You know what they say about a picture says a thousand words? I may be a writer, but even the most compelling copy needs images to enhance the message.
Think about it – a blog like this with no image to decorate the top and attract the eye would look pretty boring. What about a web page that was top to bottom text only? Social media used to be text-heavy, but today images and video rule. Text only posts get far fewer views.
Both Pinterest and Instagram use this maxim very effectively. And they’re brilliant for promoting products, as long as you don’t sell too hard.
Instagram is an excellent platform for engagement and building awareness and visibility. In fact, Instagram is actively encouraging businesses to use the platform to promote their businesses with the proposed new Shopping channel.
As Insta have IGTV it makes short videos easy to share and lets your audience see the human side of your business too.
Pinterest is a very different animal – and lots of people just can’t see the point, but I’ve listened to more than one conversation where one of the people says ‘… and I go on Pinterest to check out products and get ideas for things I want to buy’.
According to Omnicore:
- 93% of active pinners said they use Pinterest to plan for purchases and 87% said they’ve purchased something because of Pinterest.
- 40% of Pinners have a Household Income of $100k+
- 87% of Pinners have purchased a product because of Pinterest.
- 72% of Pinners use Pinterest to decide what to buy offline.
- 50% have made a purchase after seeing a promoted pin.
Even if you are selling a service rather than a product, infographics are a fantastic way to share your expertise and build your reputation as the ‘go-to’ person for your specialism. A good infographic gets shared a lot, providing it’s got useful information in it. Think 10 ways to …; 7 facts about …; How to …; The Ultimate [subject] Checklist.
Pinterest is simple – you create your image and pin it to a board with a relevant name. It’s not a conversation, you literally just pin images … and you can follow other pinners and repin their images too. If you really want to get to grips with it and how it works, read this article.
So don’t underestimate picture power as a business promotion strategy, you may be surprised at how effective it is.
