They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but it can also lead to more green for business owners. Behold a visual content strategy. To capture attention, expand your reach and gain viral power, images should play a vital role in your marketing strategy. The effective use of visual-based social media networks such as Instagram and Pinterest have helped brands like Starbucks, Sephora and Forever 21 get more attention online.
BlackEnterprise.com contributor Courtney McKenzie highlights ways you can use images to boost revenue.
Step 1: Start a campaign
Encourage customers to take photos with your products, at your business or sharing their favorite brand
encounter. Get creative and start a contest, outlining the contest rules on the social site. If nothing else, be sure to include a hashtag, which will allow you to easily track all photos and measure the success of the campaign. The campaign doesn’t stop on that platform. You can repost customer images across various social media platforms.Key takeaways…
- Every customer that participates automatically becomes a brand advocate.
- Fans will share their photos and the contest with their friends and followers.
- Your brand will be introduced to a new group of prospective customers and will cause your campaign to go viral.
Step 2: Get visual on product pages
Every customer photo that is submitted is considered a testimonial. Prospective customers will see that other people support your product and/or service and will be more likely to follow suit. Photo descriptions should have a link to your website where users can purchase the product(s) seen in the photo, which will in turn boost traffic to your website and showcase your other offerings.
Remember to…
- Optimize your website so customers can easily upload your pictures to social media networks.
- Post high resolution, quality photos to increase viral power.
- Your website is where you will convert fans into customers.
Step 3: Tell a story
Your photos should inspire, educate, or entertain your current and prospective customers. Visual social media platforms give you an opportunity to show your brand’s personality, so have fun with it. Sharing behind the scenes photos, office events and company pets is a great way to shed light on your company’s culture. This helps build the “know, like and trust†factor, which will help build brand loyalty.Be sure to…
- Diversify the types of photos used.
- Use pictures to make known your company’s culture and brand personality.
- Tell a story because storytelling builds brand loyalty.
Courtney McKenzie is a podcast consultant and digital strategist. McKenzie is the founder of Entrepreneur 2.0, a top-ranked business podcast in iTunes, and is the Founder of Crowned Public Relations, Inc — the leading digital public relations based in Palm Beach/Miami, FL. Connect with her online at www.courtneymckenzie.com, on Twitter @CeoCourtney.