Do you ever get stuck thinking of visual content ideas for social media? If your answer is “Heck, yes!” then you’ve come to the right place by reading this post.
There’s a lot of hype about driving Social Media traffic to your site with good content. The goal is to provide content that brings real value or solves a real issue for your readers. Sharing good content on social media requires more than just written text since social media is a visual medium for the most part. As a result, you won’t get noticed unless you first catch their eye with visual content and a good title.
Facebook has about a billion users getting noticed in the newsfeed requires either great visual content, paid advertisement, or a bit of luck. Although luck helps, the better cheaper choice is to create engaging visual content that resonates and draws in the curious. Of course, if you have the budget paid Facebook ads to work, but not everyone will go that route.
So the first step is to define visual content and then the next step would be to determine what kind of visual content works on Social Media.
Visual content is typically defined as graphics including images, icons, illustrations that support written text. So on a blog, digital visual content could include the logo, banner, slider, featured or supporting images anywhere within the blog to support the text and goals of the blog. But to share that blog on social media you’ll need visual content that meets the requirements of each media channel you use.
So what are the important steps to take when creating Social Media Visual Content? Here are 7 takeaways to making your visual content on Social Media work better to promote your business.
1. It is about first impressions and your brand.
Social media use has grown so exponentially that getting noticed today on Facebook or Instagram is very different than it was say 5 years ago. You want a consistent look that is recognizable with visual content created for every post.
Plus, while you can post a picture with a good title that might generate traffic, if you want to consistently drive traffic, you should edit your graphics so the visual content consistently identifies as your business or brand.
That means: consist fonts and colors, images that match or support your written content, and your company logo placed tastefully somewhere on the visual content. Get remembered with both great visual content and a consistent look that “looks” like your business.
2. Using the correct visual content type for the job.
For a long time, Facebook was all about images but now videos and live streams on Facebook are the rages.
That may change; however, if you could post a video that would convey more about your message than a still image it’s probably worth the effort to do so. There are other content types like infographics or pictographs that work exceedingly well in certain situations. Even something as simple as a Facebook video created from multiple images can catch the eye.
3. Targeting your visual content for your audience.
If you’re in it for business, then your visual content is meant for a certain audience. Just like you would do on your site using search engine optimization, keywords, or a title generator, your visual content can be tested in Social Media. For example, many good pinners on Pinterest will create 3-5 pins for a post using small changes in keywords in the title or description. Some make minor changes in the graphics or colors. All of that is done to determine what content style will resonate with their potential viewers so that they learn over time how to create visuals that work best with their written content.
Consider multiple posts (aka a/b testing) on Facebook, Instagram using different graphics or images, small changes in title or even targeted audiences if you paying for ads.
4. Making unique visual content that reminds them of your business.
On the one hand, there are times when a particular image just fits without much modification. On the other hand, too much of just plain unedited free resource images might make your site look like your competitors. Even small simple edits to help brand your visual content and give it a consistent look and feel is better than just throwing up images with your written content. If you’re a photographer or artist then the requirements are different because your images are all yours and speak to your trade
5.Correct visual content size according to Social Media requirements.
Unfortunately, when it comes to sizing your visual content, there are no standards across Social Media.
If there were, every content creator out there would be happy. Because if you post your Instagram visual content on Pinterest or vice versa, some part of the image and or title will get cropped resulting in a poor overall effect. Put, it may look ugly and unreadable. So take the time and effort to size according to the Social Media you desire to consistently post to. It’s a no-brainer and can make more of a difference than you realize.
6.Schedule your content for posting and re-posting.
Not everyone will see it the first time.
Re-post it again several times over time. Not everyone will see your content the second time. Reposting it again after a week, a month, or whatever period you find works best will get your content viewed. After all, you went to all the effort to create it; making sure it’s seen is worth re-posting.
7. Use more than one Social Media channel.
Test with a couple, don’t go overboard, and find where your main audience hangs out. Refine the look of the visual content you create, learning what your audience responds to. You may find that while still, images are bread and butter on Pinterest, video works on Facebook or Instagram Stories. And you may be surprised to find that your audience may be selectively found on social media eliminating some options you might have thought to post on.
Conclusion
Visual Content makes a big difference to engagement on Social Media. Make sure that the visual content you share on social media stands out for the right reasons. Visual content can increase your visibility on social media and support your branding.
Whether you’re working with videos, GIFs, infographics, slide decks, or posts, there’s no question that visual content is an essential part of any social media marketing plan. In the end, if you work within these seven techniques, your visual content will be more focused on your audience while retaining a style and look that build and helps you boost brand awareness and engagement in your online business and brand.
