As humans, we are, by nature, visual beings. That’s why social media platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat are so popular and successful – people love to have a story through images.
On a platform like Facebook, where images may be less prominent as people post text with their ideas, it is more critical to post visual content that isn’t just visually pleasing and captures your audience’s attention.
Visual imagery is a key, core component of nearly every social media platform, which means any business investing in an excellent social media strategy needs an equally solid game plan to choose images. Unfortunately, there is no “right image” for social media in general. Still, if you consider the technical aspects, creative direction, and marketing goals, you can find the right image (or images) for your specific campaign.
When creating engaging posts for social media, marketers and graphic designers can consider these ten compelling features to attract customers and ultimately motivate them to convert.
These image features include:
- Contrast
- Proximity
- Repetition
- Direction
- Space
- Scale
- Color
- Balance
- Lines
- Typography
The success of any company’s social media strategy depends on how well it presents imagery that elicits the desired response from the target audience.
Why Use Images?
When we think of photographs and social media, we think of Instagram or Pinterest. While pictures are utilized extensively on these image-centric sites, many are ignorant of the benefits of using photos on text-centric platforms like Facebook and Twitter. For example, Facebook’s algorithms favor postings and content that generate “meaningful interactions,” i.e., actual dialogue and engagement.
Using attractive or provocative visuals might be overpowering, but it is the first (primary) step towards a genuine connection. Don’t just take our word for it: Relevant picture material can enhance Facebook post engagement by up to 2.3x. Image tweets dominate text tweets by 35%, according to Twitter. For the most part, social media messages are more successful with a visual component than just words.
So how do you choose images to help your messages go viral and attract social media shares and followers? Consider these suggestions.
1. Pay Attention To Responses
Social media is considered a two-way communication, not a one-way from company to consumer. Therefore, read the responses to your posts and adjust the content accordingly.
Look for common patterns and themes in responses, for example, if you post a picture that elicits negative feedback. Don’t repeat that mistake; instead, keep a log and snapshot of any other related campaign. Engage viewers by asking them about their content or by captioning the photos.
“A picture is worth…”, you know the rest of the adage. So when it comes to social marketing strategies, you have to use pictures instead of words.
If used properly, stock image libraries mixed with user or company-generated visual content can evoke responses and share among social audiences.
2. Build Relationships
When creating a social media campaign, keep in mind that it’s meant to spark conversations and allow people to form different tribes and relationships. It does not suppose to be a direct selling outlet.
Your followers will quickly follow you if you only tweet or post about sales events or product features. They want to know about your brand benefits and how you value them and the world around you. To begin your social media plan by asking yourself how you can give, contribute, educate and inspire. Then select photos that serve those purposes.
3. Know Your Platform
Although images are valuable and practical additions to your content on all social platforms, this does not mean that all platforms react equally to the same visual content.
An excellent social strategy involves focusing your attention on specific platforms your audience will reach, and part of that focus means knowing what sorts of images work best and where. Different platforms have different “rules” for which ideas work best.
Twitter users have found that images summarizing their Tweets or Tweets threads result in the best engagement. On the other hand, Facebook users know to avoid blue-and-white images that blend into the platform’s UI.
4. Don’t Neglect Proper Image Sizes
It’s less strategic and more technical, but it pays off to always budget time for sizing your images correctly. You don’t want your carefully crafted photos to be cropped, polished, compressed, or otherwise screwed up because they weren’t initially proportioned for any specific platform.
Does this seem like a lot of information? Don’t let it fool you! Choosing social media photos is easy if you’ve already operated and marketed a successful business. However, if doing the research, finding/creating images, remembering sizes, monitoring statistics, and everything else seems overwhelming right now, Zytal Info Pvt Ltd can assist. Contact the local SEO professionals at Zytal Info Pvt Ltd for a personalized social media strategy.
Conclusion
Visual content is one of the most effective tools to enhance your reach and conversions on social media. With an emphasis on platform standards and specific visual content, you may achieve short- and long-term success.