Social media is essential to brand marketing today. Why? Almost everyone is on social media, and it is a good thing to take advantage of where your target audiences are. Social media platforms are hotspots for different purposes, such as personal and business. Brand promotions then become more accessible because of this. But it takes a good social media post to attract audiences. And what makes an engaging and attractive social media post?

It combines a good image and a well-written copy.

Using the correct mix of images and text in social media posts is vital for several reasons that affect both engagement and message delivery:

• Increased engagement

• Enhanced communication

• Emotional connection

• Brand identity and consistency

• Increased memory retention

• Breaking language barriers

• Optimization for platform algorithms

In this blog, we will learn more about how you can leverage your social media copy and images. We will also learn how you can understand your target audience and align your images and copy.

Understanding your audience

In every social media post, it is essential to know the interests, demographics, and how the algorithm of the social media platform works. These are crucial to ensuring that a post will create traction.

Identify and understand your target audience

By learning a lot about the people you want to reach, you can make social media posts that are more effective, interesting, and useful to them. This gets people more involved and makes you more likely to reach your communication or business goals.

There are some vital aspects to consider when it comes to identifying your target audience:

• Demographics (age, gender, location, occupation, etc.)

• Psychographics (interests, hobbies, values, attitudes, and lifestyles)

• Behavioral patterns (social media platform they use the most, active times, types of content, etc.)

• Engagement preferences (in-depth articles/blogs, images, videos, infographics, UGC, etc.)

• Competitor analysis

When creating content, it is always best to understand audience preferences and behaviors. This is an integral factor for creating compelling and relevant content, especially if there are different platforms you wish to use for social media marketing.

Basics of compelling social media images

Figuring out and using a few key ideas that make your pictures stand out and connect with your audience is necessary to make good social media images.

Here is a short checklist you can consider looking at before releasing your social media images to your audience:

• Are the images high-quality and precise?

• Does it have a solid visual composition?

• Follows principles such as the rule of thirds, balance, and framing to create visually appealing images

• Does the image consistently follow the brand identity?

• Are the images platform-appropriate?

• Does the image use emotion-evoking colors and visuals to set the message’s tone?

• Are the texts in the image readable?

• Is the image relevant to the content?

• Are the images optimized for long loading times?

If any of these reflect your created images, then the images are good to go.

Tools and resources for image creation

Since so many tools and resources are available today, making interesting pictures for social media can be simple. This is the main reason why we created Pixelixe.com, to be helpful for designers of all kinds, from those who are just starting to those who are experts.

Moreover, platform-specific guidelines for images must be adhered to.

Facebook Images

• Profile picture: 170x170px for desktop; 128x128px for smartphones

• Cover photo: 820x312px; 400x150px minimum size

• Shared images: 1200x630px for best resolution

• Shared link thumbnails: 1200x628px

Instagram Images

• Profile picture: 110x110px

• Square posts: 1080x1080px

• Landscape posts: 1080x566px

• Portrait Posts: 1080x1350px

• Stories: 1080x1920px, maintaining an aspect ratio of 9:16

Twitter Images

• Profile picture: 400x400px; circle

• Header photo: 1500x500px

• In-stream photos: Minimum of 440x220px (2:1 ratio), maximum to appear expanded 1024x512px

LinkedIn Images

• Profile picture: 400x400px

• Cover photo: 1584x396px

• Shared image or Link: 1200x628px

• Company page banner image: 1128x376px

YouTube Images

• Channel profile image: 800x800px; circle

• Channel cover photo: 2560x1440px; different areas are visible depending on the device.

• Video thumbnails: 1280x720px

According to a survey from Statista, about 77 percent of Indian influencers in 2022 said they liked using short-form video platforms to make and share marketing material.

Better digital payment options came out that year, which also helped live streaming and social shopping platforms break into the influencer marketing market.

Crafting an engaging social media copy

Writing for them takes creativity, strategy, and knowledge of how each social media site works. Anyone taking courses from affordable online colleges can create a compelling post when they follow these steps.

Here are some excellent writing tips that are especially useful for social media posts:

Use a conversational tone

This helps you connect with your audience on a more human level. A nice, approachable tone works best most of the time, but you can change it depending on your brand’s voice and what your audience wants.

Be concise and clear

People on social media read quickly, so get to the point soon. Use precise, concise wording to convey your point in a few words.

Create a story

People love stories, so tell one. They’re exciting and easy to remember. Try to tell a relatable story, even if it’s just a short post.

Add visuals

When it makes sense, use hashtags, emojis, or even text breaks (like bullet points or numbered lists) to make your content look better and easier to read. You can add visualizations like a Likert scale to present customer sentiment.

Write engaging openings

The first few words of your post are significant for getting people’s attention. You could begin with a strong statement, an interesting question, or a surprising fact.

There are plenty of ways to let users engage in your social media posts. Following these tips, you can surely craft an enticing one.

For example, more than 40% of people surveyed in the US in February 2022 said they followed a brand on social media in return for a discount code, gift card, free item, or chance to win a sweepstakes.

About one-quarter of people in the U.S. posted on a brand’s social media posts in exchange for something. On the other hand, 39% of those who answered said they have never interacted with a brand on social media in return for something.

Aligning images with copy

Are you striving for that enticing social media post?

You need an image and copy that align with each other to achieve that engaging output. In social media, aligning pictures and text is an art that requires making a message that flows smoothly and hits home with your audience.

Here are a few strategies to get your image and copy to work together:

• Consistency: Make sure the text and pictures tell the same story or send the same message. Make sure everything is clear between what the image shows and what the text says.

• Visuals and Text That Go Together: Use pictures that go with your text by directly showing the message or setting the right tone or mood.

• Brand Consistency: Your images and copy should always show the same thing about your brand. While writing, ensure the brand’s colors, fonts, and voice match the company’s style.

• Draw Attention to Key Points: Use pictures to draw attention to the most integral parts of your message. For instance, if your text discusses a product’s unique feature, the image should also show that feature.

• Assembling Emotions: How your picture makes you feel should match how you write about it. If your text is funny and lighthearted, a severe or formal picture might not work well with it, and the other way around.

Upgrade your social media post with the right balance of image and copy

When starting a brand and wanting to gain more public awareness, it can be tricky if you need to learn how to create a social media post. Having these materials is what makes up effective social media marketing.

Creating an engaging and balanced social media post requires strategic creation, like adding visuals, consistent branding, a conversational tone, and a concise and clear copy. Applying these can improve engagement.

Don’t stress out your social media post creation. Tell a story, incorporate emotions, and remember to add an engaging introduction so people will be more interested.