size, and use of images in this book. We understand that in order to educate and inspire our readers, text is needed, but we also feel that supplementing case studies and examples with compelling visuals will strengthen our key points and takeaways. We took this approach to personify the continued, powerful shift to welcome visual storytelling. Just look at how far Facebook has come— where text once reigned supreme, the News Feed has transformed into a never-ending visual magazine filled with relevant information about the people and companies you care about the most. Sites like Twitter have evolved from text only to integrating a mobile-friendly experience where images and videos shine. YouTube is so popular that it’s now ranked