Research shows that photos receive 53% more likes on Facebook than a typical text only post. Additionally, people will more often engage with brands that are utilizing pictures for posts as opposed to other less visual media. These statistics are important to remember when strategizing your social media posts for your business. Think about what engages you on social media and follow suit with your own content, photos, and videos.

Here are some of the ways you can use visual content to improve your social media marketing:

Photos that portray your brand/products/services

Companies that take and use photos of their employees, management, teamwork, office space, products and services, demonstrations, and more can use them creatively to engage social media users. Take a look at how Lowe’s utilizes their Pinterest page to show off their products and all of the fun and productive things you can do with them around your home.

Customers want to get to know brands and what better way than with an inside scoop on what the company is all about. Take advantage of visually creative social media sites like Pinterest and Instagram, and share your posts through other social media channels.

Videos that show your company’s culture

Video is as appealing as photos and can be used to share a message about your brand. YouTube exceeds 4 billion views on their videos each day, a mind blowing amount. Use videos to share your brand and culture with customers, give product demonstrations, or explain the services you have to offer.

Best Buy uses their YouTube channel to show off new products, learn more about the company, and allows customers to get to know their brand in a fun way. Check out this great new product video:

Infographics to display data and research

Providing customers with important data, statistics, and research can be difficult to present in a way that is both engaging and digestible. This is where infographics can become a real life saver. Provide information that is useful and informative, perhaps your infographics will even go viral. Here’s an infographic from JetBlue highlighting their busy 2012 holiday season.

Images to compliment text based messages

Use images to present text based messages like quotes, tips, events, statistics, even a joke. Use images that highlight your text and compliment it. These images will be much more grabbing, and true to statistics on Facebook, will generate more engagement and shares than text alone. Take a look at this text image from Burt’s Bees that shows off one of their products with a unique tip on how to use it.

Do you use visuals to improve your social media marketing efforts? Tell us about it.