Retail businesses are starting to utilize social media tools like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and among others, but now it’s time to expand your social marketing horizon. Don’t get me wrong, they do work, but sometimes the most useful tools are the one you’re already using, you just need to tweak them a bit. Image-based social networking is a great tool to not only draw your customers attention, but help your website’s SEO to boot!
For example, if you are selling expensive rain jackets, and the picture shows a man with a smile staying dry in a hurricane, the consumer can imagine him or herself in that situation. Most likely there are relatively few differences between that jacket and a competitors, but if someone can imagine themselves using it by looking at a photograph, they are more likely to buy from you. In this case, it is a visual testimonial of how tough the product is, because it will put a smile on your face in the harshest conditions. Get your consumer to smile in your product by using persuasive photos.
Photos are an easy way to increase your SEO and drive up your traffic (and sales) on your site. Image optimization is about filling out the associated titles, descriptions, photo sets and tags for each photo, so you have a better chance of appearing in Google results. Create an emotional attachment to your product, and customers will be inclined to buy your from you rather than the competition.