It’s no surprise that visuals are more appealing to readers than pure text. Our brains process visual images about 60 000 times faster than text, so it’s simple to understand why image rich content is shared more freely. But if you’re a small time entrepreneur without the design resources needed to make beautiful pictures, all is not lost. Here are some easy ways to make your visual social media content infectious.
Firstly, use high quality stock photography. People like beautiful things, so use images that grab attention and boost the impression of your brand. There are many free and low-cost images available, so there’s no need to use a cheesy image that your readers may have seen several times before.
Next, use a variety of visual content, like quote graphics or industry tips, infographics, photos and screenshots – whatever is appropriate to your content. Use online tools to create templates for your different designs, to save time the next time you post. Use pictures you’ve taken on Instagram, visuals found on Pinterest, or other great pictures you’ve seen on other sites (just remember to give credit where it’s due).
Do your research to see what kind of visuals are trending and use those ideas in your posts. If it’s trending, it’s what people are liking right now, so get on the bandwagon! Pinterest will show you what types of pictures have been repinned and give you an idea of what is popular. Remember, trends don’t last that long, so your research is an on-going process.
It’s a good idea to link a graphic that you’ve created back to your website – after all, that’s the point about having your content shared in the first place. Use the empty space on your visual to emphasise the title of your piece with text – this helps tremendously to get your visuals shared on social media platforms, like Twitter or Pinterest.
It really helps to optimize your visuals for different social networks, too. Every platform has preferred dimensions for its posts, so keep these guidelines in mind when publishing content to different channels.
For more on social media sharing, contact us. Experts in both social selling and social media marketing, we’d love to share our secrets with you.