Visual content is very important on social media; just look at the influencers you follow. On social media, it’s the high-quality images that get all the engagement because of the impact it leaves on our brains. 65% of users are more likely to remember info that includes images.
How to Make Your Images Pop on Social Media
Images are an essential part of any marketing strategy, but it can be hard to create graphics that truly pop off the page. Here are a few tips you can use to make more impactful digital visuals.
1. Apply Text/Words Sparingly
For some brands adding text is a good idea. For example, authors could create images that include quotes or writing tips, and magazines could feature statistics. However, if you’re a fashion house or another brand that relies on selling a product, use text and words sparingly.
If you are going to use text, make sure you accompany it with another visual or photograph. If you don’t want to use other photos, use a mix of fonts, complementary colors, and animations to bring your visuals to life. Make sure you double-check your grammar and keep the length short.
2. Use Different Photo Effects
Most of us aren’t photo editors, but in our modern landscape, we don’t have to be. There are plenty of online photo editors that are so user-friendly that you can create stunning images with a single click. Thanks to artificial intelligence (AI), most filters and effects are easily achievable.
BeFunky, a photo editing and graphic design tool, can be used to apply lens flares, art filters, photo enhancers, watercolor effects, and more. You can also use BeFunky to touch up portraits and remove backgrounds, which is really difficult to do if you aren’t a photo editor or designer.
3. Pay Attention to Representation
Company culture is a hot topic in the media because your followers crave it. One element of a thriving culture is diversity, but businesses miss the mark by coming off as performative. Ask yourself if you’re reflecting the diversity in your audience appropriately whenever you post.
Remember that diversity doesn’t exist in a bubble. If you claim you’re diverse, but you hire few women or people of color, you really aren’t. Only hire women and people of color to model your clothes or promote your products on social media if you’re actually platforming these voices.
4. Think of Your Visual Branding
Like any other marketing channel, you need to put your best foot forward. Don’t neglect adding your brand elements on social media because you can’t white label the whole thing. You can still do a lot with the small amount of space you’re given, so focus on overall brand consistency.
If you don’t have a brand identity, research your audience to understand what their visual preferences are. Then, select a color palette, uniform theme, and typography elements that make use of white space. Finally, put your logo where it’s most impactful (usually at the top).
5. Tap Into Audience Emotion
If you’re going to use a photograph of a real person in your content, pay attention to their facial expression and body language. This is more important for stock photos, as you can’t ask a model to express a specific emotion, so only choose visuals that elicit an appropriate feeling.
For example, you wouldn’t choose a visual of a smiling person when discussing serious topics, like war or poverty, unless it’s a picture of a person who got out of a bad situation. If you want your images to stand out, pick models that fit the mood you want to express to your followers.
6. Don’t Cut Off Your Images
Marketers typically use the same visuals across their social media channels, but you can’t just upload your image on a different platform and call it a day. You need to use a social media image sizes guide to ensure your images aren’t cropped weird, too small, or overly pixelated.
At the same time, cutting off an image can serve a purpose. For example, Instagram users may use one photo across three grids and crop the image, so it looks like a single graphic. If you’re going to use this style, make sure you upload 3 photos at a time to avoid jumbling your images.
7. Make Platform-Specific Visuals
Content dimensions aren’t the only thing you should change from platform to platform; you should also switch up your visuals based on the site you’re using. What works on Facebook won’t work on Twitter, and what works for one target audience won’t work for another.
For example, if I sell wine, I should note the fun aspect of my brand on Facebook. Yellowtail does this by using a polaroid border around their image to show you’ll have a good time with their product. But for LinkedIn, focus should be placed on the employees or company culture.
8. Focus on SEO-Friendliness
While SEO won’t make your photos more appealing to audiences, it does put them in front of more people. That’s crucial because you need people to see your ads, whether they’re paid for or marketed organically, if you want to increase your sales, engagement, and follower count.
Although most SEO fundamentals stay consistent across platforms, there are some differences you should be aware of. For example, Pinterest requires a business account and tags to market your page, whereas YouTube needs you to categorize your videos and upload thumbnails.