I’m not going to go into the staggering statistics about using pictures in social media, but if you’re interested, here’s an article you can read that has more than enough statistics to go around.
What I will comment on is my personal experience with pictures in social media posts; they work. Using pictures in social media is one of the top ways to engage an audience. Pictures tell a story in an of themselves. But don’t be fooled – you can’t just snap a picture with your cell phone camera and think that it will be the end-all photo for your social media. There are some tips you should follow.
Tips for using pictures in social media
- Hold your phone in landscape mode (sideways) for the best picture or video possible.
- Make sure something identifying your property is in the picture (if not, use a branding image or watermark of some kind on your photo)
- Get the lighting right. It doesn’t need to be perfect, but at least make sure the primary light source is behind your camera, not the subject you are photographing
- Learn The Rules of Thirds for photography. That will come in very handy when taking pictures of any kind, but especially for your social media.
- Be aware of everything in your frame. If there is trash, a mess, or anything out of place – straighten it up and retake the picture.
- Be aware of OSHA and other regulatory bodies. If you happen to take a picture of something on your property that may raise a safety or other concern, best to fix the issue and retake the photo.
- Be prepared to have a photo release statement on file for people to sign. Some guests may not want their photo shared on your social media. It’s always best to ask them first, and get a release signed.
- Don’t exaggerate or overemphasize something. Pictures taken at specific angles can make objects appear larger or smaller than they really are, leading to a false expectation from your audience – which may be a potential guest – who would then comment about that issue on Social Media.
- The subject matter might be boring to you, but it might be the perfect thing someone else needed to see. Sure, the sun sets over your property’s pool every night. When is the last time you took a picture of that to share?
- Post at least one picture a day – if not more. I personally try to get at least one picture in a day on my social media accounts. I don’t get one in with every post; but at least one daily.
There are several different types of attachments you can get for your phones – lenses, flashes, stands, remotes – all of which will help take your photography to the next level. We’ll cover that in a later post.
Don’t think you have the time to take photos of your property? Sotellio can help. Just contact us today to get the conversation started.