Boost Your Consumer Engagement with the Right Social Media Images

On social media, a picture is worth a thousand words. It’s true. Content may be king, but visuals rule. All the latest studies and statistics suggest that images on social media command more attention than text alone. If you want more likes, comments, shares, retweets, and clicks, you want to include pictures with your social media posts. You want to be more visual.

While in the past consumers primarily used text-driven sites, like Twitter and Facebook, they’re now leaning more toward image-focused sites like Pinterest and Instagram. This fundamental shift has created confusion for many brands about how to best use images in a meaningful way. Keeping up with the latest social media trends can seem like a daunting task for many businesses. Working smarter – instead of harder – is one of the best ways companies can maximize their social media efforts. In today’s world, that often means using pictures instead of text.
 

HOW TO SHINE ON PINTEREST

Curalate’s research on Pinterest uncovered some interesting findings of the types of photos that attract the most pins, repins and likes. They reviewed over a half million images on Pinterest and examined consumer engagement based on 30 different characteristics in the photos. Here’s some of what they found:

Reddish-orange images received twice as many repins as blue images.

Images with multiple dominant colors have 3.25 times more repins than images with a single dominant color.

Images with medium lightness are repinned 20 times more than very dark images.

Images with a smooth texture are repinned 17 times more than images with a rough texture.

Brand images without faces in the picture receive 23% more repins.

 

WHAT ABOUT INSTAGRAM?

Instagram focuses on the here and now – what’s hot at the moment, what’s going on at the moment and what will be happening in a few minutes from now. It allows companies to tell a visual story. Engagement is high, because Instagram plays to the fact that
a) most people usually have their phone in hand nowadays and
b) short-attention spans find a photo-based app an easy way to process information.
 

With businesses only recently converting to the platform, it can be hard to know what kind of content will resonate with followers. There is always the fear in trying, failing and having that account as a permanent reminder of the posts that failed to get any love.
 

What gains attention on Pinterest doesn’t necessarily attract consumer engagement on Instagram. There is a study of 8 million Instagram photos to see which characteristics seem to perform best. Here’s some of what the research uncovered:

Images with high lightness generate 24% more likes than dark images.

Images with blue as the dominant color generate 24% more likes than images that are predominantly red.

Duck-face selfies generate 1,124% more likes than traditional selfies.

Images with low saturation generate 18% more likes than those with vibrant colors.

Images with a single dominant color generate 17% more likes than images with multiple dominant colors.

 

5 Types of Popular Visual Content

Use the below-mentioned examples to enhance your company’s appeal on Social sites and see your engagement soar.

1. The Product Shot

Every business and brand has a product to display. Whether you’re selling ice cream or insurance, software or footwear, you have something tangible to exhibit in your social media stream. Don’t just talk about what it is you have to offer your audience. Show it off in pictures!

2. The Spotlight on Your Fans

Everybody likes attention, especially from someone they look up to and admire. Shine the spotlight on your followers and fans. Give their photos a much bigger stage by repurposing them on your own social channels. Retweet them. Tag them. Make it all about them.

3. The Peek Behind the Scenes

Provide your constituents with something they can’t get anywhere else, whether it’s exclusive photos, a big reveal, or something they wouldn’t see otherwise. Take them backstage. Invite them into your inner sanctum. Show them how your products are built. Give them a look at what goes on behind closed doors.

4. The Graphic

Creating your own visuals from scratch is a great way to add variety to your stream and call more attention to your posts. Use PowerPoint, Photoshop, Infogram, and other such tools to add special effects and text to the images you share. You could even go so far as to create your own infographics. A combination of data, words, and pictures is one of the best ways to increase your engagement and reach on social media.

5. The Selfie

Last, but certainly not least, there’s the selfie. The ubiquity of the front-facing camera on smartphones, and people’s seemingly insatiable desire for attention, the selfie is still an incredibly hot trend you don’t waignore.
 
 
Sources: Forbes, Mashable, Social Media Examiner