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October 23, 2017 Content Chat Recap: How to Create High-Impact Visuals for Your Content

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Pamela Wilson #ContentChatThis week, Pamela Wilson (@pamelaiwilson) joined #ContntChat for a conversation on how to create high-impact visuals as part of your content marketing program.

Q1: We know content needs visuals to attract viewers’ attention. What other ways can images help our content?

What’s the benefit of spending time and resources on creating custom images for our content?

You need to keep the audience’s attention to get through your content.

On social, images are what stops the scroll.

Images provide an additional channel for your audience to process the information you’re delivering, making it easier to digest.


Q2: What are some image types to avoid?

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but only if it’s the RIGHT image. Here’s the #ContentChat community’s take on images to avoid.

Ditch the overused stock photography and the dated clip art.

Avoid controversy and shocking visuals, unless controversy is one of your brand attributes.

Don’t use images full of text or other “busy” visuals.

Avoid visuals that can injure or annoy your audience.

Watch your photo crops.

Q3: How do great social media images differ from those that work best for blog posts?

Many content creators try to use the same visual for their blog posts and the social content that’s used to promote it. Here’s the #ContentChat attendees’ take on whether or not that works.

Great social media visuals are optimized for each channel.

Great social visuals are bold and stand out from the rest of the feed.

Blog images and social media visuals have two different jobs, driven by context (or a lack thereof).

Having consistency between blog and social images is important for building your brand.

Q4: I have a small budget. How can I create my own great images?

While it’s great to have a designer to support your visual content creation, it’s not necessary to have a big budget to create compelling visuals.

Use one of the visual content creation tools targeted to non-designers.

Put that iPhone to good use and take your own photos.

Q5: Is just posting a photo enough? Do we need to add copy to our images?

A great photo can stand alone and make an impression. So is it worth it to add copy or branding to your visuals?

Copy can give your image greater context and help it resonate with your audience.

Adding copy brands your visuals.

It depends.

Your images should be able to speak for themselves.

Q6: How can we create a consistent branded feel for our images?

Adding your branding to your visuals can create consistency for your audience and make it more recognizable. Here’s how to do it.

Watermark your visuals with your logo.

Define brand guidelines and use templates to ensure consistent branding.

Q7: What are some favorite resources for free or low-cost photos?

The #ContentChat attendees shared their favorite resources for low-cost visuals.

Q8: Can I use images I find in a Google search?

For our final question of the chat, we debunked the popular misconception that it’s OK to use all those images you find on Google search.

Don’t use Google search images!

Only use them if they are marked as royalty-free/public domain.

About Erika Heald

Erika Heald is a content marketing expert and executive ghostwriter. As founder and lead consultant at Erika Heald Marketing Consulting, she helps organizations define and document content marketing strategies that drive business growth. Erika led and grew high-performance content marketing teams at Highwire PR, Anaplan, and Achievers. You can also find her on her blog erikasglutenfreekitchen.com or hosting the weekly #ContentChat Twitter chat on Mondays at 12 noon Pacific.

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