Images in online media matter!

Photos grab attention and communicate so much more than simple text.

As well, images are more "socially shareable".  Text can't be shared on Pinterest, but text in an image can be shared on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and more!

Images also encourage more engagement that simple text.  On Facebook, for example, not only do photo posts get more engagement than links, videos or text-based updates, they actually account for 93% of the most engaging posts on Facebook.

Look at this example for instance.  Are you going to copy this text and share it?

"Make Helping Not Hyping part of your Online Strategy"

 

Or are you more readily going to share the image below on Pinterest, Twitter, or Facebook?  Same text, just now in a image.

helping

Images DO matter in today's online marketing world.  The use of images creatively needs to be part of your online marketing strategy.

No, you don't need to be a professional designer or a PhotoShop pro to create quality, socially shareable images. There are ways you can use free tools to create and customize images.

Here's 3 online tools you can use NOW to customize images to create more buzz in your marketing:

Below are some quickly created and readily shareable examples of what I'm talking about!

fall-photo

 

Death, Taxes, and Facebook Changes

 

success2

 

 

m2issed-shots-square

 

So go for it!  Give those sites a try and start bringing your best quotes and calls-to-action to life in images!

 

07-28-2013-Companies often come knocking, wanting to know how to succeed in growing their business online.

They recognize that marketing and sales have changed in the past 10 years in a drastic and significant way.  From primarily print driven and direct sales person to person, to now being online and global.  As well, the shift has included moving from locally focused markets to facing competition internationally via ecommerce sales.  The changes have been fast, swift, and widespread.

So what counsel do I offer?  I largely look to five key items.  These five items are crucial for businesses to adopt and integrate in order to stay relevant and grow.

5 Keys for Businesses to Thrive in this Digital Age

Blogging

Blogging is your online identity and footprint.  It is the voice that speaks from your website and communicates regularly to consumers, customers, and the world.  Every company website needs a blog.  The ability for a company to produce relevant, engaging content on their blog enables that company to be found in search engines and adds more and more volumes of shareable content that consumers then take further and share more via social media.  Businesses need to be blogging about features of their products, their special offers, events, and other relevant items.  As well, in addition to offering value through content, a blog is truly valuable only if it also serves as a hub that includes active consumer interaction via comments on posts, social sharing tools to increase the reach of each post to others, and the ability to convert visitors to leads via email opt-ins and lead capture features.

Social Media

Social Media is a new norm.  It is here to stay.  Social networks foster person to person communication and the multi-channel methods of interaction then allow businesses to intersect and become part of this community.  Social Media provides opportunities for businesses to be further found, for individuals to ask companies questions and to get support questions answered.  Social Media is becoming a source of breaking news, information, and a gathering place all at one time.  Social Media helps companies because as businesses post and engage consumers, those consumers, in turn, then further share their views, interactions with, and loyalties to companies among their friends and network.

Visual Media

While this may look like a strange addition compared to the two prior points, it's another key and related asset that weaves in with the others and yet stands on its own as well. By visual media we are referring to the use of images and video online.  Images and video are important and vital to communicating on blogs as well as in social media.  Yet, not just as an addition, visual media has now created its own social networks.   Images and video are central to platforms like Instagram and Pinterest which have gained massive amounts of users in the past year alone.  These networks are thriving on their own and they also drive traffic and awareness to other sources such as websites and blogs.  When people are busy and inundated with content, images can communicate and differentiate. Taking seriously the need to communicate visually is critical to the online success of any business today.

Email Marketing

While it may seem like the "old man" in this group of digital tools, email continues to be an important and valuable tool that businesses must leverage to compete.  Email marketing is the ability to send bulk email messages to hundreds or thousands of customers or interested parties that have at some point opted in to allow this communication.  Study after study shows that a business that takes seriously finding ways to grow their email list by capturing leads and then sending relevant and timely messages to the list offers a great way to grow sales, inform consumers, and remain top-of-mind.

Mobile Sites and Apps

Get used to it.  Mobile is here to stay.  With nearly  1 out of 2 Americans using a Smart Phone and the percentages rising monthly, mobile is going to be an important part of any businesses online strategy.  First off is to ensure visitors to your website and blog get a clean and helpful experience when on their mobile device.  Mobile is not simply a website or blog in a smaller fashion but intentionally narrowing down information and presenting in order to best communicate in the smaller and unique space. With smart phones, data plans, and app stores becoming commonplace, businesses wanting to compete need to understand the needs of their customers and communities, and deliver the type of mobile experience via mobile sites and apps that increase interaction and loyalty.

In summary, each of these five items is important in its own right in this digital age.  The priority for each will be driven by the needs of one's customers but each has important value.  When collectively implemented in ways that complement each other, these five keys help drive business success in this digital age.

What do you think?  Anything I'm missing?

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