How to Take Better Social Media Photos that are Engaging

on 24 January 0 Comment

Take Your Own Social Media Photos that get better traction on facebook

This article is for you if you have a small to medium size business and want to learn how to take engaging social media photos.

There are just three simple steps to consider when taking better photos for facebook or any other social media. Did you know that the most popular social media sites actually have algorithms that will inhibit most of your fans from seeing your posts? It’s true, you can learn more about the details here: http://neilpatel.com… or just learn what to do about it as I discuss the three things to consider when making a post.

If your company puts in time and money into trying to improve its image, than you are like ninety percent of businesses out there. And, like most, if you are one of the ones taking care of your own Social Media Pages, then here are some questions you could ask to improve viewer engagement. First of all, photos for your business should be taken (or approved by) someone who knows your marketing initiatives well. Because even fun and well intended social media photos can be bad for your business.  

Jumping onto the social media bandwagon just because it seems like it can help will actually set you further back then when you started. Really Jason! How can this be?  The more I post the more people will see my posts right? On the contrary, only good posts gain traction. The algorithms in social media platforms are designed to share content that viewers engage with. So the opposite affect happens when a user posts too much content that is not relevant. After a while even the people who liked your posts to start with will just scroll past. Bottom line is to make content that viewers engage with. This can be tricky especially with a business profile.

1. Useful or Useless?

Sometimes it feels like you have to post something once a week, maybe even have a regular day to post no matter what. This is bad advice. Because viewers are bombarded by social media photos. So what happens is they end up scrolling past most of it in autopilot only to forget even seeing it a few seconds later. Hope you’re not paying for impressions!  Some companies do really well without posting any photos online! Why is this? Because by far the most important form of advertising is word of mouth. This happens when your customers love your brand so much that they do the legwork for you. This is the type of action you want to encourage when posting your social media photos. 

Good Example: Contractor Mario posts a video while at Ms. Peach’s house – Common mistakes people do that will cause water damage over time. Will you get caught with costly repairs?

Bad Example: Mario just uploaded pics of Peach’s rotting wooden porch and writes – I’ve got the tools to fix this

2. Is it genuine?

Also, posting just to be consistent encourages viewers to disengage with your brand. Oh wait, what’s that, another cat video. Usually viewers stop at something they can relate to or connect with. Often the only things that get re-shared are posts from genuine friends or things of interest. There is a fine balance between quality and quantity. So make sure they can feel engaged with what you post. Remember it’s about number of shares, not impressions. The algorithms used by social media work by spreading those social media photos that have lots of engagement in a short amount of time. 

Good Example: members of your team posing like superheroes after a job well done.  (For this, hold the camera at a low angle to point up at your subjects making them look larger than life.) – Caption: Miss Vicky thinks we are the superheroes of floor refinishing!

Bad Example: posting a generic stock photo of a house with the caption – We are the superheroes of floor refinishing. Call us for a quote today

3. Does it Fit?

This is the most important question, because being able to answer this correctly will define your brand, the way you want it to be seen and not just the way it happens to be seen. Every company has an image (even if you’re not aware of it), and others see yours a certain way. Successful companies are well aware of how people see them. They have a well defined image and they work very hard to maintain and improve that image. They are not able to please everyone, but certainly they do when it comes to the masses. 

So when asking the question, does it fit?  Does this picture (and post) fit with the image that you want others to perceive? This may seem too simple but if you are not thinking this way, I promise you that I can find posts in your social media that are not helping your cause. On the other hand a good post, one that fits with your company image, will get more views, likes, and shares.

Good Example: If you have a travel blog, then this photo (see featured image) can come with a caption like – Can you guess where this picture was taken? I’ll give you a hint, it’s my home town. Type your guesses below. I’ll be contacting two lucky people for a meet up at a cafe on me!

Bad Example: Same picture but this time if you are a traveling sales person selling cosmetics and had a caption like: Day 7, the drive between clients makes me happy again. Only family would like and share this post and it would gain no traction.

 

If you found this helpful and you would like to have a free brainstorming session with your’s truly, then head on over to my contact page and drop me a line. 

 

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