Don’t you think it’s fascinating how we end up buying stuff we really don’t need because we have seen an image of it that just looks spot on? Or how are we suddenly feeling better after seeing an inspirational quote and meme? What about that time that we, as humanity, came together as one after we found out about the raging fires in Australia? Well, such is the power of using images in social media.
Images are a core element in social media – imagine how dysfunctional the platforms are without images! With just words and no visuals, people wouldn’t have patronized it simply because human beings cannot sustain interest for long periods – let alone be stuck with words and letters. It is no surprise that we can only retain attention for about eight to twelve seconds, and that’s it! This fact alone makes images a super essential ingredient in every social media post that we make. But what else does good use of images bring to those who harness it? Read one below.
A PICTURE PAINTS A THOUSAND WORDS
Images alone can tell diverse kinds of stories from many different angles and various takes to online users in social media. Even without a lengthy post or caption, one can get his points across people using the right images. Moreover, since human beings are hardwired to process visual information at an incredible speed, storytelling using images in social media becomes a powerful mechanism for advertisement, campaign, movement, trend, and revolution.
GOOD VISUALS CATCH THE EYE OF YOUR AUDIENCE
Social media is an overpopulated space of images and posts; hence an excellent photo accompanying your well-crafted post increases your probability of luring more audience than others would. Furthermore, since images flood social media, the competition narrows down to who can present a more meaningful, relatable, and beautifully captured or crafted (it is a graphic image) picture.
Think about what your audience is like. Who is your target audience? What stuff are they interested in? What sort of things they primarily engage in? Base your image according to their nature and preference, and you guarantee yourself of their attention.
A STRING OF IMAGES KEEPS THINGS MORE INTERESTING
Keeping your audience’s interest going can be more challenging than it sounds. Given the short attention span that people have, even no longer than a goldfish, the job requires creativity and strategy. This is where a variety of good images comes into play. A string of good photos that walk your audience through your post hooks them to the story as they read on to your post. Images break the monotony of words and provide a brief pause to ponder about what was read. This variety allows the audience to catch up to the idea and enforce said idea using the images you provided.
IMAGES SPEAK FOR YOUR BRAND
Since social media has dominated the world, especially in business and marketing, it is safe to say that it won’t be for long for them to take the reins completely. Almost everything we do, we can do now electronically. Before, it’s just a hassle going to a particular shop to buy your clothes, beauty products, gadgets, and accessories, but now, everything is as easy as tapping on few images on the screen. Many business and marketing experts have exploited this opportunity, and most of them have been reaping the rewards—their primary strategy: marketing through images.
A good image choice will do miracles for the company, as netizens will remember the company as the brand that presents the greatest pictures. Moreover, you can sell your merchandise more effectively when you ‘frame’ them in their best angle. After all, nobody wants to buy a product that looks sloppily photographed and unprofessional.
IMAGES MAKE YOUR POST MORE ENGAGING
Images bring life to the narrative of your post, and they also invite more people to engage and exchange conversation within your post. It happens especially when the image is powerful enough to address societal issues and trends like racism, world hunger, mental health, climate change, among all others. Social media users are more prone to discuss things and provide personal inputs regarding stuff they care about in a heartbeat. People take advantage of these tendencies to boost engagement and attention to their cause.
IMAGES ENTERTAIN AND INFORM
The most basic use of images in social media is that they entertain and inform. Because of the pictures that we have seen on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest, we have become more informed of what is happening globally. We have become more acquainted with the diverse cultures, practices, and crafts we start doing ourselves out of curiosity and entertainment. We have also become tools for information ourselves as we post images about our own culture and traditions. Photographs in social media sometimes become our way of having a good laugh or being inspired to get things done.