Have you ever had a picture, ad or billboard out of the blue catch your attention? Maybe flipping through a magazine or the internet and boom … you can’t look away. The old saying goes “a picture is worth a thousand words”. Well, that picture you can’t look away from is speaking volumes.
Did that product get your business because of just a picture? When it comes to your business what are your pictures, ads and flyers saying to your customers? Social media drives such a large part of our direct contact with customers. It is important, from time to time, to reevaluate what you’re saying. The first simple question is, are you using any sort of picture or video marketing? No pictures … no words. You don’t have to go out and buy a high-end camera. Just about any smartphone will more than suffice for your needs. Now that you have a way to capture a moment, let’s look at different types of pictures that can increase traffic for your business.
“The Product Picture” – You might say “my work speaks for itself”. If that’s the case, then think of the product picture as a stage for your work to stand on and speak. Let’s look at the wedding business to show the power of the product picture. If you’re the venue or DJ, you can show pictures of how everything looks before and after setup. This can dramatize the effect of a little extra effort and cost.
Almost every bride hires someone to do their hair and makeup. A quick pic of a happy bride as she sees her wedding day look for the first time can draw new customers with a quick glance. Let’s not forget the power of a candid photo of guest reacting to an emotional first dance. It doesn’t matter what you’re trying to sell with your picture just snap away. Some of the biggest reactions I’ve received on Facebook are pics of me with others at an event. The picture says all it needs to say … “those people are having a good time”.
“The Flyer” – Flyers are a great promotional tool for almost any business. Unlike a pamphlet, leaflet or brochure, the flyer is a single small page with minimal information. In my line of work almost nothing is ever printed anymore so the digital flyer is king. Every public event I do gets its own flyer. A simple pic with a few words stating the venue, time and specials is all you need. It’s more attention grabbing that a words on a timeline and is easy to re-reference when needed. Think of it as “album art” for your business.
“The Ad” – The Ad photo goes into a lot more detail than the flyer or the product photo. This could involve a description of what you’re selling or a quote from a happy customer. You may also want to include pricing and some smaller pics to better describe what your business is all about. “The Ad” photo is intended to get the customer to stop and read, but don’t forget to include content to catch the quick glance.
Now that we have looked at the importance of a picture what about video? Many websites now include auto start videos as part of the general landscape of the page. Videos can be categorized in the same way as the pictures. “The Product video” can be a short clip of just about anything. No editing or narration needed. Just make sure the lighting is good so that the viewer can see it clearly.
It is also important to make sure that the background noise doesn’t include anything offensive or annoying. “The Flyer video” can be any short clip with some sort of intro or outro text that explains what the viewer is seeing. Just like the product video, quality is not essential. As long as the viewer can see what you’re trying to show, video from a smartphone will do just fine.
Finally, we look at “The Ad video”. Just like a TV commercial but on your web or Facebook page. This video has all the bells and whistles such as narration, acting, scripts, graphics and a soundtrack. This is the only video out of the three that is probably going to cost you money. If you’re tech savvy and creative, you might be able to pull this off yourself. You can’t go wrong with any of the video choices, but you might be amazed at what a little extra effort can make.
There is no excuse for not including great pictures and videos in your daily social media marketing. There are tons of apps and software for making quality pictures and videos. Most of them are free or fairly cheap. They are designed with very little learning curve so making good content is a breeze. Most of them come with lots of effects and filters to make even mediocre photos and videos look amazing. The phone is always near, just download some apps and shoot away. A picture might be worth a thousand words, but no one can hear you unless you’re speaking.