Continuing our series on using stock images in your Naples marketing efforts, it’s time to take a look at social media.

It’s likely that social media plays a central role in your marketing efforts, as it should, it is 2018 after all, but you shouldn’t just be throwing any message you can find on your posts. You need to carefully plan what images will go with a specific post and why.

Does the image stay consistent with your overall theme and message? Would you be able to identify this image with your Naples brand without context? Does the image add anything to your post? These are just a few important questions to ask yourself each and every time you post.

And here’s another we should probably ask first: Why would you want to use images in your content?

You need to. Plain and simple.

It’s pretty convincing when you look at the numbers, because blogs with images receive 94 percent more likes than blogs without them. Social media updates which contain images receive far more likes, retweets, and shares than those that do not. In short: you need visuals to reach your audience effectively.

Lucky for us…Naples, Marco Island, Bonita Springs, Ft Myers Beach, Ave Maria (the list goes on) and all of Southwest Florida is rich with dynamic photo opportunities.

All social networks emphasize visual elements now that smartphones allow anyone to easily upload images. That’s why you need images in nearly everything you post to your social media accounts. Here are a few strategies to help you effectively use stock images in your social media marketing.

Using Stock Images for Naples area Social Media

Stock images are a valuable tool when it comes to building your brand on social media. You can use your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and any other social media feed to build your Naples brand awareness and promote your message using compelling images.

There are curated photo libraries that you can use to keep your brand messaging on a consistent theme and even add text overlays.

Capture Your Naples Area Audience’s Attention

People have short attention spans. Think of how quickly a person scrolls through their social media feed. You only have a fraction of a second to capture their attention with a great image or photograph. And once you have it, you want to make sure the messaging adds some value.

Otherwise next time they recognize an image on your theme or with your logo, they will scroll right past. You need to effectively marry a great stock photograph with compelling content that holds their attention and leads them to act. This can’t be done with a lengthy post without an image. Great image + short, effective content is the way to go.

Add Some Color to Your Page & Posts About Naples

Lots of posts to your accounts with no images or photographs would seem rather monotonous and boring, wouldn’t it? Images are a great way to break up a blasé looking page and make it more interesting. Choose vibrant phots that capture and mood and message you’d like to be your overall theme. This can spice up even the most boring pages.

Drive Your Point Home

Quality written content is great, and can help to persuade readers, but adding effective images takes things a step further. Stock images added to longer posts can create natural breaks to give your readers time to stop and think about the points you are making.

This can be especially valuable when you are trying to describe how your product works, giving directions, or listing separate points. And selling Naples.  An image break allows your reader time to clear their head before moving on to the next step or point. This should help them to achieve a better understanding of your overall message.

Improve Your SEO

This is something every company, marketing, and even stay-at-home blogger will try to do: boost your SEO. Search engine rankings will decide who is going to see your content and having effective stock images in your posts can help move your page up the list.

To have a healthier online presence, you can simply add more effective images to your posts, and make sure you add relevant alt and meta tags to all content. These tags are vital to the performance of your pages.

All you need to do is make sure all of your images have a name, a title tag, alt tag, and meta description, all of which should include your focus keyword. If you label these tags properly, loaded with your focus keyword, it will help Google index your content for that topic and see how relevant and useful your content is to users.

On your Naples area social media posts, always take advantage of the tagging system available, and use effective hashtags as much as possible. This will index your content within that social media platform as well.

Summary

These are some of the ways effectively utilizing stock images in your social media content can help to boost your overall brand. Stock images can be a powerful tool in your online marketing efforts, but only if you choose them wisely and use them correctly. Read my other posts on this topic to create a more well-rounded online marketing campaign using stock images.

Looking for a professional real estate photographer in Southwest Florida? Jon Kreider at Sun Services SW has expertly photographed properties in the area since 2013. A commercial photographer serving the Naples, Marco Island, and Bonita Springs communities, Jon specializes in real estate photography and video, bringing homes to life online before they are viewed in person. Visit Jon’s website or shoot him an email today at jon@sunservicessw.com to discuss your real estate photography needs.