Social Media Graphics That Work: 5 Tips

The world is changing faster than ever, and small business marketing is no exception. Visual Content has become increasingly important to marketers who want to stand out and generate engagement online.

“Marketers who are leveraging visual content are seeing significant increases in their blog traffic, social media engagement, visitor-to-lead conversion rates and inbound customer acquisition results”

Social Shareable graphics involve a photo, illustration, or background design overlaid with text.  The goal is to create a graphic with interest or entertainment value that compels the reader to read the content and share it with others.

Here are five tips to help you master the art of Visual Content Marketing with Social Shareables.

1. Choose compelling images

Your image should evoke emotion: like humor, compassion, or a thirst for knowledge. It should be relevant to the content.

2. Create content that will resonate on a human level

Your primary goal should be providing value to your reader rather than promoting your business. If you get the first one right, the second one will follow! Share bite-sized tips or interesting facts; include an inspirational or motivational quote; make people laugh or feel a sense of community.

3. Be aware of copyright infringement

Unless you’re only using original images that you’ve taken yourself, this is where things can get a little sticky. Free images abound on the Internet, but to protect yourself, you must be aware of the laws involved with sharing them. While we won’t cover this subject in full here, there are a few terms that you may want to familiarize yourself with:

• Fair Use
• Creative Commons
• Public Domain
• Royalty-free (tip: it is not the same as cost-free)

Still in doubt? Try this handy flowchart “Can I Use That Picture?” from The Visual Communication Guy for more guidance.

4. Size the image for each social media channel

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest – they each have their own set of recommendations and requirements. For best results, familiarize yourself with both the size at which the image will appear and the recommended upload size – they aren’t necessarily the same. For instance: to ensure the best results when sharing an image on Facebook, it’s typically suggested that you upload a file that is 1200 pixels wide even though Facebook will resize it to 470 pixels.

5. Brand your images

Make sure everyone knows it came from you! Branding an image can be as easy as adding a subtle logo or URL somewhere on the graphic.

“But creating Visual Content sounds so complicated!”

Creating shareable visual content doesn’t require expensive software or a degree in graphic design. Many marketers successfully create their images using online software such as Canva.com.