We all know that images are compelling. The growth of visual content has been on a rapid upward trajectory over the last 12 months.

Social media platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram have taken the social media world by storm.

Instagram announced in July that it had acquired 80 million users. To put some further perspective on its adoption and growth, the visual social media network is now being used by 40% of the worlds top 100 brands.

Compete recently released a report showing that Instagram was the fastest growing web property on the planet amongst the top 50 websites. The report stated that it had grown from 16 million to 22 million unique visitors in just one month, which is a growth rate of 38% in just 30 days!

So How Powerful is Visual Content on Social Media?

Simply Measured looked at Facebook’s top 10 brand pages to find out the real numbers and facts and figures on the engagement and sharing levels of Photos and videso in compariosn to text and discovered:

• Videos are Shared 1,200 percent more than links and and text posts combined
• Photos are liked 200% more than text updates

To put some perspective on the power of visual content other studies show that Photo and video posts on Pinterest are referring more traffic than Twitter, Stumbleupon, LinkedIn and Google+.

For more insights into the power of visual content below are some more revelations.

We all need to make mistakes to learn. The shortcut is to learn from other people’s mistakes. For that reason I am going to share with you some of the biggest lessons I learned when starting out as a filmmaker. If you take note, you should save yourself some hassle, time and money.

1. Take your understanding of the editing process into production with you

If you don’t already have an understanding of the video editing process, do some research or shadow an editor so that you do. You could also try editing a small video yourself to get a taste of what it involves. This understanding is invaluable and will teach you some important lessons quickly, including the importance of capturing good sound. You will also see how beneficial it is to plan your shoots meaning you will enter the edit suite without too much superfluous footage. There is also a major creative advantage because you will know what type of shots are worth gathering depending on your video goals.

2. Organisation is key if you want to minimise stress and avoid costly mistakes

This applies at every level of a video production. The obvious point is to plan your shoot so you don’t waste time wandering aimlessly with a camera, collecting masses of useless footage. In terms of production management, it is essential that you manage your team well. Clear, timely communication is key so that everyone knows what they are trying to achieve, where they need to be to do it, and of course, when!

3. Recognise the importance of your crew and treat them accordingly

It may seem like a trivial point, but feed and water your crew. Making sure your workforce is comfortable and happy should be a priority because if they are not, it will impact on the quality of your production. Also, depending on your situation, be clear from the outset what peoples roles and responsibilities are and when they can expect to be paid. Then, make sure they are paid on time.

4. Take the time to get to know your equipment

If you are taking a hands on approach and have decided to get involved in the technical side of your video production studio, take the time to familiarise yourself with the gear you will be using. It is essential to do this prior to your shoot so you can ask any questions or do any research before you are filming. A common error would be to assume that you will know how to work a different model camera to ones you have used before. Cameras are changing quickly are despite them generally having similar functions, how these are controlled can vary quite a lot from camera to camera. The same goes for video lighting – get it wrong and you will be starting again.