INSIGHT
20% of the messaging you are putting out
there in your campaigns is being read,
understood or retained.
●●Visual
content is now 40x more likely to
get shared on social media than any other
content type 3
This is a pretty powerful message, so trust
me when I say it’s worth the time and effort
to get your social media images sized and
centred correctly before you post them!
If we really are visually aware, and retain
these images for up to three days, do you
still want to post something on your social
media or blog that isn’t perfect, given it will
be shared more than you think? How does
that affect your brand, or campaign, or
reputation going forward? Also, don’t post
just for the sake of it. Post something that’s
going to make an impact to your business,
will elevate your campaign engagement and
impress your audiences.
●●Facebook
posts with a picture are 2.3 times
more engaging than those without 4
You probably knew this already, but now
you know exactly why (we are visual
retainers, remember?) Don’t skimp on
pushing notifications out as text just
because you are under a deadline to get
it done. Make your message relevant and
engaging enough to be remembered and
you will find you have to do less campaigns
to reach your objectives. It boils down to
finding ways to work smarter, not harder,
and being authentic to your brand, your
online presence and making your digital
footprint speak louder than words.
Stock images are expensive… but guess
what, you don’t have to rob a bank or be a
professional photographer to access or use
great images to deliver your promotional
messaging.
There are loads of applications available
that can help you get free source images –
learn to take your own and be unique. With
image editing tools and a simple iPhone
camera, you can ensure your messages
stand out from the crowd and convert
online viewers into paying customers.
Whether you have an affiliate site and
want to share news and information in
an optimised setting, or are an operator
looking to differentiate your marketing
campaigns and stand out from the crowd,
the following three tips will help you to get
the best possible visuals using the tools and
tech at your disposal.
1. Focus on your composition
Pictures need to tell a story and to convey
this to your audience. To achieve this, you
need to make, not “take” a photograph.
Composition can also play an important
part in enhancing or creating a more
powerful image, getting your message
across with conviction. There are various
rules that photographers apply to achieve
this, the most important being the rule of
thirds, whereby the frame of the image is
divided into three columns and three rows
and you place the main aspect of your
picture where the lines meet. Avoid placing
the image you are taking dead centre
and use leading lines in the photograph
to elevate it, as it will give a sense of
perspective and three dimensional depth
that leads your audience into the picture.
If you are using your iPhone camera, try
to shoot in square, as you can very quickly
take this straight into most social media
channels directly from your device.
2. Get your sizing right before you
post!
There is nothing worse than seeing a
social media post with half an image
cut out or not showing the message or
bonus correctly. It looks like spam and is
extremely unprofessional.
These free tools can also help you
improve your social media image posting
●●Canva – a great product for image design
●●Picfont – great for adding content over
an image (especially ones with negative
space)
●●Internet Marketing Ninja – has a great
social image resizer tool (Simply check
1. www.pewinternet.org/2015/08/19/the-demographics-of-social-media-users/
2. www.lifelearn.com/2015/05/12/why-infographics-work
3. https://blog.bufferapp.com/infographics-visual-content-marketing
4. BuzzSumo
58
iGB Affiliate Issue 57 JUN/JUL 2016
this cheat sheet – www.omnicoreagency.
com/essential-social-media-designsizing-cheat-sheet/ – for the image you
require and re-size in seconds)
3. Make use of all the free images
already online
If you don’t feel comfortable making your
own photographs, you can use these free
resources to add quick visuals to your
social messages and promotions. Some of
my favourites are:
●●www.freedigitalphotos.net – quite a few
nice casino and slots pics here – most
smaller sizes are free
●●www.pexels.com – some great sports
imagery here
●●www.pixabay.com – sports complement
is good here too
●●www.negativespace.com – for more
artistic shots you can overlay messaging in
It’s all about keeping it simple and ensuring
your key message is not ignored in the
masses of information we are absorbing
daily across multiple online channels.
Getting your visual messaging right first
time will help you do this and it will engage
your audience to convert at a higher level.
So take a bit of time to get it 100% right
and you may be pleasantly surprised at the
results, relationships or revenue it delivers.
This experience has certainly helped me refocus my own digital marketing campaigns
to ensure a better result by utilising visuals
that stimulate engagement and reaction.
LEE-ANN JOHNSTONE
is Director - Affiliates
& Merchant Marketing
(Digital Wallets) at Paysafe
Group, which recently
rebranded from Optimal
Payments. Lee-Ann joined Optimal
in 2011, where she developed and
implemented acquisition programs
via affiliate (