Social Media Marketing for Business

It is a well-known fact that most people are image-oriented. People tend to see images before they see words, which is why an image should tell a story without saying a word.

So, how do you choose the perfect images for improving content engagement? There are many things to consider when it comes to choosing the best images for your marketing content. Let’s go over some of the key considerations:

Begin with an Image

Before your readers even get to any written content, they should see an image. This is going to grab their attention, and lead them to the content you want them to read. For instance, if your content is about dog grooming, have a photo of a dog being groomed directly under the heading, like Petco did. This is going to draw attention to the fact that your content is about this particular subject. You can choose to place the image below or beside the headline. Both are acceptable, although there are long-standing arguments as to which is the better method.

Place Images throughout Your Content

Most people tend to get bored if they are looking at nothing but written content. So, in order to keep their attention, you need to break it up with images. Ideally, images should be placed around every 350 words. So, if your content is 1,000 words long, there should be about three images. This gives readers a chance to take in what they have already read, and be ready to keep reading.

Use Images that Showcase Your Products

If you are selling a product, you obviously need to use the images that are going to show that product in the best light. A good camera is a good investment, and you need to take the time to really learn how to use it to your advantage, or hire someone else who can do it for you. Some sites really stand out when it comes to using the right images to showcase products. Check out Gadget Salvation with their “Sell My iPhone” page and see how they are doing it.

Set Your Own Visual Style

Your visual content style should play a large role in your strategy. When it comes to branding, the best way to get people to remember you is to be consistent and reliable. This way, people will see content, and automatically know it is from your company before they even have to read a single word. For instance, you may use a minimalist style, artistic, complex, etc. Whatever style you choose, try to be consistent and use this style throughout all of your content.

Add Main Subheadings to Images

A main subheading can go a long way when accompanied by a related image. This is something that is easy to do, and you can have headings ready in seconds. They should go along with what is in the story, and help really bring the image to life or stand out. A really great example of this can be found at Common Job Interview Questions guide by Uptowork. Notice that the heading is actually right on top of the image. It really helps to drive the message behind the image home, as well as the image behind the message.

Variety is the Spice of Life

Change things up, and use a variety of images that are going to keep visitors interested. Interesting content should include photos, graphs and charts, cartoons or comics, custom images, memes, screenshots, and any other type of images. A good example is CalifiaFarms. Don’t forget to include your logo in all of the custom images you publish. This is going to help cement your company in the minds of your visitors.

Alt Tag Your Images

Every image that you place in your content should have an alt tag. Search engines use alt tags to find images that are relevant to what people are searching for. When you are using the right alt tags, your images are more apt to show up in search results. Images aren’t just featured on image pages either. If they rank high, you will see them on the main search results pages as well. The better the alt tags you use, the higher your images will rank.

Use the Right Social Media for More Impact

There are three social media platforms that you should be taking full advantage of in order to really get the most visual impact. SlideShare is a platform that is completely visual, so you will be communicating exclusively with images. Instagram is another one that can generate more content engagement. You can use this platform to really create your visual style. Don’t forget about Pinterest as well. This is the ideal platform for e-commerce businesses. You can use it to really hone in on your visual approach and generate more leads.

In Conclusion

A picture truly can say a thousand words – – and you can use pictures to tell stories that will help to improve your content engagement and increase your conversion rate. I hope these tips will help you to improve your content and make it more sharable and engaging!

Meet Jane Hurst

Jane Hurst is a freelance writer from San Francisco. You can find her on Twitter and Linkedin!