How to select brand visuals for social mediaclick picture for a tool that will help you DIY your photography.

Want to improve engagement on your social media? Improve the images you are using. Of course, as a photographer, I believe that hiring a brand photographer to help you not only get top notch- high-quality images but plan images that will tell your story is essential. And yet, I also know that we all want authenticity, so images do not have to be professional to be suitable for your brand.

So what kind of images do you need? I recommend starting with your goal. What message are you trying to get across? Knowing that will help you plan visuals to support that goal. Some general tips on choosing the right images:

• Make sure sized right for the platform you are posting it on.
• Lighting matters; even if your images have a darker feel, they should be well lit.
• Creativity will help stop someone’s scroll, great composition, interesting subject, etc.

Then mix it up with some different subjects.

Candid Photos.

 People in action or behind the scenes type images do very well on social platforms like Instagram.

Detail Shots

Think- up close and personal. Macro photography is normally a huge hit, that is a close up of something that shows details. I may be hungry right now, but all that is coming to mind is sprinkles on a frosted vanilla donut. YUM.

Product – Promotional Images 

Sure, you should only be posting direct promotional posts about 20% of the time; you still need to be doing it.

Text with Image

Think Quotes, infographics, and charts. This is a great way to visually share information, and be these tend to be shared more than a text-alone post would be.

Tips to make your images more engaging

Include a piece of you; by this, I mean if you are crafting or writing, instead of just taking a photo of the items on the table in front of you, including your hand in the shot. This works if on the beach; include those toes in the landscape shot. This reminds people that there is a person behind the work you do. It is also why lifestyle brand images have become so popular for brands to use on social media.

Focus more on connecting with your dream client. Yes, a beautiful feed is wonderful, especially on Instagram, but it will not help your business if your dream client doesn’t connect to it. You can also take advantage of the carousel posts option if you want your feed to look a certain way. Make the first photo a professional brand visual, and the other images can show more of the more authentic you. Encourage your viewers to swipe right to see XYZ.

Choose brand images for your social media
Like I mentioned before, authenticity draws more attention than stock images. Professional photos are a great way to go, but you can also take images with your phone and edit them, so they are of you, your team, and your products.

More ways to be authentic:

• Share a real behind the scenes look of what it is like to be the CEO of your company, freelancer, mom blogger, or whatever other roles you have in your business
• If you are sharing products, use real people as models and don’t touch up their imperfections.
• Start sharing things like memes, gifs, and retweets that are relatable to your dream client.

In conclusion, to select fantastic brand imagery for your brands’ social media, you must first know what you are trying to say and to who. Then you can build a list of the photos and graphics you need to share that message.

Use social media to create loyal clients and raving fans I love social media for keeping up with my friends and family, we have moved around so much we have friends all over the country and almost none of our family is close by.

Social Media has made it feel like we see each other much more than we do.

You know what, it can work like that for your business too. 

Building relationships with your current and past clients is the number one way to retain them as loyal customers and raving fans! Social media can make it easy and fun.  

Listen!

When you know what your audience wants it is easier to create content that will keep them coming back for more. Imagine if you knew more about what your clients love. 

You can learn if they enjoy tacos, reading,  learn more about their family, find out if they have pets, buy groceries online, and more!  Listening will help you build your dream client profile and if you keep a good CRM, update it as you learn new things about your clients. 

When you take the time to keep up with them on social media you will find it help you fill in some gaps like anniversaries so you can make better connections.  Not to mention create content that will grab their attention.

Engage.    

We all get on Social media to be social, I know crazy concept!  Take advantage of this and be sure you respond to comments and responses.  Every comment is a chance to interact with your followers and hopefully your dream client. 

Want to make a real impression though, make an effort to go comment on their posts too.  Doing that will help you get to know them as a person and not just a potential client.  Even better it will also help keep you top of mind when they need what you do or they have a friend that does. 

Be authentic and show you care, your clients will appreciate more than you may ever know. 

Provide Value.

Sure we want to promote our business on our business page, that's why we created it after all.  That won't get people to keep coming back for more though. Always keep your dream client in mind. 

