Part of running a successful social media campaign in any industry, is making sure you have plenty of visual appeal. Studies prove that people are naturally wired to respond better to visual content than written text or audio. Bringing images into your newsfeed can improve your chances of attracting new followers, and even encourage people to share your content.
Images connect with your social media followers on an emotional level, convincing them to “like”, “share”, and interact with your content. It’s engagement like this which often leads to sales, brand advocacy, and long-term customer loyalty.
If you’re thinking of adding images to your social media strategy, here are some top tips to get you on the right path from day one.
1. Optimize for Different Social Platforms
The first thing you need to know about social media, is that all the platforms are different. Just because a social visual works on Instagram doesn’t mean it’s going to have the same impact on Pinterest or LinkedIn. Using an assessment of your target audience and their preferences, figure out what kind of channels you’re more likely to gain the most attention on.
From there, find out what the graphical guidelines are for each of the platforms you want to post your content on. Pay attention to dimensions, requirements in terms of video length, and even what sort of content you’re permitted to share.
If you’re working with a graphic design agency, you’ll be able to simply rely on their expertise to ensure each image produce is optimized for your intended social platforms.
2. Be Consistent with your Brand Image
The great thing about social media is it’s diverse. You can share all kinds of visual content across a range of channels, from videos to GIFs, and even infographics. While the style of image you share on social media can vary, your brand image should remain consistent across all channels.
Consistency with your brand aesthetics helps to ensure you can build familiarity with your audience. They’ll start to get a sense of what they can expect from your company. This is particularly true if you maintain consistency on social media and your website at the same time.
A good level of consistency also helps your audience to know when it’s actually you are posting content on social media. This is important in an age where issues like copyright infringement are growing. Think about:
- The style of your images: Are you using photos and illustrations?
- Your brand colors: What kind of shades best represent your company?
- Your logo: Do you need to show your logo in every graphic you create?
3. Learn from Each Campaign
The more you post on your chosen social media channels, the more your audience should interact and engage with your various forms of visual content. The only way to make sure you’re posting the kind of things your followers enjoy most, is to track your results from each campaign. Most social media channels will come with in-built analytics and reporting tools to help with this.
Every time you post an industry image, a photo of your team, or an infographic, look at how your followers respond with things like comments and shares. How often do certain visuals send people back to your website, and which campaigns gain the most viral attention? The more you learn, the more you can apply to your future social efforts.
Graphic design for social media doesn’t have to be as complicated as it seems. With the three tips above, you can start experimenting with different visual content, and discovering which drives the biggest benefits for your company.
