Summary: Marketing is a competitive sector and social media experts and SEO consultants alike are all vying for the top spots. An effective way to increase their chances is to enhance their content management by using photos in their marketing.
According to recent facts and figures released by Facebook photographs and images are seven times more likely to receive “likes” and up to ten times more likely to be shared. Consider your own social stream for a moment and the content that is most regularly shared and your own reactions to different types of Facebook posts and you will see that this is very true.
Social media success for professionals depends very much on their ability to think outside the box and adapt campaigns to work most effectively with their target audience. The evidence suggests that visual content does the job so to speak to that is how today’s marketers need to proceed.
Using photos effectively means not simply sharing funny pictures; top quality content should be used pro-actively to build the brand image and send important messages. Consider these points when next reviewing the content used for your marketing campaigns.
1. Top Quality is Key
Quick snapshots and run of the mill product pictures will not capture anyone’s attention. Ensure that your pictures are of a high quality, paying for professional shots if appropriate and arrange products, staff pictures, demonstration pictures and more in new, fresh and original ways. You want your content to stand out on the social stream and not merge with other less interesting pictures. you need a good image promotion company such as Image Group for high quality promotional images for exhibitions, advertisements, even social media profiles.
2. Facebook Cover
Every single person who visits your Facebook page will see your Facebook cover picture. This is therefore prime advertising space and should be treated accordingly. While Facebook have very specific ideas about what information you may or may not have on your cover photograph there is still huge potential here. The social media experts have built your Facebook following so use them wisely.
3. Brand Awareness
When you think of Coca-Cola what images instantly come to mind? Is it the red and white bottle, the Diet Coke Man or the Christmas Coca-Cola truck? This is one brand that has very cleverly used visual marketing to enhance the awareness of their brand. While you may not have the same budget as this soft drink giant you should still look to instil a consistent message about your brand when sharing visual content.
4. Be Personal
People connect with people better than they do products or characters. Keep your visual content sharing real by putting a face to it. This could be by having imaginative staff photos on your website and social media pages or choosing a figurehead as such who is recognised as being part of the organisation.
One company who have this spot-on is the white goods retailer Appliances Online. They have a huge social media following and much of their online content features “Yossi” who features in all of their giveaway videos and many of their branded content. Yossi is likeable and people identify with him and his image which is great for the brand.
5. Be Useful
Share content that will help potential customers somehow. Use pictures to demonstrate how a product works, to highlight deals, special offers or indeed any important message the customer will appreciate and find helpful.
Using visual content properly opens the door to a wealth of opportunities and could well mean the difference between which company gets the contract or the sale. Don’t waste the opportunity to use photographs in your marketing in a wise and interesting way.
