According to a detailed industry report published in 2024, it was found that among the top 5,700 marketers in the world 80% of them use images in their posts on social media. Meanwhile, 63% of these marketing experts revealed they use video content. At the time, 35% of the people in the studied group used live video content, but it’s safe to assume that number has grown a lot due to the current social media marketing trends.
People are more likely to remember information coupled with visual elements than just text. Your brain is capable of understanding an image in a split second, but it may take you up to 45 seconds to read 100 words. Some of the visual elements that you should regularly use for your social media marketing campaigns include photos, videos, and infographics. It can be quite challenging to come up with a good visual strategy for social media, but following these 12 tips and adding a bit of creativity will do the trick.
- Find Symmetry
Symmetry is incredibly pleasing to look at because it represents order, something people are always searching for. Not only is it visually appealing, but you can also get emotional pleasure from looking at something symmetrical. With that being said, you should grab every opportunity you get to use a symmetrical image in one of your posts. Doing this will allow your images to stand out. Since most will likely look at the image for at least a few seconds, make sure to include a bit of text that’ll get them excited like the announcement of a new product or upcoming discount.
- Use Various Image Types
There are a number of ways to grab consumers’ attention online. The images you use don’t just need to showcase your product line but encourage users to check out your page and get more familiar with your brand. Here are some of the best image types you can use for your social media marketing strategy:
- Take a screenshot of a funny review somebody wrote about one of your products and post it on social media. Doing this will let your customers know that you’re paying attention to them, which will encourage them to trust you more.
- Post statistics and graphs with interesting information that is relevant to your industry. Show other people that you’re an expert in your field and have a wealth of knowledge.
- Add screenshots of your tutorials to create a simple guide your customers can follow to get the most out of your products.
- Use Infographics
Infographics are an excellent way to simplify a complex concept. You can use these visual elements for a few different purposes. For instance, infographics can serve as an illustrated step-by-step tutorial showing how your product or service works. You can also use them to present results of a research you did on the current trends in your industry. People love reading infographics because they don’t contain a lot of text yet provide quality information.
There are several different types of infographics that you can post on your social media feed. If you want to show how your product line has evolved over the years, you should create a timeline. On the other hand, data visualizations allow you to share a lot of valuable information. The simplest infographic format that you can use involves lists. They are a great way for you to share interesting tips with your customers.
- Post Memes
Memes have been the top form of online humorous visual content for several years, and marketing experts have now started using them in their campaigns. Since memes are a great way to grab the attention of social media users, marketers use them to attract new audiences. Although you can post memes about pretty much anything, it’s best if you can tailor them to be relevant to your industry. The great thing about using memes is that many people like and share them, which will result in additional exposure for you and your brand.
- Set Up Content Categories
Being active on social media means posting at least a few times each day. Doing that requires a lot of content, which is why you need to separate them into different categories. Here are some of the most important reasons why you should categorize content:
- It will help you make sure that you’re constantly posting diverse content.
- It will make your feed visually diverse and encourage consumers to keep scrolling.
- It will help keep different target audiences engaged.
You should create as many categories as possible, such as socially relevant posts, throwback content, lifestyle posts, models, promotions, inspirational quotes, memes, and coupons.
- Grow Your Social Media Audience with Stock Images
If you’re in the beginning phase of your marketing campaign or want to grow your social media audience but don’t have a lot of original content, consider using stock images. The price of a monthly subscription on a stock photo website is inexpensive yet grants you access to thousands of images. “Simply choose an image that is relevant to your industry or can be associated with your product or brand and add some text. The content can receive a lot of attention if it is interesting or humorous”, says John Green, the social media manager at dissertation writing services.
- Avoid Zooming Images
You should only zoom photos if you’re using a professional camera. Otherwise, it’s imperative that you avoid doing it because it will ruin the quality. If the quality of the visual content you post isn’t good, people will be less likely to share it. Instead of using the zoom feature to take a photo, try getting closer to your subject. Make sure you use the rule of thirds to capture your subject perfectly. In case that doesn’t work, simply snap the photo from where you’re standing and crop it afterward.
- Encourage Your Customers to Participate
One of the best ways to get a marketing campaign off the ground is to encourage your customers to participate. User-generated content is an excellent way to promote your brand because it shows everyday consumers showing appreciation for your products. Unless you have a big company, it might be hard for you to encourage your customers to post photos of them with your products. However, if you offer something in return, they’ll be more open to doing it. To encourage the creation of user-generated content, organize a giveaway for the photo with the most likes.
- Optimize Your Post Size
In order to always post the perfect content, you’ll need to do research on the optimal post sizes for each social media platform you’re on. For example, you shouldn’t post the identical image on both Facebook and Instagram. They should be cropped differently to ensure maximum engagement. Keep in mind that something as simple as the size of an image can have a negative impact on the overall aesthetic of your post.
- Capture Repeating Patterns
Same as how symmetry is appealing to the human eye, so are patterns. Try to capture repeating patterns of your products to make a good promotional photo and grab your customers’ attention. Aside from having to position the products properly, you will also need to take the photo from the right angle. Make sure you do research on the best ways to capture repeating patterns or hire a professional photographer to help you.
- Add Your Logo
In case you’re posting an image that you’d like to be shared, you should subtly add your logo to let consumers know how they can find you. It’s important not to come off as overly promotional, so place the logo in the corner of an image or its outer frame.
- Use GIFs
GIFs (Graphics Interchange Format) have stood the test of time on the internet and will likely remain popular for a long time. Just like with any other type of popular visual content you can find online, you should use GIFs in your social media marketing campaign. Some of the benefits of GIF images is that they’re easy to consume, mobile-friendly, inexpensive to create, shareable, and can tell a story. These moving images have proved to be such a good marketing tool in recent years that companies like Netflix have used them in outdoor advertising campaigns.
Conclusion
Creating a good visual strategy for your social media marketing campaign is all about being creative and finding different ways to stand out. A certain visual element may show great results with a particular demographic, but others may respond well to something completely different. With that being said, you should constantly mix the elements you use. Aside from using images, you should also post videos, infographics, and live content.
