Visual Marketing to Grow

Probably the most compelling use of Web 2.0 technology so far is to mashup images with databases. Adding a visual elements can greatly enhance the power of the information, such as the various Google Maps mashups that automatically plot locations.

One example that is more entertaining than productive is FlickrFling, which interactively visualizes the text from an RSS feed (found via Webmonkey). FlickrFling finds an image from the Flickr database that matches each word from a feed.

There have been many studies about the power of images in increasing the readership of articles as well as the reader's ability to remember, so a business application that plays off the mashup could be effective. How about tweaking the AdSense code to find graphics that would make it more likely to read the ads? Showing, not telling what you have to offer can be much more effective. The Web 2.0 tools will have advertisers thinking visual more than ever before.