We live in a visual world. Think about the number of images that flash in front of you on any given day. Images appear on television, in newspaper and magazine ads, on billboards and online. On social media alone, over 500 million images are either uploaded or shared every day.

When it comes to branding your business, the images people think of when they think of you are vitally important. Those images must match your goals as a brand and put your company in the best light possible.

How Images Affect a Business’s Standing:

There are a number of ways images can impact how customers see your company.

1. Improve Retention

Customers will retain your message better if you include a relevant image. Studies show that people retain only 10 percent of what they hear. However, if a related image is provided with the same info, about 65 percent of people remember that information up to three days later.

2. Widen Your Reach

If you produce only a print ad with a lot of text, many people will not read it. You are much better off creating a visual representation, such as a video. About four times as many people state they’d rather watch a video about a product than simply read about it.

3. Reach Younger Generations

Platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram are focused on the use of photos and images. It probably won’t surprise you to discover the average user on these sites tends to be younger. If you want to reach the millennial generation, for example, you should promote on Snapchat, which means you’ll be uploading images. That is a huge potential pool of customers to reach out to.

4. Edge Out Competition

In a Google study, half of YouTube subscribers between the ages of 18-34 said they would stop anything they were doing to watch a newly uploaded video from a favorite channel. This means if you can get them to favorite your channel, you can also get them to drop their interest in a competitor and view your video instead. This gives you the opportunity to reach a large buying block and keep their attention.

5. Ramp up Responsiveness

More and more people are accessing websites via multiple devices. If you can keep your images and website responsive and make everything seamless and matching, it will go a long way toward building a professional-looking brand.

6. Get More Social Media Shares

Information presented in graphic form is more appealing to those who enjoy sharing information on social media. Adding infographics to your website can increase your overall shares.

You need to not only add images to your business but add the right images that represent your brand in the best light. Remember that potential customers may only have moments to form a first impression of your company.

How to Make Sure You Have the Best Images Possible

Of course, all of these benefits only apply if you use the right images. There are a number of things you’ll want to ask yourself as you choose images to use for your business.

1. Does Your Image Convey High Quality?

Your goal as a business owner is to build brand credibility. If you use free photos that aren’t of very good quality, potential customers might think your company isn’t very high quality. Instead, choose high-quality photos, even if you have to pay a little for them. There are many royalty-free image sites available, from iStockPhoto to Dreamstime.

One company that uses beautiful photos is ProFlowers. It obviously utilizes professional photographers to take shots of its floral arrangements. The colors are vibrant and the resolution high so you can see every petal on the flower.

2. Does Your Image Tell Your Story?

The image should clearly tell your story as a business. The right image will explain to the viewer why your company is the absolute best choice for them. In order to choose an image that conveys all of this, you first must know what your brand message is.

One example of a company that uses images well to tell the company philosophy is Duluth Trading. Its company history outlines how the brand was started and provides illustrations. For example, it shows an image of a woman watching a man’s tool belt pull down his pants in the back. She has a horrified look on her face. The text about how the company came up with the Longtail T Shirt to solve this problem is right on point.

3. Does Your Image Build Credibility?

Choose images that build brand credibility. For example, if you sell a product, you may want to include a close-up image that shows some of the special features of the product. Have you ever seen a product online, such as a bathing suit? You probably loved the look, ordered it and then realized the real thing was nothing like the image that drew you in.

Don’t do this to your customers. Offer detailed and realistic images, so the customer knows exactly what he or she is getting.

One company that does this well is one you’ve likely seen advertised on television infomercials. BetterBrella offers very detailed images of its umbrella. The customer can clearly see the size to scale as it is held by a person. It also shows details, such as the edging and how the umbrella opens and closes. They even offer videos to show you how the product works. You’ll know exactly what you’re getting.

4. Does Your Image Match Your Company’s Mood and Tone?

When you choose an image to present on your website, social media or even in print advertising, make sure that image matches the overall tone and mood of your company. For example, if your product is fun and youthful, you wouldn’t want to choose an image that was dark and dreary. Instead, you would choose bright, colorful images.

One brand that does a good job utilizing images that show their fun side is Dormify. This company offers youthful-looking school and work supplies, such as notebooks with fun covers. The images on the site are bright, fun and playful to show off these products and the company’s youthful mood.

5. Does Your Image Feature Real People?

Although this can vary, many marketers swear by using real people in their images. This gives the reader someone to relate to.

For example, 500px found that out of its top 60 percent of bestselling products, the image had a single person in it. Candid images were preferred, meaning the subject did not look directly into the camera or look posed.

By studying these businesses and how they utilize photos to highlight their brands, you can learn to grab the interest of customers. Beautiful images make a bold statement.

Lexie Lu; is a web designer and blogger. Her ideal morning includes some HTML code and a large cup of coffee. She writes on Design Roast and can be followed on Twitter @lexieludesigner.