choosing images to post on social media

The small business world is all about VISUALS these days, especially since Instagram is where it's at for keeping up with current clients and reaching new ones. Are you thinking hard about the photos and graphics you choose to share on social media, or are you snapping a phone photo and calling it a day? A social media post that includes an image is ten times more likely to get engagement, but we want that image to be quality! Let's talk about how to share GREAT images on your blog, websites, and social media accounts. 

CONTINUITY IS KEY
​
Think of your social media accounts (especially Instagram!) as a magazine for your business. It's important for the images you choose to coordinate or "match" to convey an intended feeling or message as your viewers peruse your account. It's all about branding, and if you're posting images that don't coordinate with one another, then your message is mixed. An easy way to do this- start using the same filter on all of your images! Not all of us are fancy photographers- me included- but photo editing apps have come a long way and it's pretty easy to adjust your photos to look similar. 

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
​
Business social media accounts aren't like your personal ones- you don't need to be sharing what you had for breakfast, random photos from your commute, or a bunch of bathroom mirror selfies. Be purposeful with what you post on your business pages, remember to stay on brand! While sharing snippets of your personal life can be great for your viewers to get to know you, they likely are following you to see your work. Post photos that relate to what you do, with some sidebars for other parts of your life.

Speaking of quality- this also goes for the way the actual photo looks! In focus, crisp and clean photos are best. Once again, we're not all pro photogs here, but moving into some good natural light and using the focus on your phone camera can go a long way. Clear the backgrounds of your photos- no piles of dirty laundry or dishes! Especially when featuring a product, aim for simple clean backgrounds.

VARIETY IN YOUR FEED

With Instagram being at the top of its game, this one applies mostly to Insta, but it's a good rule of thumb for Facebook and blogs too. If you sell clothing, try not to post 5 photos of shirts in a row. If you're a wedding photographer, don't post 4 bouquets back to back. Shake it up a little! When visitors look at your Instagram profile page, they're likely seeing the top 9-12 posts as a grouping- so these photos should always be a good variety of whatever it is you're offering. Again think back to the magazine concept- those top 9 squares are representing your business, your brand- you want to always be thinking about how they go together and what message they're sending.

There are so many other things we can talk about with graphics- like where to find them, how to make them, when to post them... but we'll save that for another post!

All of this sound like a lot of work? Check out my social media management services!