Generating traction on social media requires using high quality images. One case study cited by Neil Patel found that changing your images can increase exposure by 105% or more. Other marketers have noticed even more significant differences.
If you are struggling to get your content shared on social media, you should consider finding better ways to design your images. Here are some tips to design better images for your social media marketing campaigns.
Start with a High-Quality Image as Your Base
A couple of years ago, I was trying to run online dating campaigns on Plenty of Fish. I spoke with Ben Louie, the former account manager and marketing lead over there. I had just signed up for a new tool called CrazyCTR, which can make images stand out much better with borders and other visual effects.
Ben told me that while tools like CrazyCTR can be useful, they won’t do much if the image you are trying to edit is of poor quality. You need to vet your images carefully before trying to edit them. Try testing them on Instagram with a basic caption first to see if they get shared. Once you have tested 30 or so images, you can start playing around with the ones that performed the best.
Try Instagram’s Own Filters First
There are lots of third-party apps that you can use to modify your images. They can be very helpful or even necessary. However, before you start experimenting with them, you will want to try testing the filters on Instagram first. It will be easier to test them when they are all in one place.
Use a Split-testing Tool to See what Images Work Best
It is impossible to predict which images are going to work the best on Instagram ahead of time. You will need to split-test them for the best results. To perform a split-test, you will want to use a tool like Smarthash. Try to keep all other variables the same while performing a split-test, so you can get reliable data to see which images work the best.
Test Changes that Will Make the Biggest Difference First
Some changes will have a much bigger effect on the performance of your images than others. You will want to begin by testing the changes that will have the biggest impact. Here are some of the variables that might be most worth trying in your split tests:
- Rotating colors of your background
- Changing the border color
- Adding large captions in different colored fonts
Changing the border size probably won’t make a very big difference. Other small changes aren’t really worth testing either. You want to find the changes that will have the boldest impact first, before trying to tweak other elements. If you are trying to get automated Instagram views, you will be happy that you took the time to think about the factors that would play the largest role in your success.
Great Images Will Improve Your Social Media Campaigns
If you are trying to build your brand on Facebook, Instagram or another major social media site, you are going to need very high-quality images. You will need to find great existing images and try editing them to your liking. After testing a variety of images, you will find some will work very well.