Using relevant and eye-catching imagery to accompany your brand social posts is crucial, yet it’s so common that brands post to Facebook with just text and no image, (and in reality, there’s a good chance we don’t see many of these posts because they are getting zero engagement)!
It’s unlikely that you would post about a special your store is running or a new product that has just been stocked if you didn’t want people to see that information. It’s also unlikely that a post will gain views and any traction if there is no visual piece attached. We live in the age of digital information and social media users need to gain a quick understanding of what a brand is trying to communicate otherwise they move on to the next post that draws their attention. Digital users are absorbing information quicker than ever and as a brand trying market on digital platforms, it’s important you do everything in your power to make it easier for them. There has to be a hook, and the best way to do that in digital marketing is with visual content!
When people hear information they are likely to only remember 10% of that information three days later. However, if an image is paired with that same information, people retain 65% of the information three days later.
...now chew on that stat and continue on for some high level guidelines to follow when using images in your social media postings:
ACCURACY
It’s important to avoid any sense of false-marketing in the content your company puts out to the world (this goes for all integrated marketing). To ensure you are avoiding this, it’s crucial to have visual content of images that accurately represent your product and brand. It’s sort of like the whole photoshop movement...it’s misleading to visually adjust something that is real into something that is...not. Not only are you misrepresenting your product but you’re also creating mistrust between your brand and your consumers which is the biggest mistake any brand could make!
RELEVANCE
If you are posting across social platforms about your store’s Black Friday sale and the copy is accompanied with a picture of a cat wearing a top hat...things can get confusing. Remember, we want to be clear and straight to the point when marketing on digital marketing, it’s important to not leave anything up for question. Create a post that comes full circle by connecting the copy content and the visual content. A cat in a hat is funny and probably super cute, but so irrelevant that it not only causes confusion but also takes away from the purpose of your post (promoting your sale!). Instead of using an image of a cat wearing a hat in your Black Friday post, consider using images of some of your product that will be included in the sale and hiding a cat wearing a Santa hat somewhere in the picture. That leads to greater creative marketing opportunity and you can make it fun and engaging for your followers by asking something like “Can you find the Santa kitty in our Black Friday sale?”
CREATIVITY
In addition to keeping a post image authentic to your brand and it’s product and staying relevant to the nature of the post, it’s also important to be creative! Think of ways you can make your image completely eye-catching. Humor, cuteness, pop culture, and current events are all good avenues to explore while trying to channel your creative juices. This not only goes for the image but also for the copy content. Make it interesting!
PROFESSIONALISM
Saving the best for last here. Professional images get TONS more interaction than a fuzzy and dark picture taken from an iPhone. Professional photography, staging and editing go a long way when marketing a product or business. These are the images that represent your brand, business, product, etc. Wouldn’t you prefer to share your brand to the world in the best light possible? Not only do professional photos look the best and bring in more engagement, they also add credibility to your brand and show how seriously you take your products and offerings. Quality professional photos automatically take digital marketing efforts to the next level and provide on-going marketing material that can be used repeatedly (beyond social marketing too, website, print marketing, advertisements, etc.) . If I urge my clients to do one thing surrounding content marketing it’s to spend the money on professional images. You will take the whole aesthetic and consumer impression of your brand and it’s products to the next level!
A post isn’t a post without an image attached
Be true to what you’re promoting and selling by using authentic images, bottom line...be true to your consumers!
Use relevant images to accompany the content in post copy
Be creative and create intriguing images to generate more traction
Utilize professional photography. Staging and editing your digital marketing images will go far and take your brand to the next level!
*Yooreka Social is excited to announce the addition of professional photography and staging to our offerings! Contact us today to learn more.