In today’s world having great eye-catching visual content is crucial for small business marketing and it is a vital aspect of social media marketing. Alas, for many people creating visual content for your business can be a daunting task.
Being the helpful folk we are at The Digital Studios we have put together 5 quick tips on creating photos for social media.
Tell a Story.
Use images to tell the story of your business. Make sure the images you use are in line with the story you’re trying to tell. Images should never be used to just fill up a space so when you see images that inspire you or relate to your brand story in some way- snap them up. Here’s an example; create a day in the life story by taking a photo of your journey to work, opening up your shop or office, and something you created or did during the day. That type of wholesome content is popular on social media.
Good Lighting
When taking interesting photos, lighting can be your best friend. However, you don’t need to be a pro-photographer with an expensive light. Make use of natural light to really make your images pop and give them a warm feel. Pay attention to the way the light falls on objects around you during the day and try to capture images at the times they look their brightest and clearest.
Keep Them Natural
We have all seen the cringey, staged, images that have taken the creator three hours, twenty-five angles and two pumpkin spiced lattes to take. Social media is so over that and people prefer a more candid feel to content. Take natural photos wherever possible, whether it’s of your staff, customers, shop/office, products or services. These will keep your content relatable and fun.
Edit
You can enhance your images with some simple edits to highlight the key subject of the image or improve lighting on them. There are free image editing tools you can use like Gimp or Android or IOS apps. You can use your phone’s basic editing software or if you want to get a bit more involved with editing use Photoshop or Lightroom.
Use The Rule of Thirds
When taking pictures, our natural instinct is to centre the subject perfectly. The rule of thirds suggests that putting your subject in the left or right of the frame allows for a much more compelling image.
And finally…
Go for it. Now you have five quick-tips for taking great photos for social media you can get snap happy. Most people we speak to simply forget to take photos to use on social media so try to make taking photos part of your weekly or even daily work routine so you have lot’s of content to work with. Remember though..keep it relevant and don’t just aimlessly post pointless pics.
If you found this blog helpful why not check out our blog about ‘How to make your videos on YouTube rank better’ here and for information on how The Digital Studios can help with managing your social media take a look at the services page on our website.
