If the popularity of image-friendly forms of social media are any indication, a picture can be worth more than just words, as the old saying goes. According to a visual marketing study, when Facebook switched formats to include a large visual wallpaper at the top of a user’s profile page, engagement with business pages went up 46% per post. Furthermore, companies reported around a 65% increase in consumer engagement.
When providing your retailers with effective online marketing materials, it is crucial not to overlook the importance of an impactful image. Images don’t state facts. Images tell stories. We use nonverbal communications to get a sense of emotion and context, and often times they are more impactful than written words. Aside from fully designed campaigns, you can empower your retailers in their own marketing pursuits by providing them with simple downloadable images.
One easy way to do this is with the Promoboxx Downloadables feature, where you can post items for your retailers as well as track which ones they’re sharing. Retailers can showcase these items as their Facebook wallpaper, Twitter picture, on their Instagram and Pinterest accounts, print ads, or in their blog.
If you are going to repurpose your campaign images by making them a downloadable as well, make sure that your images are not too text laden. If your retailer tries to make your image a boosted ad on Facebook, they will not be permitted to do so if the image is comprised of more than 20% text. To learn more about Facebook’s qualifications and how to measure the text in your image, click here. As previously stated, the added feature of a large picture (called wallpaper) on users’ profile accounts has significantly increased engagement with business pages. When you upload an image intended for Facebook wallpaper, keep a couple of things in mind:
The retailer’s profile picture will obstruct the view of the lower left corner of the wallpaper image unless the wallpaper is clicked on.
When the Facebook page loads, the top 211 pixels of your image will be hidden, unless you scroll up.
Wallpapers are significantly wider than they are tall (851 x 315 pixels).
So keeping all of this in mind, you want a shorter, wider picture (851 x 351 pixels) with all of the important information/graphics in the right, horizontal 658 pixels (out of the 851 pixels) and lower, vertical 145 pixels (out of the 315 pixels). Make sure your photos are dynamic and eye-catching. Don’t be afraid to play around with the format (i.e. create “top secret” hidden content in your image where it will be hidden by the profile picture, encouraging the consumer to click on the photo for more information).
Twitter has a similar format as Facebook, with both a profile picture and a larger wallpaper on a user’s profile page. Here is another opportunity to make a big impact with a large image. When supplying downloadables for Twitter, keep these points in mind:
Wallpapers are wider than they are tall, at 520 x 260 pixels.
The profile picture lands in the middle, top portion of the wallpaper and takes up 80 x 80 pixels of wallpaper space.
The account name and handle appear under the profile picture in large font.
Keeping all of this in mind, showcase any important text/graphics in the right-hand side, left-hand side, or lower half of the image.
Instagram is a unique channel for photo sharing because the platform is entirely dedicated to images. It is usually a best practice to have a text-less picture that focuses on the product. Here’s something important to remember when creating images for Instagram use:
The dimensions of a posted picture in a user’s news feed are 161 x 161 pixels. If your photo dimensions are not a square, you will have to crop your photo.
When a consumer looks at your retailer’s Instagram account online, and they click on your image, it will be enlarged to a 612 x 612 pixels.
This is important to keep in mind in the creation of your photo, so that the retailer does not have to crop out anything important in your graphic. To ensure optimal quality in any view, try to upload downloadables in the maximum resolution Instagram allows: 2,048 x 2,048 pixels. Also, your retailers will most likely use one of the filters that allows for hue/brightness/saturation manipulation of the photo , so make sure the pictures are colorful and aesthetically pleasing. This means no stock photos. Instagram allows your brand’s personality to shine through, so don’t hesitate to be creative and playful with the images you provide retailers.
Pinterest is a great way to generate buzz around new or exciting products. The power of Pinterest is in it’s image optimization and sharability. Pinterest serves as a medium to save and share links and pictures from all over the internet using its browser bookmarklet. When providing your retailers with images for Pinterest keep a couple of things in mind:
Images that are at least 600 pixels wide will look best.
Images must be at least 100 x 200 pixels.
When pinned, an image will be adjusted to 238 pixels wide and the height will auto-adjust, depending on the original picture’s dimensions.
Your images can be longer than they are wide, and should be at least 600 pixels. When a user sees a post on their news feed by someone that they follow, they can “re-pin” the post, allowing all of their followers to see the post on their newsfeeds. This is a great way to get a lot of reach with a downloadable. Make sure to provide retailers with images of your product in use, as people are more likely to pin something to their board that they would like to incorporate into their everyday lives.
Image Quality – Images may also be used by the retailer for their blog or print ads, so make sure you are always providing the highest quality version, as different templates may stretch or skew the picture.
Image Quantity – While quality is still key, the more downloadables that you provide your retailers, the more opportunities they have to market your brand!
Testing – Don’t be afraid to play around with various versions of the same photo; different techniques work best for different marketing mediums.
Be Creative! – Whenever providing the retailer with downloadable images, think creatively. Do not simply provide them with stock images that they would get off of any search engine. Remember: your retailers engage with your brand for the exclusive content you offer them.
You are now fully equipped with all the tips and tricks you need to have your retailers share more across their social channels. Let them help tell more of your brand’s story!
