You’ve just crafted the perfect tweet or post and expect it to go viral. People will flock to your profile and you’ll have more clients than you know what to do with. There’s only one problem … you forgot to put an image – or put a bad image – on the post and everyone passes it by.
The old saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” may be a cliché but on social media, it couldn’t be truer. Not only do people remember information three days later 55 percent more when it is paired with a photo, according to Brain Rules but Facebook engagement rates rise from .27 percent to .37 percent with a photo according to JeffBullas.com.
Think about scrolling down your timeline on Facebook or Twitter.
Many of the posts blend together in your brain because it feels like you’re just looking at a wall of text. But when you come across a post with a photo or video, often you stop and take a second to read at least the first part of the post (that’s also a good reminder to put the most important information first).
On pages I run, I very rarely make an important post without a photo or a video for the very reasons outlined above. On those rare times I post without photos, I know my numbers probably won’t be the best and prepare for that downturn in my analytics. However, if it is at all possible to find a good photo or video to add to the post I’ll include it.
If you know of another page that is okay with others sharing their posts and you don’t have a photo already, one alternative is to share that post onto your page and caption it with what you want to say. Just be careful with this method as 1) some pages aren’t big fans of their content being shared by other businesses and 2) if the shared post doesn’t relate to what you are saying, it can be confusing to your audience.
The most important rule is to remember when posting on your page or tweeting is that you are representing a business and your graphics are part of that representation. Creating a post or tweet with no photo is better than a bad photo that will give your post attention for all the wrong reasons.
Think of this rule of thumb “Would you buy the product in the photo if it was used in an ad?” If the answer is no, don’t use the photo. You’ve put a lot of thought into your post and just as much thought should go into the visual aid you pick to go with it. It’s okay to delay a post a few hours or even days to make sure everything is perfect. Don’t be afraid to be a little daring with your photos but if you do try something new, make sure it is good quality and worth posting.
In a future blog, I’ll dive deeper into things to keep in mind when deciding if a photo is good enough to post on a page/in a tweet. If you have any questions about how to improve your social media presence or you need to add to your business’s photo library, Pyrois Media offers both social media consulting and photography services for your every need. See our Services page for more information.
Have a media topic you’d like to see covered here? Email Melissa@PyroisMedia.com with your suggestions and you could see it in a future blog!