• About
  • Anthology
  • Board of Directors
  • Bylaws
  • Join the Guild
  • Manuscript Review
  • Map to Meeting
  • Marketing Support
  • Meetings/Programs
  • Members’ Works
  • Newsletters
  • SDW/EG History
  • Resources
  • Speakers Bureau
  • Virtual Library
  • Welcome/Home

San Diego Writers/Editors Guild

San Diego Writers/Editors Guild

Tag Archives: Images

Marketing Monday-Images

26 Monday Oct 2015

Posted by Sandra Yeaman in Marketing

≈ Comments Off on Marketing Monday-Images

Tags

Images, Instagram, Pinterest, Social Media, Twitter

Forget the past. Remember the lesson. by symphony of love, on Flickr
Creative Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 Generic License   by  symphony of love 

 

Hootsuite, the social media platform that allows you to manage all your other social media platforms from one screen, has so much more experience with using Twitter and other platforms than I will ever have, so I turn to their blog for inspiration often. And here’s a summary of a great post there with 5 Lessons about Images – why they work and when they don’t, based on their 20,000 Tweets.

Tweets are limited in length – just 140 characters. Tweets contain lots of shorthand abbreviations for common words as well as url shorteners when embedding a link into a tweet is required. And that’s why the universal lesson is so important: A tweet without an image is a wasted opportunity. But not every image will have the same impact, and some may convey a contrary message to what you wish. Adding a photo of a beautiful sunset or a flower at the peak of its bloom to a post about your upcoming interview on KPBS radio about your latest murder mystery will likely confuse your audience, no matter how artfully the photo appears.

Here are the five lessons Hootsuite has shared about the how and why of selecting images for their tweets.

  • Words within images – a killer combination
  • Get thing moving – use gifs.
  • Image cliches are cliches because they work.
  • Take what people expect of you, throw it out the window.
  • What do your followers share? Share that.

The first lesson – words within images is a killer combination – may seem counter-intuitive. Why include words in an image at all? Because readers are more likely to stop scanning when they come to an image.

The example below illustrates one way that words can be included in an image. The image catches the readers attention, improving the likelihood that the reader will read the message. And the longer the reader stays on the image, the greater the likelihood the reader will click a link in the tweet to read the rest of the message.

Joyful Mystery by ChadMT, on Flickr
Creative Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 Generic License   by  ChadMT 

 

The second lesson – get things moving – require embedding videos, such as YouTube videos, or gifs.

Videos can be embedded directly into a blog by using the “embed” code which appears when you select the “Share” option below the video and then selecting “Embed” from the “Share Embed Email” options that then appear.


Gifs are a special type of image – images with movement. And giphy.com is a source for gifs for those of us who don’t have the resources to create our own. See the sample from giphy.com.

Dance Party

The third lesson – image cliches work because they are cliches. Everyone loves watching videos of kittens and puppies. Any baby animals, in fact. So images – relevant images with relevant text – that include baby animals will catch attention. Don’t avoid what works, but make sure the whole image relates.

The fourth lesson – take what people expect of you, and throw it out the window. This lesson works when it is used only occasionally. After all, you are a brand. But now and then, doing something out of character, something even shocking, can be effective at getting your audience’s attention.

The final lesson – share what your followers share – helps build your community. And that is the entire point behind social media, to build your community so that potential readers of your book feel connected.

For examples from Hootsuite that illustrate the images that worked, as well as a few that didn’t, check out 5 Lessons about Images.

Here’s another view on what images to use and which to avoid, from CopyBlogger.

  • Avoid obvious stock photos.
  • Stay away from the patently ridiculous.
  • Resist images unrelated to your content.
  • Avoid busy, complex images.
  • Avoid using images that are copyrighted without permission.
  • Look for images that look like real life.
  • Hunt for images that “say” something about your article.
  • Don’t be afraid to use humor.

CopyBlogger has lots to add about where to find images and how to use images to the greatest advantage (by adding text! just like Hootsuite’s first lesson).

Remember, you can subscribe to this website to be sure you don’t miss any Marketing Monday posts. There is no cost. For a reminder on how, check out this previous post.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Five sources of free images from Claire Diaz-Ortiz

12 Saturday Sep 2015

Posted by Sandra Yeaman in Marketing, Resources

≈ Comments Off on Five sources of free images from Claire Diaz-Ortiz

Tags

free images, Images

Claire Diaz-Ortiz

Claire Diaz-Ortiz

I became acquainted with Claire Diaz-Ortiz when a colleague sent a link for a free version of her book, Twitter for Good. It was the first book I read entirely on my iPhone, and it  opened my eyes to the possibilities of Twitter beyond the self-indulgent “here’s what I’m doing now” posts. I’ve been following her on Twitter ever since and have cherished the gems she shares.

I want to share her tips, starting with this one on five top sources for free images online. She mentions one I included in a previous Marketing Monday post (flickr.com’s creative commons licensed images) and I thought I had mentioned, but didn’t (morguefile.com), but three of her top five are new to me – bigfoto.com, fotogenika.net, and freedigitalphotos.net. Some have restrictions on their free use, so check them out before using them.

Once you check out Claire’s post on image sources, dip into some of her other posts on writing and the good it does for you, the writer, as well as your readers.

 

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Email

Like this:

Like Loading...

Next meeting – December 12, 2016

Join us at our December potluck holiday party to mark the end of another successful year in the life of the Guild. Copies of the 2016 edition of The Guilded Pen, the Guild's anthology will be available for sale at $15.00. Limited numbers of earlier editions will also be available for purchase. Registration begins at 6:30, a short business meeting at 6:45, with celebrations to follow. There will be no Marketing Support Group meeting in December.

Our meeting location

We meet each month at the San Diego County Health Services Center, 3851 Rosecrans, San Diego, CA 92110.

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 526 other followers

Contact Us

Our mailing address is SDW/EG, P. O Box 881931 San Diego CA 92168-1931 Our e-mail address is sandiegowriterseditorsguild @gmail.com

Recent Posts-Select Titles to read more

  • On Writing: The Primrose Path to Prologue September 27, 2017
  • New Website is Live December 21, 2016
  • New Website Coming December 10, 2016
  • Looking for Help December 8, 2016
  • See SDW/EG Members at Mysterious Galaxy December 11 December 5, 2016
  • Use Gmail? Wonder Where the Newsletter Emails Went? December 1, 2016
  • Catch Our Drift Productions Is Looking For Stories November 27, 2016
  • One Book, One San Diego Event Dec 1 with Lysley Tenorio November 25, 2016
  • Upcoming Guild Events November 25, 2016
  • Local Writers’ Conferences November 24, 2016
  • Tip of the Hat to… November 23, 2016
  • What You Missed November 22, 2016
  • Tips from a Web Designer: On Widgets, Themes, and Essential Tools November 21, 2016
  • The Guilded Pen Anthology Launch November 21, 2016
  • National Novel Writing Month Events November 20, 2016
December 2019
M T W T F S S
« Sep    
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
3031  

Tags

blogging common errors Facebook Larry Edwards marketing marketing monday membership benefit NaNoWriMo one book one san diego Social Media tip of the hat Twitter website writers conference writing

Disclaimer

Information posted on this site is offered to the writing community by the San Diego Writers/Editors Guild. Sources may include information from a number of different guest contributors. All are presented in good faith, as-is and without warranty as to correctness, nor imply any guarantees to our users.

Blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
%d bloggers like this: