Use of Images on Social Media: An Overview

Have a list of the social media platforms that have photos as their primary content streams?

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Pinterest
• Twitter
• Snapchat

Here’s only a few of them. There are several others as well. These websites use the millions of photos that are posted on social media platforms on a regular basis. In fact, visual content is all set to dominate online marketing in 2015.

So, why do so many of the images appear extremely horrible?

The truth is people don’t care what kind of images they are posting on social media. And if you are looking for reasons behind this, there are, of course, quite a few as well.

They will be forgotten soon!

That’s exactly what people think about the images they post on the social media. So, they do not feel any special urge to post something amazing.

Not the Best Devices or Conditions

Most of the images shared on the social media websites are taken on smartphones. And naturally, the cameras of these smartphones are, of course, not as good as the DSLR-clicked images. Besides, the selfies or the photos clicked in a drunk or improper condition are usually far from attractive.

Every One is Not a Photographer

And now the most common problem with social media images – they aren’t click in the best possible manner. Because everyone is not capable of clicking pictures like an efficient photographer. Even if you possess a DSLR, it does not mean that you will be able to click like a pro.

So, lots of low quality images are shared on social media platforms on a regular basis.

But images play an extremely important role in social media marketing. Hence, it is quite important to use the right kinds of images to get maximum results.

Which images perform best on social media?

That’s what you need to know if you are planning your images to perform well on these platforms. And for that, you might even need to put on your photographer’s hat for some moment, as it might help you decide the types of images that are going to perform well on social media.

Different social media platforms require images of different sizes. Here’s a quick look at some of the techniques that you need to know while clicking or using images for your social media platform.

Centering isn’t Perfect Framing

Having OCD tendencies? Try to get out of it. Images don’t need to be placed right in the middle to be perfect. In fact, centered images are not able to attract the attention of the viewers as well as the off-centre ones do. So, it is better you try out different corners and other spaces of the frame as well.

Using Lights for the Images

Lighting is one of the most important aspects of photography. And if you want to make the picture perfect, then the use of lights needs to outstanding. It’s not always easy to move around with your complete light kit. But you have to keep in mind that the natural light can also be used in an excellent manner to create an image.

Background Needs to Selected Prudently

If the object is dark or colorful, white backgrounds work best. This is extremely true. Hence, try to get a white background for the images you are planning to click for social media. However, backgrounds of different other color also perform well when you are displaying light colored objects in front of it. Creating the right contrast between the object and the background is likely to help you significantly.

Try Out the Most Unusual Angles

Are you a professional photographer? You will then understand the importance of the use of various camera angles. And even if you aren’t, you surely like to view the images that are clicked using different types of angles. Remember, the most unusual angles of the images help to click the most interesting clicks. And with it, you will be more successful in attracting the attention of the viewers within a short time. Try out the most difficult angles for the photographs, if necessary. And then find the most amazing results that are going to make the marketing procedure easier for you.

Images play an extremely important role in social media marketing. However, they need to be used in the proper manner to make them effective enough.

Top 5 LinkedIn Mistakes to Avoid to Land Your Dream Job

Planning to change your job soon? You should then start looking for a new one for sure. There might be many ways to do that. And among them, the online world is surely one of the best ways to do it. There are so many websites that might help you find the right kind of job. But you can also go for some social media site for this as well. There are multiple social media websites that can help you find the right kind of job. For example, in addition to using it for connecting at personal levels, you can also depend on Facebook to look for jobs. However, when it comes to connecting professionally, LinkedIn surely rules the roost.

With as many as 347 million members on it, LinkedIn has all the potential that’s necessary to be a perfect job search platform. It can be used to connect with the people who can help you find your dream job. However, there are also a few mistakes that people commit while using LinkedIn for job search. Here’s a quick look at some of them.

Not Uploading Any Image on Profile

It’s your picture that has the ability to make the first impression on your potential employer. And it is the first thing that you should include in your LinkedIn profile when you are planning to use the platform for job search. LinkedIn expert Nicole Williams says, “You’re seven times more likely to have your profile viewed if you have one. Like a house that’s on sale, the assumption is that if there’s no photo, something’s wrong.” So, if you are eager to impress your potential employer immediately, the best thing that you can do is upload a picture in your LinkedIn profile. It’s sort of essential to use this image in the LinkedIn profile.

Using Someone Else’s Image

Do you have an image for your profile on LinkedIn? Is it your original image? If it’s not, then you are surely making a major mistake. There are several profiles on LinkedIn, which do not have the original photos of their owners. And the image should also show you in your professional best. LinkedIn is one of the major professional profiles. Hence, it should not show you in your personal avatar at all. You need to appear professional there, so that you can attract the attention of your potential employers.

Ignoring the Past Experience Part

You are looking for a job through LinkedIn. But is it the first job that you are looking for? Are you a fresher? Or, do you have some kind of experience of working somewhere else? Even if the job you have done is not relevant to what you are currently searching for, you should still show the experience in your profile. And the space for experience in the LinkedIn profile should not be left blank. You should fill it up with relevant details. You can find several profiles on Twitter, which do not have these details. And this is a mistake that backfires, especially when you are looking to enhance your LinkedIn profile to find a new job.

