Images are the swiftest, easiest, and most compelling way to enhance your online message. Which platforms to use? Which images work best? How will you create them? What if you just don’t “get” visuals or design? Protips for success and recommendations for DIY design platforms. Session presented at ALDE Ignite 2016.

1. Using Visual Social Media to
Ignite Imagination and
Build Community
Meredith Gould
@meredithgould

2. We’re focusing on…
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Engaging online audiences
with images using:
With a nod toward: Visual story telling!
20112010
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as Picaboo 2015

3. Also focusing on…
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Easy-to-use design platforms:
With a nod toward:

4. Visual Social Media
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 Visual: Users post images – art, photography,
GIFs, videos.
 Social: Viewers may post and respond to
comments.
And work because they:
 Remove language barriers
 Boost engagement
 Fast impressions and visceral connection
 Start conversations

5. Success depends on…
 Thinking visually about goal(s) and message(s)
 Consistent branding across all profiles
 Engaging a few key participants
 Generating audience
 Tagging with keywords/hashtags
 Pacing posts
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Start with strategy!

6. Types of images include:
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 Photo (static image)
 Quotes
 GIFs (animated looped image)*
 Meme (humorous image w/text that’s copied
and spreads swiftly)*
 Infographic (chart/diagram to show info)*
*Advanced applications!

7. About Pinterest
 For collecting and organizing images
 For projects, event planning, inspiration, wish
lists – for visions
 More transactional than relational
 Primarily used by women
 “Pins” more durable than tweets or posts
 Personal Profile and Business Page options
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8. Do not obsess about…
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 Getting lots of comments
 Racking up repins and s
Do focus on…
 Adding “Pin It” buttons to your
website
 Tactical cross-posting Tags
 Inviting people to “pin” to boards

9. Tips for winning Pinterest…
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 Create a strong profile
 Use keywords to enhance searchability
 Add “pin it” buttons to your website
 Set up a variety of boards
 Create group boards
 Create images with text overlay
http://pinstamatic.com/ http://pinwords.com

10. More tips for winning Pinterest…
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 Use search to review how similar organizations
use Pinterest (“pinners,” “boards”)
 Create board descriptions with keywords
 Craft great captions for pins, include links
 Publicize via other platforms
 Pins shared on FB personal profiles only
 (Maybe) pin videos and/or GIFs
 Use “rich pins” [business accounts, metatags]
 Build community by sharing and “re-pinning”

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12. About Instagram
 “Like having a darkroom in your phone!”
 Still and video options
 Instagram Direct allows text/video;
individual/group messages
 Easily integrates with other social media
 Now allows easy toggling between accounts
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13. Tips for winning Instagram…
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 Create a clear profile w/URL
 Use lots of hashtags (#)
 Craft great captions
 (Maybe)Add geo-location
 Use filters that work well visually
 Cross-post to strategically
 Pin images to Pinterest
 Follow who you want to reach
 Make it fun as well as illuminating

14. Instagram Apps/Tools…
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 IconoSQUARE: get to Instagram via
computer; analytics
 Layout: collage
 Instatag: tag with popular hashtags
 InstaQuote: add text
Use what works, ditch what doesn’t

15. About video…
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Challenges:
 Quality
 Length
 Interest
 Strategy!
6.5 seconds 15 seconds
1 to 10 seconds
then gone!
Note: IG, Vine, Snapchat are also messaging platforms.

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 Where is your audience?
 Are you comfy with the platform?

17. And…
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18. Image editing...
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www.canva.com www.ribbet.com
www.picmarkr.com
https://snappa.io/app
Crop and fix; add filters and text to images
Add a watermark

19. Free stock photos . . .
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Picjumbo: http://picjumbo.com
Pixabay: http://pixabay.com
Flickr Creative Commons:
https://www.flickr.com/creativecomm
ons
Snappa: https://snappa.io/
Google it! “Free stock photos”

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Questions?
You’re invited to contact me…
 Website: www.meredithgould.com
 Twitter: @meredithgould
 LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/meredithgould