Give Your Social Marketing a Boost with Memorable Images from Shutterstock
By Sarah Maloy and Janet Giesen from Shutterstock
Today, brands need a steady stream of fresh, engaging social media posts to stay relevant and top of mind with customers. Content can’t only live on a company blog or micro-site — it needs to be shareable and attention-grabbing.
We know that content with relevant imagery drives 94% more views than content without it, so including memorable photos or illustrations in your posts or tweets is increasingly important. But the reality is that many companies don’t have enough images on hand to keep up with the pace of social media.
That’s where the Shutterstock app within Social Studio comes in — to find that perfect “sticky” image for your post, no matter the topic. Through the Shutterstock app, you can search and select powerful visuals to accompany your social media posts. Search for images by keyword, or navigate image categories like Business, Sports/Recreation, or Nature.
At Shutterstock, we see more and more imagery getting licensed for social media use. Here are a couple of the trends we’re seeing in terms of images that perform well in social channels:
The Vintage, Hipster Aesthetic
Visual trends continue to be inspired by vintage, hipster aesthetics. That’s why images with soft light and pastel palettes tend to get higher engagement on social. Blurry and ‘bokeh’ backgrounds have also risen as part of this style, and we saw searches for “blur” increase 144% on Shutterstock this year.
A New or Different Perspective
It’s important for social images to pop, without looking out of place. Images taken from a unique perspective tend to perform well, as they can catch a user’s eye and offer a different look at something commonplace. Macro images, point-of-view images, and photos taken from above or below all show the world in a new and unusual way.
Our 2015 Creative Trends report shows even more of the creative aesthetics we saw trending on social this year, from reflections, to wild animals, to watercolor.
Shutterstock + Social Studio
You can find all of these images and more within the Shutterstock App on Social Studio. Once you find an image you like, you can preview it in your post with a watermark — or actually license and use the image by logging in with a Shutterstock corporate account.
To activate the Shutterstock app within Social Studio, please email premierplans@shutterstock.com.
Want to learn more about Social Studio? Get a demo today.
