Mastering Social Media: Designing Visual Content for Online Marketing Success
To create an effective marketing strategy, having a social media presence is a must. The goal of this strategy is to entice your audience to click, swipe or comment on posts about your business or brand. Creating and utilizing visual content, such as videos, pictures, gifs and memes are an ideal way to drive traffic to your posts and, eventually, your website. With so many social media sites (Instagram, FaceBook, IG Reels, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, X), a business can custom create visual content that is specific to each platform.
Users of social media are looking for interesting posts and content that piques their interests. This can be achieved by using different formats. Depending upon the social media site that you are posting to, will determine the best form of visual content to use. Statistically, posts that are simply text, do not receive the same amount of interest as those that are using video, picture carousels or GIFs/memes.
Types of Social Media Visual Content
- Videos – relevant videos that create interest or entertainment for the consumer are more likely to be viewed. The content can be very simple. A transparent snippet of your business, a customer review or a quick video of a product you provide can help boost your business’s presence. IG Reels and TikTok are great ways to use short videos to generate a huge response. Because these videos are typically under a minute, users are more likely to watch and engage versus a longer-version video.
- Images – when using images, do not use stock or standard photos. These need to be relatable to your business. They can be amusing, informative and transparent as long as they are able to make a connection to your business. Using images to create a brand or visual palette is a great way for users to quickly identify your business while scrolling on any social media platform. Using an image carousel allows users to quickly scroll through images. Inevitably, users will find an image that will result in a click-through to your website.
- GIFs and Memes – These formats are the quickest and easiest way to introduce humor, while creating brand recognition. A business can integrate what goods or services they sell, by adding an element of entertainment to their posts. GIFs and Memes are highly shareable. When a user shares your post, your audience increases exponentially. You are now able to reach potential customers that would otherwise be unattainable.
- Interactive Visuals – The use of polls, quizzes and interactive content can result in a successful engagement with users. Those that are on social media platforms tend to like the idea of deciding what products best fit their lives, or discovering where their likes rank in the social world.
How to Use Visual Content
In order to master the use of visual content and have a successful online marketing strategy, businesses need to stay within their branding and allow social media to compliment their overall goals. The best thing to remember is to use multiple platforms and images that will boost search engine optimization. These tips will serve as a way to reach a broad audience that spans multiple demographics.