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.