The recent data from a Speakerbox blog post wasn’t what got me – I already knew the data that including images encourages more engagement on social media – it was the infographic.
SoI retweeted it, naturally.
The post details “Research shows that when people read information, they only remember 10% of it after three days. However, if there are visuals that correspond with the text, people will retain 65%.” Read more about the company’s coverage from its 6 Digital Marketing Trends of 2016 post, here.
So, if you’re not consistently using imagery across your blog posts, and therefore your social media posts—it’s time to start.
Luckily, there are myriad tools for those of us without graphic design training.
Here are four tried and true ways of generating visuals for your content:
- Canva: the CMS of image creation. Simply chose your layout, add text, and drag and drop different layouts and design elements. Finally, export your file for sharing. It’s brilliant.
- Screenshots: utilize your iPhone or computer’s screenshot capabilities to create low-res imagery of something like a report cover, or a graph to share on its own.
- Subscribe to free photo delivery services, like Death to Stock; or, check out this great listof other free photo sites.
- Get a professional onboard: you can easily onboard a local (or not) design group that creates templates for you to modify, and retains your branding. I use Barbieri & Greena lot.
Simply put, there’s no excuse to not use visuals. Feel free to share any of your own tips in the comments section below.