Social media has become a vital communication channel for brands. Today, we have about 2 billion social network users across the globe.
As such, most marketers view social media as an essential component of their marketing strategy. With more than 70% of marketers admitting that over the years social media marketing has borne more fruit for them than other marketing strategies.
However, it will be important to note that while most brands use social media to promote their products, some underestimate the value of engagement.
As a brand, increasing your social media engagement should be one of your biggest goals. Engagement helps you drive conversions and sales. An engaged audience knows, likes and trusts your brand.
So, if your audience is not engaged enough, it's time to review your social media strategy.
There are many ways of increasing social media engagement. In today's post, we will focus on one thing that when done correctly can double your engagement: use of visuals.
Why visuals?
Visuals have a terrific effect on your social media posts. Facebook posts with photos have 37% more engagement than those without graphics. Tweets with photos also receive an average of 35% increase in re-tweets.
Furthermore, Google trend reports indicate that the search term "social media images" has been rising steadily for years and will continue to do so. For instance, Pharma professionals and healthcare influencers use these social media platforms as HCP engagement platforms and post creative visual content to get more engagement for their client businesses.
So the question here is not whether you should use social media images but rather how you can create great visuals that can increase engagement. How do you do it?
Understand which images resonate with your audience
Before you start investing your time, money and other resources in new image creation, you need to find out the type of visuals that appeal to your followers. Pull historical social data for all social networks your brand is active on.
Single out the content that has created the most engagement. Note the image attributions of your most successful social media posts. Identify patterns across networks and leverage this information to make informed decisions.
How to create and source for engaging images
Now that you know the type of images that resonate with your audience. The next step is to begin creating visual content. This step can easily turn out to be the most challenging and intimidating especially if you don't have a design team to handle your graphics and you don't know where to start.
Here are simple tips to help you.
Photography
These days anyone with a smartphone can snap a photo anytime they want. In fact, some smartphones are so advanced they can create professional quality images. Invest in a smartphone with a quality camera then search YouTube for video tutorials on how to capture compelling images.
Graphic design
Alternatively, feel free to design your own images from scratch. You can hire an internal graphic designer or a freelancer. You can also make use of the ton of free resources online to learn basic graphic design skills.
Purchasing images
If you have a busy schedule that does not allow you to create your own visual content, you can purchase custom images. Sites such as Fiverr will enable you to hire a content creator to help you develop infographics, pictures, and even eBooks.
Final word
True social media professionals don't just look at the number of followers and fans they have. They focus more on engagement to create a competitive advantage on social media and drive conversions.
With the tips we have discussed today, it should not be difficult to increase your social media engagement. If you are not sure where to start, we are happy to answer your questions here.