How About That Image in Blogging for Business?

Public speaking maven Jim Endicott says that, just as it takes three legs to keep a stool balanced, every oral presentation must use three elements to be effective: visual presentation, content, and delivery.

Engaging blog posts need to contain all three elements as well.  The main message of a blog is delivered in words, of course. Make no mistake about the fact that the content is most important, more important than the photos, videos, graphics, the font you use, or any bolding or italics in the posts. The “delivery” element is part of content creation, involving the “voice” of the blog, the way the message comes across.

No doubt about it, the story line is paramount in blogging for business.. Where visuals come in, whether they’re in the form of “clip art”, photos, graphs, charts, or even videos, is to add interest and evoke emotion. Our grade school teachers used Show and Tell for a reason – people absorb information better when it is served up in more than one form.

Just what sort of visuals work well for business blogs? Advertising and marketing commentator Michel Fortin suggests livening up business copy with before-and-after shots, photos of products, and even photos of the business team. Even the pointy-haired boss in the comic strip Dilbert has something to say about visuals.  “Start with an image that captures the status of your project,” he says.

Personally, in blogging for business, that’s exactly why I like clip art.  It captures concepts, and, rather than actually depicting a product, service, colleague, or client, the image helps me express the main idea I’m articulating in the post.

Using all the tools at our disposal to get our point across to readers – well, for us blog content writers, that’s what it’s all about!