By Emma Fitzpatrick
Regardless of the social platform you’re on, one thing always remains constant.
There are pictures everywhere. On Facebook and Twitter, it’s rare to see a post without an accompanying photo. Plus, Instagram and Snapchat are nothing but visuals.
As images become an increasingly important, it can be tough to find the right high-quality image to pair with each post. But, taking the time to find and use more pictures will benefit your bank in the long run.
For starters, using images increases the performance of your social content. Tweets with images get 18% more clicks, 89% more favorites and 150% more retweets, found Buffer research. Likewise, Facebook posts with pictures get 84% more clicks, 53% more likes, 104% more comments, according to Kissmetrics. On average, marketers find visual marketing performs 4.4 times better than text, found Chute.
Even better, visuals help your readers remember your message better. When a relevant image is paired with information, people can recall 65% of the information three days later, according to research by developmental molecular biologist John Medina. When people hear the information, they can only remember 10% three days later.
Read on to learn how to create better visuals and improve your bank’s social content today.
DIY…or don’t.
In an ideal world, your bank would have your unique images to accompany every social post. But, most of the time, that’s not realistic.
So have the tools on hand to complement and augment your bank’s image gallery. Use relevant images when you can, but be wary of over posting the same pictures consistently. Chances are if you’re tired of looking at it, your audience is too.
Often, it’s only truly necessary to post branded images when they capture your product, employees, and behind-the-scenes happenings.
Other than that, you can usually sub in stock photos. The key here is that they don’t look like stock photos. The images you choose still should be unique and visually appealing. And, they can be free, too.
Next time you lack an image, try browsing some of the free image collections. Here are a few of the sites that offer free, high-quality images for commercial use. You might want to bookmark these.
Set the stage.
For those times when you need to capture new images just for your bank, use these tips. They work wonders whether you have a fancy camera or a smartphone.
Remember: Before you start shooting, have a clear idea of the images you want to capture—and the story you want to tell.
- Wipe off the camera lens. This often makes the biggest difference. Use a soft cloth to clean your camera lens, and your pictures will be cleaner, brighter and crisper.
- Work that natural light. Bright light often makes the photo, so go outside or near a window. Shooting outdoors in the early morning, late afternoon, or when it’s overcast works best.
- Think about composition. Define a focal point, the area where you want users to look first. Then, use the grid on your screen to line the shot up. Remember the rule of thirds.
- Embrace white space. Blank space, white walls and neutral backgrounds work great for social images. People are most responsive and likely to engage with images laid out in a clean, simple way, according to psychological research. If the pictures are too overwhelming or chaotic, people tune them out.
- Click. Click. Click. When you’re shooting, take way more pictures than you need. Try different angles. Shoot from low on the ground or higher up in the air. It is always better to have more photos to choose from (and delete later) than to have one blurry shot.
Emma Fitzpatrick is a Philly-based freelance writer and marketer, whose specialties include content marketing, social media marketing and short, snappy writing. Pick her brain at emma.l.fitzpatrick@gmail.com.
