Using Images to WOW Your Content Marketing
June 20, 2014
Images have always had to power to convey messages in clear and concise manner, but it would seem that marketers have been slow to catch on to their true power. For decades images were used to make a message more appealing or clever, but no one seemed to see that images, particularly photographs, had the power to BE the message. It wasn’t until Facebook bought Instagram, and the marketing world stood agog as Pinterest had nothing short of a miraculous and meteoric rise to be the marketing super power it is today, that photographs were acknowledged as a medium that could carry a marketing message much further than content alone. Essentially, the medium became the message.
Images have become pivotal in the social activity across all social platforms. Facebook by far dominates the social media scene and the most common activity on Facebook is – sharing photographs.
Google also has sharing images as their number one activity.
Uploading and sharing Images are the number one activity across most social media platforms so basing your content around photos and images is one way to quickly and effectively increase your exposure. If you can produce an image that captures the imagination of your target audience it will spread quickly around the internet, and with it, your company image.
Here are 7 ideas to help you choose images that are irresistible eye candy to your to your customers and prospective clients and make sure you are not forgotten.
1: Quality
Make sure your images are of professional quality. No one will be attracted to a badly lit, insanely placed product that is blurry or obscured. Your product or service is the star of the content, so make sure you place it so. If you do not have the right equipment and knowledge you cannot produce high quality images that improve your company image, hire
someone that will. Your marketing will be memorable – you want to make sure it’s memorable for all the
right reasons.
2: Make It Real
There are thousands of standard marketing images around the internet that will showcase the product you sell. They may be clear, uncluttered, professional images that allow the consumer to see what he is buying. What you need to do is to put the product in context of use to catch the eye of your target audience. You want them to be drawn in by looking at what the product can do for them and the right image is exactly what you need. It can showcase WHAT your product is capable of and how your consumers need it, and need to buy it from you.
3: Weave a Web
Let your picture tell a story. It may be narrative of best practices for the use of the product of service, or showcase your organization and what makes you difference. You may choose to take images of your staff or location to show the company behind the product to build confidence, but your images must tell a story, bringing the customer closer to a sale.
4: Show Your Face
It’s a known fact that people sell to people. Humanize your images. By putting people in your photos you create a bond of trust with your potential customer and give them the reassurance to know that there is a human face behind the marketing. Whether it’s a customer’s view of your product, or your staff, people make your product more credible.
5: Step by Step
Use your photos to produce step by step instructions or progress the journey. Images are much easily digested and more expressive Use them to bring your customer to where you need them so they are fully armed to make a buying decision.
6: Make it News
Use current events and related current affairs to promote your brand. You can use it as a parody, or a compliment, but look at what images are current and quickly release your take on the news with your product or service as the star on your social media. You have to be swift, but it can also easily go viral.
7: Get Your Audience Involved
90% of people have a cell phone capable of taking photos and instantly downloading them onto the internet. Why not harness the power of people selling to people and get THEM to upload their photos and sell your product for you? It’s easy to organize if your have a web site and very effective for audience involvement across all social media platforms.
People are visual learners and well thought out, high quality images are one way to effectively market your product, but also to strengthen your brand and improve your company image. Raise that bar on your content marketing by including images that sell.
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