When you’re scrolling through the feeds on your social networks, what’s the first thing to catch your eye?
I’m willing to bet it’s an image.
It could be a photo of a familiar location, an image shared by a friend, or even a visual posted by a brand you follow on Facebook or Twitter.
Images don’t only catch our attention; they also get us to act.
How many times has and image made you stop to look rather than quickly scroll by? How many times have you clicked to get a better view of a photo that’s shown up in your Facebook News Feed?
If you’re anything like the millions of other social media users out there, you’ve probably clicked-through to read at least a few articles based on the photo that was shared with it.
There’s plenty of data to support the value of using images on social media.
On Facebook, posts with images generate 100 percent more engagement than text-only posts.
On Twitter, tweets with images generate 35 percent more retweets than those without.
And of course, there are the benefits that can’t be measured in numbers or percentages.
I can’t put a number on it, but I can say that every time my favorite local sub shop shares a photo of a new menu item, I’m a heck of a lot more likely to pick up the phone to order than I would be if they just listed specials in a post.
And I definitely feel a stronger connection with the organizations I support, every time I see a photo from a local event on Facebook or get a look behind the scenes from something they’ve posted on Instagram.
Wouldn’t you agree?
To help you take advantage of this important trend, we’ve compiled some of our favorite tips for using images on social media.
With today’s technology, sharing engaging and professional-looking images doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive.
These resources will help you get started, or get more from the great work you’re already doing!
1. How to Create Stunning Visual Content with Your Smartphone
2. [VIDEO] Why You Should Use Images in Your Marketing
3. The Top Six Design Tips for Beautiful, Shareable Word Images
4. How to Save Time, Money, and Effort with All-Purpose Social Media Images
5. 35 Creative Ways to Use Images on Facebook
6. How to Make Images the Right Size for Your Facebook Cover Photo and Profile Photo
7. 15 Ideas for Your Facebook Cover Photo
8. How to Optimize Links for Better Facebook Results
9. 5 Image Mistakes You Won’t Want to Make
10. What Small Businesses Need to Know About the New Twitter Image Preview
11. 7 Secrets to Instagram Success in 2014
12. How to Use Instagram for Nonprofits
13. [Q&A] Instagram for Small Businesses: 4 Organizations Share Their Secrets
14. 5 Pinterest Tips for Small Businesses
15. 7 Pinterest Tips for Nonprofits
Want to learn more?
We’re working with two guest experts, Kelly Kingman and Pamela Wilson to take a deeper look at how using images can help you rethink your online marketing.
In this session, we’ll cover:
- How to turn one idea into 10 pieces of content (without writing 10 times as much!)
- How to increase retention by tweaking the way you present your information
- How to use free tools to help people find what you share online
The webinar, Your Ideas to the Power of 10 is Thursday, April 10, 2014 at 2:00 pm ET.
Be sure to register for this free session and learn a quick and simple system for spreading marketing messages farther, faster!