Taking and Sharing Photos for Social Media
Taking and sharing photos online is an important ingredient for good marketing results. Here are some tips that can help you to plan and organize your photos to match the different social media services.
Photo Sharing Priorities
The first and most important place to focus is your business website. The photos on your main website pages are what potential customers will look at before deciding to contact you. Make sure they are high quality and that they represent your business well. Also, if your website has one or more photo galleries that show off or explain your services, then these are also where you attention should go first.
However, by posting extra photos on a regular basis, you can generate interest in your business, increase search site traffic, and impress potential clients. How should these be shared? We will discuss how to best utilize your website’s blog, Facebook and Instagram, as these are the best places to start.
Sharing an Individual Photo Versus Photo Groups
The first decision to make is whether you are going to share an individual photo or a group of photos. If you can manage, a good goal for each month is to post one group of photos, and several individual photos.
No matter where you post, though, a necessary step is to write a brief caption for each photo. This is important because search sites like Google only see the words, and use these words to index your site. More words = more visitors to your website. Posting photos without adding at least a few words is a wasted opportunity.
How to Share Photo Groups
Groups of photos are best shared on your website’s blog and as a teaser or a separate photo album on Facebook. The advantage of posting like this on a blog post is that teasers can easily be added to Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and more.
Groups of photos are ideal for sharing the details of an event, or explaining something visually. When posting a group of photos, be sure to create at least a few sentences describing the group. If you have writer’s block, just think of the questions: who, what, why, when, where and how.
Sharing Individual Photos
Individual photos are best shared directly on Instagram and Facebook from your mobile device. You can also add photos that you have already taken, although keep in mind that Instagram only allows photos to be added from the mobile version, not from a computer.
It also helps to orient your shots according to the platform. Instagram photos should be taken vertically, but horizontal photos tend to look better on Facebook. Again, don’t forget to add descriptive captions!
Don’t forget, you business should have its own Facebook page and Instagram account, so be sure to post under those accounts. You can switch accounts on your phone or tablet, or you may decide to have a dedicated mobile device for business photos. Another option is to install a mobile phone emulator on your computer for posting photos (try BlueStacks).
Working With Your Web Team
Most businesses will send their photos to their ‘web guy’ (or girl) so remember to keep these tips in mind to make your web marketing flow smoothly. Decide if you will share one photo or a group of photos. Send groups of photos to your web team, along with captions and a group description.