Promoting your brand on social media means following a strategic marketing approach, encompassing brand awareness and lead generation to drive traffic to your website.
The image factor is one of the most important parts of your strategy. Imagery needs to be powerful, grabbing the attention and evoking the core of your message. So much more than a picture: it’s the key to increasing engagement and getting more views and shares.
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Facebook users share 684,478 pieces of content per minute, while there are more than 500 million Tweets every day on Twitter and 80 million pictures posted on Instagram.
Social media attracts a massive amount of content and shares, making it something brands must tap into. Analysts report that Facebook posts, with photos, have an average of 37% greater engagement.
Images have become much more than a nicety – they are an essential component of your social media strategy. Without images that stand out, it will be hard to beat the competition.
How can an image portray your brand?
Business branding on social media relies on images because our brain interprets pictures much faster than text alone. A great photo can communicate your brand instantly, making people think of your product or service as soon as they see it.
Scientists say the human brain can process images around 60,000 times faster than words. This means with a picture, you can convey much more information in a shorter time than you can with words – it can take 1,000 words just to describe one picture, so never underestimate the power of an image.
Presenting the perfect image is challenging, but it’s worth getting it right. Choose examples that will engage and build your audience, retaining their interest over time. People like images that represent the brand, but they need to be creative and unique as well.
Avoid being cheesy
One challenge most businesses face is sourcing the appropriate images and having a budget in place to ensure constant quality. Not every business has a budget large enough to use professional photography. The use of stock photographs can be a life-saver if an affordable image is required quickly.
People can get bored of stock photography though, so approach it thoughtfully. Unless you’re lucky enough to have hundreds of pictures stored away in your image bank, you can spend a lot of time looking for one image you think is relevant.
Never use a cheesy stock photo as a last resort, however pushed for time you are, as it can turn your viewers off and do your brand more harm than good – it can become impersonal. Do your homework properly and never grab the first image you like on impulse.
Ask the experts
Businesses who are having a struggle to use images successfully often turn to a professional digital marketing agency to ensure they get it right. Specialist services that handle your social media marketing, including the best imagery, can pay dividends if you’re short of time and don’t have a lot of ideas.
If you’re a business without the employee resources and expertise to source your own images, turn to someone who has the experience AND the knowledge. Your social media pictures should stand out in your customers’ mind and make them feel excited about your brand.
When it comes to social media management, have a good think about how you’re going to be using photographs in order to get the best impact for your branding. Always keep in mind that the images you use need to be visually appealing and relevant to help attain your business goals.
There are many ways of communicating with people, but nothing works quite like imagery to attract prospects and turn them into customers.
If you need some help from the professionals, Page1 has an experienced team of social media experts. To get the ball rolling, contact us for a no-obligation chat.
