Tips for creating compelling visual assets on social media

Welcome back to our social media series with ideas from our Social Media Coordinator, Kayla Sherry!

Our last newsletter was about how to present your brand on social media. Today, we’re diving deeper into how you can create compelling visual assets!

Visual assets are non-negotiable for a business or organization’s social media platform. Why? Because they work.

Social Media Examiner reported that photos on Facebook are the most engaging types of content from a user’s perspective. Hootsuite’s December 2022 report found that LinkedIn posts with images have a 98% higher comment rate on average, and Tweets that include visual content are three times more likely to get engagement. Many sources, like Later, also note that Instagram carousel posts have the highest average engagement rate of all feed post types. And, according to Brainrules.net, a person who sees a piece of information in a picture will recall 65% of it 3 days later, while someone who just hears information will remember only 10% of it 3 days later.

In the early days of social media, infographics were very popular forms of graphics shared. While infographics are still widely used, they aren’t always preferred for marketing, since the content doesn’t feel as personal or engaging to audiences.

Most brands want to create a more personal connection with their target audience. To do that, you can:

Post high-quality pictures of people. When using photos of people, your target audience can see themselves in the post. It can create a deeper sense of relatability to what you’re sharing than an image with a few words.

   Share aesthetically pleasing landscapes. Especially for place-based marketing, showing the beauty of your place in the visuals you use on social media can be attention grabbing.

   To find quality images, you can take photos in your community, or use free stock photos on a site like Pexels or Unsplash, and use Canva to create graphics. (Canva offers built-in image collections, too!).

Try out short-form video content. Video content, such as Instagram’s Reels, is on the rise. Concise and engaging videos can deliver the instant gratification that users crave. Short-form video content offers increased accessibility by making it more efficient to absorb information, and the creative roots of video content also offers a variety of methods to entice your audience. Creativity is key for video content, and offering bite-sized clips can be an impactful way to market your community’s message.

The City of Glendale Community Development Department utilized Reels on their instagram account to showcase highlights from their recent Glendale Tech Week here, here, and here.

Keep your branding consistent. Use consistent fonts, colors, and logos so that your graphics are recognizable. Here’s an example of how Texas Economic Development uses consistent branding in their posts.

   When coming up with your posts, you can also embrace creativity! Stay rooted in your established brand, but explore new content ideas to stand out online. Social media has become oversaturated with promotional content, so try to find a new angle to make your brand more unique and attractive.

By finding images that create a deeper personal connection through the tips shared here, you can gain more attention for your posts and ultimately, your community.

Would you like strategic guidance & support to curate your brand’s compelling social media content? Set up a free 15-minute consultation with Sandy here.

Reimagining Places With You,
The PPR Strategies Team