Here are some ways you can provide value: how to use social media to create loyalty, improve client retention and build a community

• Create and share education/information content.

• Share other business that is relevant 

• Inspirational Quotes

• Humor is often appreciated so share funny stories, memes, or fun videos.

• Pictures.  Of you, your business, products, customers you name it.

• “How-to” post

• Newsworthy reposts

Create a VIP group.

I think Facebook for this but several social media platforms, liked Linkedin,  let you create groups that select people can join.  Create an exclusive group or Private group where you can share special deals, company announcements before they are live, special education whatever will bring value to your audience. 

Ask the members to turn notifications on so they don’t miss anything.  What better way to make your clients feel special and make sure they see what you have going on? 

Using groups can build community, trust, and organically increase your presence on that platform.  

Be Visible.

Is your business profile easy to find?  If not that is something you should fix today. Also do not be ashamed to share your business page with your friends, on your personal page, make sure it is on your website, the bottom of your emails & linked to other marketing sites.  People can not connect with you if they can not find you.  Here are a couple of tips to make sure you are easy to find:

• Keep account names/Vanity URLs simple and straightforward.  If possible the same on all platforms too.

• Consider using relevant keywords in your page name.

• The use of specific and relevant hashtags will help you grow your audience 

• Share pictures & videos of local attractions, businesses etc.  They are relatable and shareable. AND tag-able

Retaining customers and Building customer loyalty costs less than consistently finding new clients, so it makes sense that you put effort into building those relationships. 

Social media is an excellent tool for doing this.  

January 2021 Social Media Posting With Purpose - tips and tricks for small businesses

Social Media Caboodle, January 2021 edition
60+ ideas for your social media posts

Welcome to JANUARY!  Unless you are one of the few that found this post early. If you are new to my monthly posting caboodle, WELCOME to a new year and a new outlook on your marketing strategy!   

In this blog post, you will find

• Daily post ideas & suggestions
• Social media marketing tips to help you increase your engagement
• Ideas to help you improve your posting consistency
• Best of all, a way to reduce the stress caused by your DIY social media marketing strategy.    January 2021 Posting With a Purpose Caboodle.

How am I going to do that, you may be wondering?  It seems like a big promise, but I honestly believe that with a plan, all things are possible.  That is if you execute that plan.  The trouble is, and I know all too well that having a plan and executing your plan are two very different things, and often that is because of a lack of time.  I am going to give you some of that time back with a plan you can follow starting right now.

Where there is a plan there is away.

If Content is king, then Consistency is his queen!  

You need to post valuable content, and you must do it consistently.  Let’s define valuable because I do not mean that it has to cost a lot; shoot, it doesn’t even have to take a lot of time, but it should be something your audience will spend time on.  I would define valuable content as something that educates, inspires, or entertains your audience.  Something they will stop scrolling and engage with.  Meaning they will comment on it, like it or better still, share it. To do this, you really need to know who your dream client is.  Let’s say you are posting memes about how difficult it is to work in the restaurant industry on your business page.  This could work, or it could seriously hurt you.  

If your page is about restaurant consulting and your dream clients are entrepreneurs in the restaurant industry, that could be highly effective.  Humor is a great way to get people to engage.

However, if you own a restaurant and you want to attract clients to come to enjoy your atmosphere and amazing food, chances are posting about difficult clients or kitchen blunders is not going to draw the preferred attention you would like.

Social Media Tip of the Month!

If you have not already done so, take the time to determine who you want to engage with your content and then create the type of content they would want!

Januarys’s Social Media Posting With a Purpose Caboodle. 

January 2021 Social media posting suggestions and ideas calendar by "More Than Serendipity Social Media " DBA Samantha Markey PhotographySee below to download the PDF version of this.

Click Here to download this calendar!

If you want more information on what the Posting with a Purpose Caboodle is or how to use this information, click here.  Now to the nitty-gritty! Here is the day by day suggestions that I promised for January.

This download includes the calendar shown above and a blank December 2020 calendar so you can design your own plan. 

If you are interested in a custom calendar or want help with other social media services, please check out my social media services page for more information.  You deserve to be seen, and I can help.  

I would love to hear what posts have been the most successful for you?  Leave a comment below.