Word on the street is that people are more drawn to visual content. Sooooo, of course it’s a great idea to share a slew of awesome images and funny videos to all your social platforms. People will be sure to notice you then! Right…right?

Not so fast, my friends. I mean, you would sure get noticed, but most likely as the obnoxious person who gets hidden from people’s news feeds.

While several studies prove that visual content is more engaging, you still need to create and share the right  visual content.

If you haven’t heard this one enough, here it is again…share content relevant to your audience.

Here are four ways to use custom, branded images to engage your audience and grow your brand awareness.

1. Use Quotes that Trigger an Emotional Response

When we see a video, image, or saying that makes us laugh, smile or even cry, we are driven to share. We enjoy the warm feeling in our chest created by such content and want to give others the opportunity to experience the same feeling.

If we are successful in passing happiness on, our own will continue to grow. And hey, who doesn’t want to feel happy?

The findings of a study conducted by the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine prove even more interesting. Not only do emotions have the ability to spread across social media, but also positivity permeates better than negativity.

We saw this in the social media campaign that Lab3 managed for Give Day Tampa Bay, a 24-hour day of giving to various charities in Tampa Bay. The enthusiasm leading up to the event was overwhelming and contagious.

I was tasked with creating branded images for the Facebook page that encouraged people to participate in this giving extravaganza. And boy did they get a lot of attention.

Below is an example of one of the images I created for the campaign. The quote is short and sweet but carries so much meaning.

The image got 57 Likes, which is great, but what was amazing was it got almost as many (56) Shares! That’s huge.

People are telling us that they like what Give Day Tampa Bay is sharing so much that they want to share it with their friends, spread the word.

The image carries even more weight for the campaign by including visual branding and a unique hash tag. This way, no matter where people find this post, they can connect it back to Give Day Tampa Bay.

2. Use Images of People (Shiny Happy People)

People love to see images of other people. Why? Being part of the same species and all, we can easily relate to what others are doing or how they are feeling.

The first characteristic we typically notice about another person is their face. Therefore, this is how we best identify each other.

As an extension of my previous topic, the face is also connected with emotion. In 1964, following the hypotheses of Charles Darwin, Silvan “Tompkins conducted the first study demonstrating that facial expressions were reliably associated with certain emotional states.”

The emotions translated through the face are just as contagious, if not more, than feel good sayings. When I see a picture of someone smiling, I find myself smiling right back. Don’t you?

Another reason pictures of people perform well on social media is the human desire to be part of a community. We feel a stronger connection with a business or personality when we can see the person behind it.

For Lab3 Marketing’s client Bay Stage Live, a family owned and operated entertainment technologies business, I create custom birthday and work anniversary images.

Their audience often feels naturally compelled to engage with these posts when they see a familiar face, especially when it’s cause for celebration.

Similar to how I smile when I see a picture of a smiling person, I want to have fun when I see others having fun. I want to get in on the action! And so does Bay Stage Live’s audience.

3. Create Announcements of Local Events

If you own a company that relies on local business, then you want to attract the local audience. A great way of doing this is to share news and events happening in your area.

Creating a unique, branded image to announce an event helps contribute new content for the event as well as promote your business.

This works especially well for Lab3’s client Hilton Tampa Downtown. It’s an ideal location for people to stay during big events happening in Tampa.

One of the many events that we have promoted using branded images is Gasparilla. The organic reach proved successful because the image is relevant to our client’s audience. 

Even though the paid reach was a whopping 32x  more than organic, more than 40% of the engagement was from the organic reach!

Sharing information about local events also adds value to your business by saying, “I know and care about what’s going on in my community.”

4. Create Images That Ask Questions

Something else people love is to share their opinion.

Social media marketers often talk about prompting people to do just that by asking questions in a post or comment. But, what about posing your question right in the image?

For Lab3’s client Agape Diamonds, I created images that show three different styles of rings with the simple question, “which one do you like best?” The comments came rolling in. The post below got incredible engagement before the client even added paid reach!

Don’t be discouraged if your post doesn’t get great engagement the first time. If it does, that’s fantastic. It probably means that your audience is already paying attention.

Sometimes, however, it takes a little more time for people to catch on to these new opinion polls you are creating. Keep at it and the number of comments will increase with each effort.

Wrapping Up

Basic marketing techniques involve people seeing and interacting with your logo, content and product. The more exposure people have with your brand, the more it will be at the front of their minds when they are in need of your product or service.

Also, by sharing images of happy employees, motivating quotes and local events, you are building a positive reputation with your audience. You are sending messages about your work environment and values.

If this sounds like a lot of work, don’t get overwhelmed. Start by choosing one technique that fits your brand and give it a shot. Play around with different image styles and calls to action to find out what resonates with your audience.