The Power of Pictures

How you can use image sharing as part of your social media strategy

The Power of Pictures

Facebook: 36 Billion photos uploaded per year

Flickr: 130 Million photos uploaded per month

Twitter: 27.1k retweets of last week’s most popular image

“A picture paints a thousand words”

How could image sharing benefit you?

Increase your following Increase your engagement Increase brand awareness Make your brand feel like a more

‘approachable’ brand Engage your network Drive traffic to your website

Using Images to Extend your Reach

1. Infographics2. “Of the Moment”3. A Fresh Perspective4. Celebrity5. HumourThese ideas can all be implemented using your existing social networks…AND spread more widely using image sharing networks…

1. Infographics

What do I mean? Graphic representations of data / knowledge

Why are they Sharable?Infographics present complex info quickly & clearly. They are both beautiful & informative making them a fun, interesting and engaging way of sharing information.

This infographic has been shared tens of

thousands of times

Microsoft have

branded the image to ensure it

gave great brand

exposure despite the fact it is not

overtly promotional

How can you do it?

Visually present data crowd-sourced from your networks

Use your existing data to produce infographics relevant to your industry

Create a library of infographics which summarise important aspects of your industry

2. “Of the Moment”

What do I mean? Images that sum up what your audience is thinking or feeling right now.

Why are they sharable?If you can ride the back of whatever is trending at the moment with a really strong picture, you can be sure it will prove popular, if only for a short period.

This iconic picture

was shared

worldwide during

the London Riots of 2011

The image was popular because it perfectly encapsulated what was happening in an interesting way that sparked attention

How can you do it?

Take / create and share pictures which are relevant to the news / trending topics

Get in the habit of taking ‘snaps’ when out and about which can be quickly got online, whilst most relevant

Encourage your network to share topical pictures with you

Social media team to attend highly topical events & live tweet / photograph

3. A Fresh Perspective

What do I mean? Taking something familiar and providing a new viewpoint e.g. ‘Behind the Scenes’ Why are they sharable?People are always interested in a new spin on things and are often fascinated by how things work behind the scenes in particular

Behind the scenes at Aardman. People are

often interested to see a fresh

perspective on things, or

understand more about

how a finished product comes

about.

How can you do it?

Behind the scenes images at your business showing e.g. product production

Day in the life type images of employees

Visit customers esp if doing exciting projects (&/or get them to share their images)

4. Celebrity

What do I mean? Pictures of or about celebrities – this includes figures who are well known within your fieldWhy are they sharable?People love to share images of celebrities, especially if they’re a little bit different or give a glimpse into their daily life. They are some of the most shared images online.

How can you do it?

If a well known name visits your office, make sure to take several photographs inc of them doing work behind the scenes.

If events are hosted by celebs, make sure to get some great pics with your branding

Have your network share pics when celebs visit them

5. Humour

What do I mean? This might be a cartoon, a mocking infographic or chart or just a photo of something amusing.

Why are they sharable?Humour has great currency online.  We all like a laugh and if something really tickles us, the chances are that we’ll share it with our online networks.

This amusing

infographic has been shared a whopping 15k times

on Facebook. Part of the appeal is

that it looks

serious but isn’t.

How can you do it?

Encourage your network to share amusing pictures on specific topics – perhaps with prizes for the funniest

Create amusing infographics that your network will share e.g. A tongue in cheek guide to your industry

Share funny moments from your offices

Next Steps

Establish a culture of image sharing in your existing networks to see what works

Establish a presence on major image sharing sites e.g Flickr, Pinterest, Instagram

I hope this was helpful!

For lots more social media ideas: www.pookyshares.com @pookyhwww.pinterest.com/pookyh