Internet marketing images have long been a popular method of establishing a brand’s identity in social media. A company logo and photos, repeated among different social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest, helps an organization clearly establish brand consistency in the minds of its customers.
Internet marketing images have a definite impact on customer engagement as well. According to Social Media Examiner, posts that include a photo album or picture receive 120 to 180% more engagement from fans than a text-based post.
Videos are an equally useful and entertaining method of telling a brand’s story, identifying a brand’s values and increasing ROI. Volkswagen’s funny 2011 Passat commercial featuring a young child in a Darth Vader costume had over 58 million views on YouTube, raised awareness of the brand in the minds of many consumers, and doubled sales of the Volkswagen Passat sedan.
When they are used properly, images and videos humanize an organization, increasing customer trust in that brand and encouraging customers to do business with that company. Here are four tips for making your social media imagery more effective:
1) Use humanizing, memorable imagery that resonates with customers. Some imagery shows a company’s sense of humor or points out the need for social change, but the most effective imagery uses a theme to which all viewers can empathize.
2) Maximize “ALT” tags, image captions and image file names for search engine optimization. By properly labeling photographs and videos, it is easier for search engines to find photo and video files and improve the effectiveness of a customer’s search results.
3) Consider the creation of a social media library. Salamander Resort and Spa in Middleburg, Virginia created a Social Lounge that integrates the resort’s Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube videos into one convenient social media section of their website. The Social Lounge acts a library for all the resort’s social media efforts and may be personalized to provide the user with a unique customer experience tailored to their preferences
4) Be aware of the publicity opportunities that viral videos present for Internet marketing. In the event that a company-produced video goes viral – usually after being discovered by a popular tastemaker – put out additional creative material as quickly as possible. The EepyBird Diet Coke/Mentos video garnered millions of views and proved to be a publicity bonanza for Mentos. Mentos took the opportunity to capitalize on the free advertising offered by the video, started a Facebook contest to further engage their audience and consequently saved $10 million in free advertising, by their estimate.
Related links
The Big Picture: Using Images In Social Media
Video Content Marketing: 4 Elements Of An Effective Strategy
