The images you post on your social media have a huge influence on how much people will interact with your content. Social media posts with images have twice as much engagement as those who don’t. Accounts with good images will get more engagement than accounts that have okay images. Here are some tips for when you’re picking out images for your social media.

Pick the Most Relevant

The most important thing to keep in mind is how relevant your images are to your post and your business. Don’t find just any random image you think looks nice or catches attention. For example: If you have an automotive business and are making a social media post about changing your tires, the best image you could use would be a high quality, well lit image of you or one of your employees changing a tire. Don’t just use some generic image of a mechanic. 

One rule of thumb for picking images: Whenever possible, use actual images of your business and employees, try to use stock images a little as possible, and don’t use images that blatantly look like stock images. For a clear example of this, check out the image below.

The guy on the right looks like an actual mechanic, he’s doing work, he’s wearing gloves that you can see are worn and used. The guy on the left looks pretty polished, he’s just standing there with his arms crossed and smiling. The image on the right feels more real instead of an actor posing for a camera. That’s the kind of image you want to use when making posts about you or your business.

Clarity

Not only do your images need to be relevant, they also need to be clear. When talking about images, clear can mean multiple things. The first meaning is that it needs to be easy to tell what the image is about. What’s the point of posting an image if no one can tell what the image is showing?

The second meaning is how sharp or blurry the image is. Take the image below for example.

This is a good picture, but which looks better, the left or right? The right one, it’s clearer, brighter, easier to see what the image is. You can pick out more detail. When posting on social media, go with something that is more like the side on the right. Pick something that is clear and bright, it will catch much more attention than the side on the left.

The two biggest points you need to keep in mind are picking images that are the most relevant and real for your business and picking images that are clear and visually appealing. Following those two rules will take your social media to the next level and start bringing in more engagement.

If you want to take your website, social media, and other profiles to the next level, it would be wise to hire a professional photographer. The benefits can far outweigh the costs, they’re better than stock photos and they have multiple uses.

Costs Vs Benefits.

Some people don’t want to hire a photographer simply because they think it costs too much. While it can be true that upfront costs will be higher, the long term benefits of hiring a photographer are worth it. Having a collection of high quality photos can help with the advertising of your business. Your photos will be one of the best representations of your business online, they’ll influence the first impression your customers have of you. Low quality, unprofessional photos will make your business look unprofessional. High quality, clear, professional photos will make your business look more professional and caring.

What about stock photos?

Stock photos can be a tempting alternative to professional photography, since it is more affordable. Stock photos are generally beautiful and high quality, however, they aren’t photos of your business, and when customers are trying to get to know your business, stock photos are not a good way to showcase it. That isn’t to say you should avoid stock photos completely, there are places where they can be used well, but it’s always better to have actual photos of your business.

How to use professional photos the right way

There are multiple uses for the professional photos you have. One obvious one is for your website. Use images of your team, location, products and/or services to show the personality of your business and quality of your products and/or services. Pictures of real people gain the customers trust far more often than pictures of generic stock photos. If you sell products, 67% of consumers say the quality of the image is very important and makes a big impact on whether or not they’ll purchase the product. If you sell services and want to include images of you working with customers, make sure you have the customers permission to post photos of them online.

Social media is the second biggest use of professional images. Post your images to help get your business out there and build brand awareness. Over 2 billion people use social media. If you want to make an impact, stand out and build brand awareness you’ll need images that catch people’s attention and encourage them to engage with you.

Your website and social media aren’t all that you can use professional photos for. You can use them for more traditional marketing methods as well, such as magazine ads, flyers, and more. Anywhere you have the opportunity to upload an image, you can use your photos to make an impact.

If you want to build trust, appear more professional, and gain more attention from customers, you need professional photos of your business. The upfront costs will be well worth the many benefits you can receive.

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How many people rely on photos when making a purchase