Scoring with Emotions: Posting the Right Images on the Social Web

The reach of the social web is now so immense that it not only provides a globally encompassing communication network, but also an extremely effective advertising platform. Facebook alone averages approximately 350 million image uploads daily. In this context, the effectiveness of images is at least as significant as text-based content, perhaps even more so. Images are not only perceived faster than words, they are also processed in a subtler way, and a good image will stir the emotions of the viewer. A pictorial post seems to encourage followers to share it. The results of a study regarding the microblogging service Twitter appear to back up this claim. According to the study, tweets with images get re-tweeted up to 35% more than text-only tweets.

Visual items are undoubtedly a key factor to successful advertising when using social media. Yet not all images are well-received by followers. That’s why it’s important to keep in mind right from the start which factors should influence the choice of images for your social media presence. Here are some tips to consider:

You should
– get familiar with the user base of each particular network.

– keep a close eye on your specific target group.

– know what this target group expects from you.

– choose relevant images for each particular network and the users intended to see them.

– familiarize yourself with the photo uploading guidelines for each network (portrait or landscape format, column layout, etc.), so that you are able to display your work in the best possible manner.

– select images which will stir the emotions of your viewers: the images should amaze, entertain, inspire, shock, alarm or address controversial topics. This increases the probability of the post being shared.

– find out what is optimally effective by experimenting with different types of images and comparing the amount of times each image has been shared. By doing so, you’ll know which kind of images the majority of the target group prefers.

– develop your own visual language which creatively generates an element of recognition for your images. The distinguishing feature of your work for a potential client shouldn’t be your constantly presented logo. Work with recurrent design elements instead (color palettes, filters, fonts, framing, etc.) to create your own signature style.

– seek out an exceptional photo, don’t settle for the run-of-the-mill image which has been seen a million times.

© JO KIRCHHERR/Westend61

Since images are an important medium for marketing products, they’ve already been harnessed as an abundant source of data by those doing market research. Useful for their purposes are the many conclusions which can be drawn about the lifestyle of a user and their consumer behavior via responses to posted images. This has prompted the consumer research association GfK (Gesellschaft für Konsumforschung), one of Germany’s leading market research institutes, to develop an automated process for analyzing images – one which will be able to filter out relevant marketing information concerning products and brands among the flood of digital images.

At this writing, Facebook’s complete photo database already contains more than 250 billion images, while there have been about 30 billion images posted on Pinterest so far, with the deluge of images on course to expand in the future. Consequently, engaging the viewer’s attention will become an increasingly difficult task – making high-quality images more important than ever for those who want to steer the attention of followers to their products.

Hubertus Stumpf

As an experienced newspaper editor, Hubert Stumpf knows that a good text is only half the job when it comes to attracting the attention of readers - just as important a great imagery. The studied Germanist is a professional writer with a passion for the possibilities of digital photography.