No doubt, images are popular on social media sites. In fact, two of the most popular sites, Instagram and Pinterest, are dedicated to image sharing. Sharing images on your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest pages can increase engagement with your followers. In addition, images are more likely to be shared. While the Internet is filled with images that you could conceivably share, creating and sharing your own images can set your business apart.

Advantages of Using Images 

Sharing interesting, engaging content on social media sites is a must. Sharing images can do the trick. When people see an image that makes the smile or feel inspired, they tend to click the like or share button. How often your followers interact with your content often affects whether or not they will be shown your future content, especially with Facebook.

When you share your images on your website and favorite social media sites, you may also get an unexpected boost from Google. Your images could appear in Google’s image search results.

Creating Your Own Images

If you’re a talented photographer or graphic artist, they you have an edge. If not, don’t despair. For example, you could use a stock photography site or the Creative Commons section of Flickr to source images. From there, use an image editor such as Photoshop or Pixelmator to add text such as an inspirational quote.

• Always be sensitive to copyright issues. It is not acceptable to copy images you randomly find on websites, social media sites, or Google image search results. You could get in serious trouble for copyright infringement. Stock photography sites are your safest bet, and they’re surprisingly affordable. For the web, you can get away with buying one of the lower resolution versions offered.

• Don’t assume you can use any Creative Commons image. Creative Commons images have various requirements. Some may restrict commercial usage. For example, when searching for images on Flickr, make sure to look under the license type filter and check “Commercial Use Allowed.” While you’re at it, avoid Creative Commons images that feature recognizable people or copyrighted imagery as you can’t be sure that the photographer obtained permission.

• Add branding to your images. Whether it’s a watermark with your company name, the URL to your website, or a company logo, branding your images with your company information ensures that when others share your images, your branding will come shining through.

• Include keywords in your images’ metadata. To help Google index your images, include relevant keywords in the file name and description.

• Include hashtags when sharing your images on social media sites. For example, if you’re sharing an image on Instagram, choose a relevant hashtag as that will make the image searchable across the entire network.

Creating and sharing your own images is a fantastic way to engage your followers and potentially extend your reach. Make sure to respect copyrights. After creating a beautiful, share worthy image, add branding, keywords, and hashtags and then share it with the world!

Thomas von Ahn | Chief Elephant Slayer | Viral Solutions LLC