You have probably noticed Facebook pages getting a lot of engagement (likes, shares and comments) from posts that include photos or images. There is actually some science behind this; photo posts generate an average of 120% more actions than text-based content.

So what does this mean for your Facebook strategy? I’m glad you ask because we’ve compiled a short list of just some of creative ways to use images on Facebook.

9 Facebook Photo Ideas:

1 – Initiate a Discussion

Social media revolves around people, your first goal should always be to engage your audience. Why not use an image to spark a conversation? Be creative in your image choice and be sure to include some sort of call to action in the accompanying post.

• Use a split panel image and ask which option is their favorite
• Post a photo and invite users to share their best idea for a caption
• Showcase a product with multiple color selections and let your customers indicate the best choice

2 – Provide “Backstage Access”

One of the key values in social media for business is the personification of your brand. When somebody decides to ‘like’ you on Facebook, they are probably familiar with your product or service but they may not know who you are or better yet, your story.

• Post a photo of your team hard at work
• Share a picture of management taking part of day to day operations
• Show your fans that you and your staff enjoying what they do, your passion for your work goes a long way

3 – Show Products in Action

You are probably showcasing your products on your website, maybe you even have a catalog. Why not show somebody using your products in a real life situation? You could even use this as an opportunity to crowd source some images from your fans (this has the added bonus of inclusion!).

4- Generate Interest for Future Offerings

As mentioned earlier, people love access, reward them for engaging with your page. Treat your Facebook page as a VIP newsletter, they subscribed to your updates for a reason.

• Post a series of sneak peak photos that show part of a new product
• Entertainers, post still images of an upcoming video shoot
• Create a guessing game using teaser images

5 – Share Community Involvement

Did your team participate in a community service project? Have you raised money for a local charity? Images are a great way to invoke emotions and in turn illicit positive response. In many cases your fan base may have joined in your efforts or even donated to a campaign, a photo is a great way to showcase results.

• Share a small photo album of your community service participation
• Post a picture of your management donating funds to a charity
• Include images of the people benefiting from your recent campaign

6 – Use Images to Drive Blog Traffic

A few months ago Facebook changed their method of displaying images from the web. Links posted with properly formatted images now appear in full width, creating a much better visual experience. Make sure you are using proper open graph tags and choose high resolution, optimized images for all of your blog posts. (Maybe you noticed the image we chose for this post)

7 – Communicate Company Values

Social media marketing is about storytelling and it is important for your fans to understand your brand mission. Be sure to provide context to your mission as you don’t want to include these messages as a form of push marketing. There are many sites out there that allow you to easily add text to an image or display a stylish quote, these are a perfect way to display your message.

• Display your mission statement over a staff/location photo
• Share a quote from your owner, president or managing partner
• Do you display your message in the office? Perfect, snap a photo and share it with your fans!

8 – Simply Tell People You’re Open

Is there a power outage in your area? Was there a major snow storm in your city? Maybe it’s simply a holiday. Regardless, it’s important that your customers know that you’re open! Nobody will come to your business if they assume you are closed.

• Share a picture of your freshly shoveled entry way
• Post a picture of your open sign and caption it with your hours
• Create a festive photo and post about your holiday schedule

9 – Leverage Current Events

I can’t place enough stress on the importance of listening to your audience in social media. If you don’t know what people are talking about, what people are interested, how do you expect to cater to their interests? With this in mind, pay attention to the social landscape and find active discussions that are going on around you. When you have a grasp on the conversations in your demographics you can properly engage and even have some fun with it along the way.

• We all know about Shark Week, have you tried to come up with a creative way to incorporate this phenomenon into your business?
• Post a photo about a local event that you attended
• Share an image that invokes emotion around a recent news event but PLEASE think before you post:

As you can see in the above example, Spaghetti-O’s probably had good intent but simply missed in execution. It is important to remain sensitive to events and the sentiment of your audience.

Stay Creative with your Facebook Updates

These are just a few of many concepts that can be used in shaping your Facebook post updates. It is important to be original and stay true to the voice of your brand when shaping your social media strategy. Part of our integrated marketing campaigns involve consultation and education to optimize all of your marketing efforts. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us for a free evaluation.