The Secret to Your Event Company’s Social Media Success: Images!
In the age of social media, images are pivotal for creating any type of marketing content. In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised to learn that much of your advertising takes place on social media. Not only do images create visual appeal, but they also set the tone for your posts and your brand, so it’s important to put thought into what you’re posting on your blog and social media accounts.
If your social media account and advertisements aren’t getting the attention you think they deserve, your images may be to blame. Inconsistent styles, blurry images, or poorly sized photos can all distract clients from your brand and therefore your business. Platforms like Instagram and Facebook are the perfect place to create a cohesive, visual representation of your brand, mission, and of course, your inventory. Adding high quality, curated images will draw the attention of prospective clients— and remind previous clients why they chose you to begin with. Your company’s social media is the perfect place to showcase your business, so don’t be afraid to show off!
Step 1: Get a photo
So, how do you get the perfect photos for your marketing post?
There are a few ways to go about this.
Ideally, you’ll want all custom images, meaning images you took, you hired someone to take, or photos your customers took of your items, events, and your team. This will allow new and potential clients to see your hard work in action and get to know you and your team. Show your faces! People are much more likely to want to partner with a business with people they know and are familiar with.
The second option is stock images. Stock images are photos taken by photographers for general use, meaning they weren’t taken with a specific project in mind. You may have to do some digging to find the right image to match your tone and brand, but luckily there are a lot of beautiful options out there that will add the perfect punch to your content.
Custom images
Custom images are the ideal option. They’re photos taken specifically for or about your company. We recommend using these as much as possible for a custom feel.
DIY – Thanks to modern technology, smartphones now have a pretty good camera as part of their design. This means that you don’t need professional equipment to take professional quality photos. If you’re new to digital/smartphone photography, we recommend checking out these guides from Time, HubSpot, and The School of Photography to learn some basics. You’ll be taking high quality photos of your inventory and events in no time!
Hire a photographer – Hiring a photographer is an excellent move if you’re looking to start a big marketing campaign (and/or redesigning your website). This will ensure you’re putting your best foot forward. If you’re on a budget, don’t be afraid to seek out photographers at your local college or university; there are many skilled photographers at the senior level looking for experience so you’ll be able to get a more affordable rate.
User-generated content – People will often post pictures of their events to their social media account. When you find some great images, don’t be afraid to reach out and ask if you can use them — with proper accreditation, of course. You can also create a custom hashtag for your event company’s social media, so all user-generated content is easy to find!
Stock photos
In a perfect world, you’d always have a surplus of gorgeous photos you’ve taken yourself right on your phone. For busy event pros, that’s not always possible! So, what do you do when you need a great photo and don’t have the time to take it yourself? The answer is: use a high quality stock photo. There are many great sites out there full of beautiful, ready to use images that will catch the eye of your audience. Here’s a few sites that we like:
The most important thing to remember about stock photos is to check the copyright guidelines for the image you want to use; while many stock photos are free use, others require attribution or are not allowed for commercial use.
Step 2: Resize your photos to fit your platform
Images not appropriately sized to their platform (i.e. Instagram, Pinterest, etc.) can result in skewed, cropped, and/or blurry images. Most blog templates will give you guidelines on the best size for your images, so you’ll want to check with your developer or template for that information. Social media, however, has specific size guidelines so your images will always display the way you intended. You can post images outside of these guidelines, but your results will vary.
| Square | 1200px x 1200px |
| Portrait | 630px x 1200px |
| Landscape | 1200px x 630px |
| Stories | 1080px x 1920px |
| Standard Square | 1080px x 1080px |
| Portrait | 1080px x 1350px |
| Landscape | 1080px x 608px |
| Story | 1080px x 1920px |
| IGTV | 420px x 654px |
| Square | 1000px x 1000px |
| Recommended size | 1000px x 1500px |
| Story | 1080px x 1920px |
| Landscape | 1024px x 512px |
| Stories | 1080px x 1920px |
Step 3: Post to your platforms!
It’s time to post! Now that you have your perfect, eye-catching image to support your content and brand, it’s time to post. Make sure you’re posting consistently, so your company’s social media becomes familiar to your clients. Your photos should show your brand’s personality and show a distinct mood (think warm or cool colors, neutrals, etc) so that when your followers see your photos they immediately know it’s you— instant recognition is key. You can achieve this by focusing on specific vibes in your photos, or through filters. Get creative!
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