How To Use Images For Your Content Marketing Strategy : You probably know by now that content marketing needs more than just a well-written text to be compelling and efficient. You probably know by now that content marketing needs more than just a well-written text to be compelling and efficient.
Marketers and SEO practitioners know very well that the key to obtaining more traffic is attracting more visitors to your website and abiding with the algorithms that are responsible for ranking your site in search result pages.
And, to obtain that attention, it’s vital to use images strategically. When you implement them correctly, images will enhance and complement your contents, seize the interests of new readers, and enhance your odds of getting found in organic pages.
Jack from www.orbonline.co.uk said: ‘As a marketing tool, using images is one of the most efficient ways of getting your brand out there. Where people will avoid reading large bodies of text, looking at an image is almost second nature, so fitting in essential information on an image or an infographic is a great way to promote your brand to a broader audience.’
How To Use Images For Your Content Marketing Strategy
Understanding the Basics of Copywriting
First of all, it’s paramount that you know why images are crucial in a social context. According to the study conducted by Forbes, 94% of blogs with images generate more views compared to the ones with no pictures. Even social media updates get more shares, likes, and retweets with pictures or icons to support their contents.
The logic behind is simple. The reader’s eyes are naturally attracted to text with images. We’re now living in a visual culture, so you need to take advantage.
The accessibility of taking and uploading contents increase for the last five years, thanks to the availability of social media platforms and smartphones. With the availability and abundance of image-laden contents, your text-only strategy could easily get lost in the dust.
Different Types of Images For Strategy
Now that you know why images are important, the next step is to find out the best types of images to use.
There are effective ways to utilize the right images for your content strategies. Choose images with unique strengths, depending on the context of its usage.
- Infographics need effort and time to be efficient, but they could be your best cards to generate more traffic for your contents. Infographics contain valuable information and statistics in a visual and engaging way. They work well without additional materials to support them, gets published on media channels and attracts inbound links.
- Blog images are a must-have in every content marketing arsenal. Blog images are usually found in the header or in between the text. These images served as a representation of the core content of the posts and used on social media channels to showcase the blog.
- Product images are a necessity for e-commerce platforms. Use product images for every product that you offer and be sure to use consistent and high-quality images. It will allow the users to contrast and compare your products efficiently. On the other hand, non-e-commerce sites, in general, don’t need to worry about product images.
Where to Go For Images
For content marketers and bloggers, looking for quality images is the most difficult part of the process. It’s vital to find attention-calling yet appropriate images for work. Finding free images can be daunting and paying for stock images can be expensive.
Photo Pin is a good option for those who are looking for free photos. It allows you to look for Creative Commons images from Flickr, which you can download and add to your blog. After finding the images that you are looking for, check for the license because some images are not allowed for commercial use.
Another option is Picjumbo. It offers new and free images every day. There’s a paid membership for 6 dollars a month and also accepts optional donations. Below are the other viable options too:
- Pixabay
- FreeImages.com
- Wikimedia Commons
- Compfight
The rule of thumb is to comprehend the attribution requirements and to license for the images you download. The majority of the sites above are great examples of sites that explain how to use their pictures. But take extra precaution because again, there are non-commercial images that you can’t use for your blogs.
The Proper Attribution
Regardless of what images you use for your article, it’s important that you give proper attribution or credit to the owners. The majority of the resources will provide shortcodes that you can copy and paste below your blog post. Correct attribution may be a legal requirement for using the royalty-free images. It depends on where you get them.
But with royalty or not, it’s a common courtesy that you give the owner of the photos or images proper credentials.
Check for alternative instructions for attribution if there are no codes for copying and pasting. Typically, you give credit to the author, but if there’s no indication of the author, you can attribute the website by name. Just be sure to include back links where you got the images.
Moreover, if a trademarked product or registered trademark appears in the image, you need to add a note referencing that brand.
Takeaway Utilize the images well to grab the attention of readers. It might take some time to get the right icons and photos for your contents, but it’s worth the time and efforts. If you’re looking for productive ways to enhance your content marketing strategy and generate more audience in different social media platforms, check out as many resources as you can.
Author Bio:
Iman Bahrani is the founder of Searchical SEO, a digital marketing company devoted to providing top-notch digital marketing solutions to different companies across Australia. Apart from spending the big chunk of his time managing his business, Iman’s interests also extend to current events, news and politics. He is also a writer by heart and loves writing just about anything related to his expertise.
How To Use Images For Your Content Marketing Strategy
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