A picture speaks a thousand words is a saying you’ve heard forever, and now that you’re an entrepreneur you know it to be true now more than ever. You’ve seen the statistics that prove your social media posts with images get more interactions, that marketing materials with images hold more attention, and that even in-store signage with graphics performs better than signs with a single word. The fact that images have such a huge impact on customers is exactly why you have to put a great deal of thought into the graphics and photos that you use in your marketing. The details that you need to consider can be overwhelming, but fear not! We’ve written this guide to help you out.
Assign the image a job. When you search for an image to accompany a post or newsletter or flyer you need to know what it is that your image is going to do. Do you want customers to stop and say, “Awww! Cute!” or “Oh, I need that!” or “That’s funny!” or “Wait, what’s that?” When you assign a task to your image, you can narrow down your search drastically and avoid wasting an afternoon browsing images. Also, you’ll get the right image. As much as measurements matter, if you add an inappropriate image to your content you risk alienating customers because they think you don’t know what you’re doing. But you do know what you’re doing! Because next up you are going to…
Pinky swear that you’ll only ever use high-quality images. When you upload a photo to Facebook or into your newsletter or onto a business card the tool you’re using converts the file into 
yet another file. Often, files are shrunk, but it’s more like the time Aunt Marge squeezed your face and told you how cute you were rather than borrowing Ant Man’s suit. You want to start with the original photo or graphic, and if you like a meme and aren’t willing to share it from someone’s page, you have to make your own. Poor or low quality images are obvious because they look blurry (a.k.a pixelated) or the colours are off.
Go Pro. Avoid disappointment by using professional-grade images that you paid for either from a photographer, graphic designer, or professional image website like Shutterstock. Are looking at a free source? Buyer beware, you get what you pay for. On social media, you can use photos you took with your phone, but if you plan on printing posters or trade show banners there could be embarrassing and costly quality issues.
Customers can tell right away whether the photos or graphics used in your content – whatever that content may be – is professional. Take the time necessary to select just the right image every time, for every job and remain a fierce competitor in your field.
Jelly Triangle offers customized graphic design and additional imagery options for our clients! Chat us up when you need a new logo, you’re rebranding, or just aren’t sure how to source image material for your day-to-day marketing needs. Give us a call at 519-624-8888 to book your complimentary consultation.
