It is true that a picture is worth a thousand words. The social media sites have responded to this trend by making it easy to post images and video. As an entrepreneur, you need to exploit this opportunity.
But the question remains, what are the photos that relate best to social media. Are they the standard that has worked so well in the past? Are there some new formats that should be considered? What engages people? What turns them off? Even if you have an agency that manages your social media profiles, still it’s good for you to know all these so you can guide them to the right direction in case they are doing something different. So basically six types of images are best for social media, and some of them may even surprise you.
Relationship Shot – Team Spirit
Who would have thought that your team would interest others? But people are curious and want to take a look at what the members of your team. So gather them together but make sure the photo is interesting. The standard head and shoulders can be tedious. So liven it up. Your team is available to you on a regular basis, so take many photos, and then decide which one shows the most action. Humanize your brand to your clients. It’s the people behind the brand that makes the whole system work. Show how your team has your customer’s interest in their hearts.
Production Shot
Quality talks. The production shot of your signature item is as much a part of your brand as your company name and logo. If I were to say, MacDonald, immediately in your mind pops up the image of their hamburger or the golden arches. This company has been planting those pictures of the brains of millions around the world. Similarly, the name Apple is immediately associated with an iPhone despite the fact that Apple has many other products on the market. With this knowledge, make every effort to obtain a quality photo of your product or service. If it is a service give some thought to what type of image will capture the essence of what you do. You may need to select one defining area as Apple did with its phone. When you have that magnificent image, display it proudly and repeatedly to build your brand.
All about You – The Selfie
Who would have thought the selfie to be useful? Everyone these days are taking selfies. So use this trend to your advantage. We have been prewired deep in our psyche to take and enjoy selfies. That is why they are so popular and why most celebrities have jumped onto this bandwagon too. While the selfie is popular, so is the photo of the selfie being taken? We even have some unexpected selfies from the animal kingdom that have exploded around the world. Even though they were taken by accident, the effect is the same. Curiosity demands that most people want to view this unusual occurrence.
The Video
If you can parlay your product into an interesting short story you might have a viral video in your hands. Imagine the impact of an emergency service provider creating a video that shows a grandchild activating the call button for the grandparent who is incapacitated, the emergency vehicle arriving and in the aftermath a thank you hug being shared between the two. That is a short story delineating a service at the time of crisis, compellingly and emotionally satisfying. Who wouldn’t be swayed by such a video? Decide how your service or product is essential for your clients. Then dramatically tell the story.
Your Following
Encourage your customers to send in photos of themselves enjoying your product and then post them for the entire world to view. Their enthusiasm will shine through, and your product will be seen in the best of light. This will accomplish many laudable goals: you are reaching out to your following, your customer is elated with the attention of media exposure, and you can obtain many publicity shots with minimal effort. You might even incentivize your clients by offering services for free or a contest prize if their photo is selected.
Clever Graphics
If graphics better delineate your business, use them on the social media sites. There are many sectors in which a graphic is more effective than a picture. For some financial institutions a graph indicating an increase in profit, speaks volumes.
And so start thinking of images to promote your brand on media sites. The right text is essential. But images are more impactful. And when you post, remember to tag them mindfully.
About Author: David R. Stewart has been a content strategist at Killer content writers for last 6 years. He also suggests his clients working and effective content strategies that can grow traffic massively. Other than this, he regularly blogs at Killer content writers blog. He can be reached at: [email protected]
