Not a Selfie in the Bunch – 7 Pictures Every Business Must Post on Social Media

NOT A SELFIE IN THE BUNCH
7 Pictures Every Business  Must Post on Social Media

Your business may be ready for its close-up, but before you upload shots to social media, make sure you snap strategically. Here are the seven types of pictures to post in order to engage consumers and drive your sales.

Invest in a Full-On Professional /Glamour Shot

It\’s important to have a picture in which your product is perfectly lit and looks irresistible. Don\’t trust this shot to an amateur photographer with a point-and-shoot camera. Hire a professional who has experience in your product category. If you are in the service industry and your product is you, then seek out a photographer who is known for creating compelling headshots. After the photoshoot, an experienced photographer will retouch, color correct, and crop the image to your liking, and then generate digital files so you can upload the images to your social media platforms. This is money well spent. Your business will be perceived as established and successful if you have high-quality corporate images. A picture says a thousand words, make sure yours is saying “kick-butt, top-of-the-line professional”.

Ready, Set, Action!

For your second must-have picture, showcase your product or service in action, and in an aspirational way. For example, if you\’re a sportswear designer, don\’t take pictures of your clothing on racks. Instead, outfit athletes in your gear and show them doing yoga on the beach or crossing the marathon finish line. If you\’re an entrepreneur in the service industry, your goal is to depict the relationship with your client. Your image should show your interaction — assisting with a task, solving a technology issue, providing spa treatments, or collaborating on a project. The action shot conveys what your business does, instantly and memorably.

Tell Consumers What Makes Your Business Unique

Your third picture should communicate what sets your company apart from the competition. Is your business family owned? Have a family portrait taken and then share it with your fans and followers. Are you committed to reducing the carbon footprint of your company? Go ahead and post a picture of your green packaging or the newly installed solar panels. A picture of your point of differentiation may be more effective than any sales copy.

Give Consumers a Glimpse Behind the Scenes

Picture four should pull back the curtain and reveal what it takes to operate your business. Show employees brainstorming, or raw ingredients being harvested, or the overnight crew working to fulfill orders before the holiday. These shots humanize your brand and make it easier for consumers to connect with your business.

Have Fun with Visual Teasers 

The fifth picture in your arsenal should be a visual teaser which hints at an exciting announcement. With a bit of thought and creativity, you can stage a shot that generates lots of buzz around your brand. Are you launching a new product? Show an extreme close-up of the item to highlight its organic material or an innovative design element. If you\’re opening another retail location, post a picture from that area, but make it obscure and intriguing. Have you just landed a celebrity endorsement? Give visual clues of what the celebrity\’s famous for, and invite fans and followers to #GuessWho. But make sure to pay off any tease quickly with a clear, firm date of announcement or debut time. And then have more photos ready to go.

Join the Conversation

Nimble entrepreneurs boost their brand by piggybacking on trending topics. For picture six, have your camera ready so you can capitalize on current events. Sports, red carpets, and reality television routinely dominate social media, so jump in and join the conversation with a picture that links your brand to the goings-on. Just make sure that the association reinforces your brand\’s positioning.

Encourage Fans to Submit Photos

Brand ambassadors are customers who sing your brand\’s praises because they\’ve had such a positive experience with your company. Why not invite these admirers to share photos on your pages? Picture seven, one contributed by a customer, may turn out to be your best advertising.

Show and Tell

To tell your brand\’s story, it\’s essential that you have a catalog of images to post on social media – and really, you can skip the selfies!  The pictures in your aresenal of  good public relations and marketing materials should include the following essentials – a professional (and recent!) shot of you and/or your product, your product or service in action, a picture that showcases your brand\’s point of differenciation and/or unique selling proposition, a glimpse behind the scenes, a visual teaser for upcoming launches/releases/products, a picture that strategically ties into a trending topic, and a photo submitted by a fan.  It takes some time and effort to get your visual marketing assetts in order, but it’s a worthy investment and an essential ingredient in this social, sharing economy. With a little dedication your skillful photo sharing will benefit your companies bottom line and help your bank account look picture perfect.