Not Giving Enough Attention to the LinkedIn Summary

An old format of resume had a part called the summary, which used to put forth your career highlights. The LinkedIn profile is necessary to attract the attention of your potential employers. So, it is also important to create a great summary that’s going to act as a resume for you in a way. You need to fill it up. But it has been observed that many profiles don’t have that part completed. So, it’s better to fill up the LinkedIn summary to complete the profile in a proper way.

Not Using the Privacy Settings of LinkedIn

Are you aware of the privacy settings that LinkedIn offers? There are quite a few of them. And it’s essential for you to have a proper idea about each of them. You don’t want your current boss or colleagues from the present company to know that you are planning to change the job, do you? Of course not. Besides, while looking for a new job, you are sure to have conversations with different people. You should also not let your employers have a look at those. And for this, it is essential to have the privacy settings in such a way that it is blocked from people whom you don’t want to see this.

If you are planning to use your LinkedIn profile to search for a job, it is essential for the profile to have every characteristic to attract the attention of the potential employers. And if you are successful in that, you will surely have the chance of landing your dream job right from LinkedIn. But for that, it is essential to do away with the common LinkedIn mistakes to get the best results.

Content Marketing for Startups: A Strategic Overview

Establishing a business isn't an easy task. However, running it successfully is far more challenging and difficult. As a startup, your business is like a child that needs a lot more attention than the grownups. It is essential to measure every step of the content marketing endeavors for your business. And if you can do that prudently, you can surely expect an amazing return from it in terms of enhanced revenues.

When you are planning the strategies for your startup, it’s essential to plan your content marketing properly as well. Because content still rules the web world.

So, how can you plan content marketing for your startup?

Here’s a quick look at some of the most effective content marketing strategies that can help your startup grow:

• Try to engage the customers; don’t focus only on selling
• Offer some value to your potential customers
•  Focus on topic selection
• Create short and crisp content
• Bring diversity in the content planning
• Include breaks of different types

If you can plan your content creation and marketing properly, it can come in extremely handy for your business.

Engage Customers before Selling

For any profit for your business, you need to sell some of the products that you have. But that comes at a later stage. At the very beginning, you need to engage the customers. And only then you can expect them to convert them for better business deals. So, the first thing that you need to do with your content is to tell your story. But you should not do this only because it will act as a sort of publicity for your company. Instead, try to establish your brand through the tale. Make people understand the principles for which your startup stands, your long-term objectives. Let them know how your startup can add value to them. Tell them the challenges that you have faced and how you’ve overcome them. Remember, a story about “beating the odds” always attracts people.

Provide Value for the Customers

Add value to your potential customers. That’s one of the best ways possible to curve out a niche for your brand. A startup, of course, does not have any fan following at the beginning. That is, only until it starts offering some values to its potential customers. But once you put yourself in your customers’ shoes and start sharing effective solutions for the common challenges faced by them, they are sure to notice you. Know their pain points and offer answers for the same. And this can be a great way forward towards establishing your brand and making it a well-known name among your target audience.

Select a Topic Prudently

Selecting a topic is one of the most important things in process of the content marketing. Doing it correctly can be one of the best ways to get the content marketing of your startup rolling successfully. Remember a few things while selecting it:

• Write about something that’s in-vogue.
• Select a topic, which will perform well.

And for this, again you will have to put yourself in the shoes of your customers. Try to understand what they are looking for most and offer it through your content.

Make It Short and Crisp

When will people read the content for your startup? You surely don’t have a definite answer to this question. While they might sit at home and spend a long time reading the content, they might even go through it within a short time during a journey. And in this busy world, you can’t expect your target audience to invest hours together to complete reading a content. So, it’s better to create something that can be completed and comprehended within a short time. So, make the content short. Make it crisp and easy to understand to get your idea across within a short time.

Share Diverse Content

You are performing the content marketing for your startup. You are posting long blogs and articles on a regular basis. Yet, no difference is visible. There might be a simple reason for that. People these days don’t have time to go through long blocks of text. So, try to add some variety in the content that you post. You can use:

• Videos
• Images
• Infographics

Make all these an integral part of your content marketing strategy to keep the audience glued to the content you share. The more diverse content you share, the more you will be able to attract them.

Create Breaks in between the Texts

You might share loads of information through the content you are sharing for your startup. But make sure they are not just chunks of text. Remember, you need to create an F-shaped pattern in the text you are creating to get the best response for the content from the readers. For this, you have to add breaks in between. Add images to convey what you want as much as you can. Besides, make maximum use of the white space on the web page to ensure that the text isn't creating a tiring experience.

While setting up a business, it’s essential to measure every step that you are taking. You might even take the help of social media to spread the content across and increase its viewership. It will help to enhance the brand name of your startup as well.