When it comes to social media, focus on the visual

What Pinterest’s and Instagram’s popularity means

As the rise of social media sites like Pinterest and applications like Instagram has shown, people are far more receptive to visual content than they are to written. Short, sweet and to-the-point writing coupled with an enticing graphic or video typically sees much more interaction than a long, written-out paragraph or slew of tweets featuring “How To” articles. This seems like common sense to many small business owners; however you’d be surprised how many social media sites I come across that have yet to really utilize the power of visual content. Today’s tech tools make it much easier for you to share photos and video from essentially anywhere.

[ba-pullquote align=”right”]I’m not talking about sharing your innermost personal experiences each day. I’m referring to sharing little bits of your day to day activity through photos and video and using that to connect with your online network. [/ba-pullquote]Many small business professionals are still gun-shy about “getting too personal” on social media sites, but what I’m here to tell you is that the personal element is what is going to make your Facebook business page, Twitter account, Pinterest boards and blog successful. I’m not talking about sharing your innermost personal experiences each day. I’m referring to sharing little bits of your day to day activity through photos and video and using that to connect with your online network.

Ideas for keeping visual content professional

Think about our culture today: people are obsessed with one another’s day to day lives. Various reality shows and our celebrity fixation prove that, as does Facebook’s success. People want to know what their peers and online network are up to. You need to use that mindset in your social media presence. You don’t have to get too personal. All you have to do is get creative. Here are a few ideas on great, visual content you can post that will still keep things professional:

•    Infographics. If you look around on various online magazines and news sites, people create interesting infographics all the time. These are interesting images that people create that showcase facts about a particular topic in a visual, intriguing way. These are a great tool to use to give your network informative information in a way that will interest them.
•    Short Videos. Whether you give a “quick tip of the day” or brief news updates, posting 1-2 minute informative videos once or twice a week is always a great way to get people interested and encourages interaction. It’s getting easier to film and upload video on the go, too, so you can definitely implement something like this into your day to day routine.
•    Photos of your community and day to day life. If you pass a funny sign on the street one day, snap a photo and upload it to Facebook. Did you recently win an award? Instead of just announcing it, take a photo of it and tweet it. People want to know what you’re up to each day in your business. There’s nothing wrong with taking a few photos each week and sharing them with your online community.
•    “Share” photos from other businesses you are connected with. This tactic is one of the best ways to give other businesses you interact with online some recognition, and it shows them that you like their content. Someday down the line, they’ll reciprocate the action and give YOUR profile some more exposure.

If you start utilizing some of these methods of “visual” sharing, then I can practically guarantee you’ll start seeing some more interaction from your online network. Keep it professional, but don’t be afraid to get a little personal from time to time. It will show that you’re a human and not some automated robot hiding behind a computer screen. Think about the content you’d want to see and apply it to your pages. Over time, you’ll see a jump in your page’s presence and it will all have been worth it.