Why pictures matter in social media marketing

Small business owners have to combine many disparate elements to create successful social media marketing campaigns. Some features, such as hashtags, are practically requirements to boost brand equity and engage online consumers.

Pictures are usually forgotten because there are many other elements that need to be included in every post, but are extremely important. Customers can easily ignore a single Tweet or status update on Facebook, but photos stand out amid all of the clutter.

Recently, Facebook took a massive step forward to help small business owners create engaging advertisements. Mark Zuckerberg’s social network has announced that it will collaborate with Shutterstock to make stock photos available for marketing purposes.

Entrepreneurs will have access to millions of pictures through Shutterstock’s library for free. All images are available for all of the social network’s advertising formats so company leaders can choose different ones for all of their branded content.

Further, the partnership between Facebook and Shutterstock will streamline social media marketing for many enterprises. Small business owners will be able to create multiple advertisements and select photos for each one, which will speed up the production process for new initiatives.

Finally, the stock pictures will also be available through Facebook’s Page Manager apps so entrepreneurs can easily update their pages from their Android and iOS smartphones.

Why infographics matter
Unfortunately, Shutterstock is only collaborating with Facebook so companies can’t use the images for advertisements on other social networks or different channels without purchasing a subscription. Fortunately, small business owners have plenty of alternatives at their disposal.

According to Social Media Today, infographics are strong options because they combine imagery and information. This visual aid distils important data in a readable format so consumers will actually pay attention instead of ignoring it outright. After all, an well-drawn graphic is much more pleasing to the eye than a lengthy list of statistics and facts.

Additionally, infographics are highly shareable so they can help a small business go viral, or at least attract attention from industry blogs. Many websites use infographics to support their articles or present new information to their audiences. Because these features include a company’s logo, they’ll generate brand recognition and expose new customers to the enterprise.

What’s great about infographics is that they can be used on almost every social network. This allows a business to establish continuity between its social media pages to ensure that all posts are supporting marketing objectives.

A real behind-the-scenes look
Social Media Today also points out that photos should be used to tell a story and recommends avoiding posed pictures of employees. Consumers don’t care that your staff members took time to stand together and look like they’re having a great time. These photos are usually ignored because they aren’t interesting to the average customer.

The news source explains that action shots are more effective than their posed counterparts. Small business owners should take pictures of their employees while they’re actually working and then post those images online. For instance, a restaurateur can take a photo of a server distributing promotional marketing products during a special giveaway.

That said, entrepreneurs shouldn’t use their employees for social media marketing without their consent. Many people try to keep control over their social presence and might not want to be associated with advertising. Entrepreneurs should ask their staff members whether they feel comfortable appearing on a company’s social media pages. Workers who decline to participate shouldn’t be include in any images and company leaders should find ways to honor those requests while using other contributors in pictures. This is the best social media strategy for creating a fun advertising campaign that everyone feels comfortable with.

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