Social trends come and go. When you step back, though, you'll see how these trends affect the way we communicate — regardless of the platform. From Snapchat to Instagram and now Periscope, images reign on social media. Text has become secondary as more readers skim rather than read an entire article.

When reading on the Web, and especially on social, people want to the whole story via one image. Your best bet is always to include as many quality images as you can.

Some images perform better, increasing the time people spend reading and sharing your content. Find out what types of images work best on social media below.

The impact and importance of images

When you add a relevant image, content gets 94 percent more views than content without visuals. To put it another way, adding an image to your social posts doubles the views. Yes, you read that right. Adding beautiful images to your brand's content is one of the quickest ways to boost your social numbers.

Plus, visuals drive the highest engagement on social media. In 2014, 87 percent of the most shared posts from Facebook pages were photos.

People love seeing images and they help followers remember your brand's message better. When a relevant image is paired with information, people can recall 65 percent of the information three days later. When people hear the information, they can only remember 10 percent three days later.

What images work best

66 percent of social media is made up of images. Increase the odds of getting your brand's social posts seen, liked and shared by adding visual content that performs best.

High-quality, bright images: People are most responsive and likely to engage with images laid out in a clean, simple way, according to research. If the images are too overwhelming or chaotic, people tune them out. This is one reason coffee cups on wooden backgrounds perform so well on social. They're clean, crisp and generate an emotional response. While using your own images is better, you can also sign up for free, high-quality stock images, too.

How-to images and collages: As people read less, they want to gain the whole story from a single image. The how-to image (or quick time-lapse video) is consistently one of the most shared pieces of social content. Add text only when absolutely necessary.

Behind-the-scene photos: Your followers want to see your face! Social followers want to know the people behind your brand. On a visceral level, people react and connect with other people, not abstract corporations. Your company should already have a brand face the one person whom people should connect with your brand. Think Steve Jobs and Apple. So, go ahead share a happy day at the office, and make your followers feel like they know everyone who works there. The more authentic, the better!

Product action and lifestyle shots: Your audience isn't interested in product shots on social. They'll flop — every single time. Instead, take this opportunity to show what it looks like when your audience buys your purchase. Show them how it will integrate into their life with action or lifestyle shots. Not only will these images perform, but they can increase your conversions as well.