Creating Social Media Imagery That Engages.

Great imagery is an essential building block for your social media content strategy, so much so that engagement on Facebook posts with images increases by 230% compared to posts without, and on Twitter, Tweets with images receive 150% more retweets.

Along with increasing your engagement, there’s a psychological benefit to posting image or video content. People only remember 10% of information they hear or read, though when the information is paired with a relevant image, they retain 65% of the information up to three days later, which means the chances of your hotel being remembered for future bookings will be significantly higher.

Make sure you capture your USPs and showcase the luxury aspects of your hotel to create a virtual ‘sense of place’ that will inspire audiences to envisage themselves at your hotel. Most influencers will capture imagery using their mobile phones, and you don’t have the newest phone with the best camera to capture great photos as long as bear in mind:

• All imagery should be well lit (no areas hidden or in shadow)
• Shots shouldn’t be blurry or out of focus
• There should be composition of a central focus so images can be cropped to suit different social media channels without losing any impact
• Everything shown in the shot should be tidy and aligned with everything else
• It’s all about the angle – you may need to crouch down, stand on a chair, or lean on a wall to get it right

While some photos will be opportunistic and need to be captured in the moment, more often than not, it’ll take a bit of time and planning to perfect your shot. When capturing a photo, always clean your camera lens beforehand and play around with the focus and lighting options on your phone to ensure you capture the best image. If it doesn’t look right, then reposition, adjust the lighting, or change your angle – it’s better to do this now while you’re in situ. Ensure you always remember to take several photos too, so that you can choose the best one to post.

To ensure you’re engaging with the diverse range of interests of your audience, regularly post images that promote a variety of aspects of your hotel including rooms, food, spa, gardens or even local activities.

It’s key to remember, when taking or using a photo for social media, that you consider what you want to show your followers and why. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Would I interact with this photo?
• Is this something that people will not have seen before?
• Am I capturing the hotel in the best way possible?

Users are more likely to interact with unique content, so it’s important that the imagery you post on social media is as varied as possible.

We’re not talking extreme filters and image effects, but if in the moment the lighting was a little off or your photograph needs straightening, most phones now provide basic editing options including brightening and cropping. Try adjusting the image tones and cropping to add that ‘wow’ factor.

Each brand is different, as is your demographic, which is why it’s imperative to measure the success of your posts and campaigns. Spend some time analysing which images perform the best, review the shot, angle and subject matter then use this to your advantage and try and capture something similar for future posts.

For more information on our social media management programme and social styling, please get in touch at hello@journey.travel.